Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El‑Sayed appeared on the Fox News program “Jesse Watters Primetime” to discuss his past statements about professional football. The 41‑year‑old, who is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, has previously described the NFL as fostering “toxic masculinity,” “bro culture,” and “racism, misogyny, and homophobia.” When Watters asked him to defend those remarks, El‑Sayed shifted the conversation to the cost of attending games.

Ticket prices become the focus

El‑Sayed told Watters, “Look, I think for Colin Kaepernick, I think he should have had several more years in the NFL. Now I think he’s a pretty damn good quarterback. I think, unfortunately, he lost a lot of time.” He then added, “The bigger issue right now when it comes to football, look, I know you guys like to think I don’t like football, but I’m happy to line up against anybody who thinks that I don’t like football. And I’ll just tell you, the bigger issue that we have for football right now is, I looked at ticket prices to try and go and see a game with my family. It’s astronomical through the roof.

El‑Sayed continued, “Now, I think football used to be the kind of thing that you could enjoy with people… That’s gone for too many people. I want to talk about football. I want talk about access to football.” He argued that most fans cannot afford to attend games, especially in Michigan where the state has only one NFL team. “Here in Michigan, we’ve got one team and most people can’t watch them in the stadium. I’d like to make it more affordable,” he said.

Watters presses on the racism claim

Watters pressed, “I asked you if you thought the NFL was racist because you said the NFL is racist and now you’re talking about ticket prices. The NFL is too expensive, you don’t agree. All right, so you don’t think it’s racist anymore. I get it I’m glad you don’t think the NFL’s racist anymore.” El‑Sayed responded by reiterating his point about affordability, saying, “I’m just saying, most people can’t afford that. Bigger issue with the NFL, you won’t talk about the NFL. The bigger issue with NFL is too many people can afford it. You probably can, and I know that you’re in New York, so you have like two teams that play in the same place. So you get two options. But I’m saying that here in Michigan, we’ve got one team and most people can’t watch them in the stadium. And I’d like to make it more affordable.”

Watters concluded, “All right, so you dodged, you dodgy again,” noting that El‑Sayed had previously labeled the league as racist but now emphasized ticket costs.

Context of El‑Sayed’s football criticism

El‑Sayed’s earlier commentary on the NFL was part of a broader critique of what he sees as a culture that marginalizes certain groups. In prior interviews, he warned that the league’s environment can perpetuate discrimination and discourage participation from families of modest means. His stance aligns with his campaign focus on economic equity and access to public resources.

While the candidate reaffirmed his belief that Colin Kaepernick deserved additional playing time, he did not directly address whether his view of the league’s systemic issues had changed. Instead, he framed the discussion around the practical barrier of ticket prices, suggesting that making games more affordable would benefit families and restore the communal experience he recalls from earlier eras of the sport.

Implications for the Michigan Senate race

El‑Sayed’s appearance on a national news program highlights the intersection of his progressive platform with a high‑profile cultural debate. Voters in Michigan will weigh his positions on economic policy, social issues, and now his perspective on professional sports as part of the broader assessment of his candidacy.

The interview underscores the challenge for candidates who hold strong ideological views to communicate those positions in a way that resonates with a broader electorate, especially when the topics shift from abstract policy to everyday concerns like the cost of a football ticket.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.