Harrison Butker's Jersey Among The Most Popular Selling Following College Address

The outrage surrounding Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker's commencement address at Benedictine College is intense. Butker, most notably, encouraged women at the Catholic college not to feel shame in choosing motherhood over their careers.

Critics depicted his speech as "sexist" and belittling of women who are childfree. The press, GLAAD, various female talk show hosts and even the NFL have each since condemned Butker's words.

The reaction online would lead you to believe Butker is a violent criminal. He's not. He's a Catholic.

But, apparently, the NFL community is far more concerned with his supposed thought crimes than the plethora of violent crimes so many other NFL players commit. 

You might wonder if the media and online outrage toward Butker is consistent with the feelings of general, everyday Americans. We wondered that, too.

One can never measure the feelings of society at large by its level of outrage. The majority of Americans do not have access to the megaphone – only a very vocal minority does. Therefore, the silent majority is regularly forced to make waves via their transactions and lack thereof.

We've seen over the past 12 months – Bud Light, Target and Disney – how the silent majority is often in disagreement with the vocal minority. 

And the recent surge in jersey sales for Harrison Butker leads us to believe that is also the case here. 

The official NFL Shop lists Butker's jersey as one of its "most popular," for both men and women. His jersey is also among the most popular on Fanatics' NFL page.

Now, shop sites do not disclose what metrics they use to determine which jerseys are "most popular."  

Are they based on raw sales? Percentage increases?  We asked the NFL's communication department for clarification. We did not hear back. We will update this article if/when we do.

Either way, Butker's jersey was nowhere near the "most popular" section before his controversial address at Benedictine College. After all, he's a kicker. 

So, while the NFL community vehemently disagrees with his message, paying NFL customers tell a different story. 

As of publication, the women's XL size for his jersey is sold out on NFL.com.

No, Rex Chapman, the women have not spoken. Some women have spoken. Women are not one monolithic entity.

The obvious takeaway from Butker's jersey sales is the spotlight it shines on the disconnect between those who control the message (public figures and the media) and those who control the market (the average consumer).

That disconnect further demonstrates the need for a more diverse representation of the conversation. By diversity, we mean diversity of thought – the most important form of diversity.

Harrison Butker's perspective on marriage is rooted in his Catholic faith. Religious messaging is inherently polarizing.

It's reasonable to understand how his religious perspective could make those of a different belief system uncomfortable.

Meaning, Butker is not exactly wrong or right in his assessment of the nuclear family.

However, nor are holier than thou critics telling him he is wrong — from Rolling Stone to USA Today, from "Good Morning Football" host Jamie Erdahl to Lisa Guerrero.

Here's the issue: the proverbial conversation is so disproportionately slated leftward that Butker is overwhelmingly presented as a villain. He's not. Again, he's a Catholic. 

So, stop with the petitions to cancel him. Enough with the name-calling and condemnation. 

Perspectives are never monolithic. The marketplace of ideas is supposed to be one of our greatest strengths as Americans.

We aren't calling for the silencing of Butker's loudest detractors. We are calling for the mainstream media outlets to also give voice to the other side – the Catholic side, the side of the many women buying Butker's jersey in support of his speech. 

Their opinions matter, too.