End Direct Provision and your NFL Week 1 preview
There’s no way of escaping the fact that our children will ask us how we allowed Direct Provision—the holding of people who arrive in Ireland seeking asylum or international protection in centres around the country—to happen for as long as it has.
While in theory the State directly provides essential services, including medical care, accommodation, and board — along with a minuscule weekly allowance — in the majority of cases the centres are privately owned and operated for profit.
And before they were holding Minsters and EU Commissioners to account; Paul Hosford and Aoife Grace Moore of the Irish Examiner were revealing just how much of a cash cow Direct Provision is. Indeed, they found that over the first 17 years of its existence, the Irish Government handed over €1.1 billion to private operators.
One major player in Direct Provision in Ireland is Aramark — trading as Aramark Ireland Holdings Ltd—which received nearly €6 million in 2018 to operate centres in Clare, Cork, and Meath which are home to 825 asylum seekers. In 2014, asylum seekers in Meath launched a hunger strike to protest conditions at the centre.
But, in addition to running prisons, schools, and Direct Provision centres, Aramark are also the food and beverage partner of no fewer than 11 professional football teams. And of the six NFL stadiums allowing fans this season, Aramark run three; this includes Arrowhead, home to the defending Super Bowl champions Kansas City.
Ireland has forced Direct Provision on asylum seekers for 21 years, 20.5 of which it has been clear that the system is not just unsuitable, but inhumane and designed to blur the lines of accountability. It is a system that creates barriers to integration, and contributes to poor mental and physical health.
And it is all done for the profit of a company serving you $15 beers at your favourite NFL stadium.
Game of the week
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints
Sunday, 9.25pm
For the first time since Direct Provision was introduced into Ireland, we get to see Tom Brady in a uniform that doesn’t belong to the New England Patriots. Now 43, the six-time Super Bowl winner is surrounded by the kind of offensive weapons he hasn’t seen for years in Foxboro. However, a balance most be struck between Brady’s dink-and-dunk style and head coach Bruce Arian’s love of deep threat football.
For the Saints, they feel like the most complete roster in the NFL on paper. But you can’t sack a quarterback with an A4 refill pad and questions remain about Drew Brees’ play, as well as the coaching of Sean Peyton, late in the season and during the playoffs. However, the addition of the Emmanuel Sanders means the New Orleans offence is arguably better than last year, while the defence are no slouches.
Verdict: This game, despite being week one, has potential playoff and seeding implications. With home advantage not as big a deal this season—or not expected to be at least — watch the Bucs pick up the first win of the Tom Brady era.
6pm kickoff worth watching on GamePass
New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills
Sunday, 6pm
Many people smarter than me have picked the Buffalo Bills as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and not just because Tom Brady has left the division. While I’m still not convinced Josh Allen can be a franchise QB, this season will tell us once and for all as Buffalo has surrounded their former first round pick with a tonne of offensive talent while complementing that with an elite defence.
For the Jets, they pose more questions than a five year old on a long road trip. Will Mekhi Becton hold up at left tackle; can Denzel Mims overcome his injury woes; will Sam Darnold get mono again? It feels like everything has to come good for New York and that still might not be enough to stop them finishing fourth in the AFC East this season.
Verdict: Given the difference in trajectory of these two teams, the Bills have a chance to drop a big score and lay down a marker for the rest of the year. Worth watching for that alone.
TV games that are on far too late for people on this side of the Atlantic
Houston Texans @ Kansas City Chiefs — Chiefs
Dallas Cowboys @ LA Rams — Rams
Pittsburgh Steelers @ New York Football Giants — Steelers
Tennessee Titans @ Denver Broncos — Titans
Games you’ll only watch on RedZone for fantasy implications
Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Football Team — Eagles
Miami Dolphins @ New England Patriots — Dolphins
Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings — Vikings
Indianapolis Colts @ Jacksonville Jaguars — Colts
Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions — Lions
Las Vegas Raiders @ Carolina Panthers — Raiders
Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens — Ravens
Seattle Seahawks @ Atlanta Falcons — Seahawks
LA Chargers @ Cincinnati Bengals — Bengals
Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers — 49ers
