Fourth & Democracy | South Park’s Trump Takedown, an NIL Kill Shot, & the Return of Soft-Focus Fascism

Welcome to another edition of Fourth & Democracy: Where the playbook meets the public square. I’m Evan Fields – Army veteran, husband, sports fanatic, and just another guy trying to make sense of all the madness.

This newsletter’s here to keep you wired into the latest in sports, culture, and politics – even when life’s too busy to follow the feed.

This week: President Trump takes a swing at NIL deals under the banner of “fairness.” Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign is selling more than denim. And South Park just launched an all-out assault on the man-baby in chief.

Let’s get into it.

1st & Ten: Trump’s Play: Kill the NIL Deals

For a lot of working-class kids, sports are one of the last reliable ways out. And thanks to NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals, college athletes have finally started cashing in on their talent — legally, and on their own terms.

This week, Donald Trump took aim at that progress.

A new executive order directs the Department of Education to crack down on “pay-to-play” licensing, targeting NIL deals under the guise of protecting women’s sports and preserving scholarship equity. It’s a smokescreen.

Yes, college athletics has real issues — but they’re coming from the transfer portal chaos, not from kids finally getting paid. Fans might miss the old competitive balance, but nobody’s mad that players are finally getting their cut after decades of universities hoarding the profits.

This isn’t about fairness. It’s another example of the rich controlling the poor.

President Donald Trump greets members of the Navy Midshipmen football team from the U.S. Naval Academy, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in the State Dining Room of the White House. | Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok via Flickr

2nd & Long: Sydney Sweeney Sells Eugenics For American Eagle

This weekend, American Eagle launched its full ad campaign starring Gen Z actress Sydney Sweeney. Predictably, young men lost their minds, while young women went to the nearest store, and some smug ad exec secured a fat bonus.

Beneath the glossy denim and breathy Voice-over lies something much darker.

What looks like just another pop culture cash grab is actually part of a broader marketing shift since Trump returned to the White House. Look closely at your commercials lately — less diversity, more cowboy cosplay, a heavy tilt toward traditionalism. Corporate America is falling in line.

American Eagle didn’t just join the trend — they pushed it further. The ad leans into a not-so-subtle pun on “genes” and “jeans,” with Sweeney’s vocal fry lingering just long enough to blur the line between her Aryan-coded beauty and the all-American denim she’s selling. It’s soft-focus eugenics wrapped in teen fantasy.

And it’s not an accident.

We’re watching brands preemptively bend the knee to authoritarian power. Universities. Media companies. Now retail giants. All quietly recalibrating their messaging to avoid lawsuits, stay off Trump’s radar, and signal alignment with the MAGA worldview — not because they believe in it but because they fear being next.

Corporate America’s new marketing strategy: comply or get crushed.

3rd & Short: A Washed Meme Game

Trump posted a meme this week showing Barack Obama in the O.J. Bronco with Trump and JD Vance (in meme form) trailing behind in cop cars. The message? Obama’s the real criminal. Trump is law and order.

The issue? No one bought it. No one cared.

The meme Trump posted on social media

This kind of thing used to work for him — the memes, the nicknames, the coded racism. But now? It feels desperate. Stale. Like he’s stuck in 2016 while the rest of the country — even his base — is drowning in inflation, ICE raids, and the Epstein files he’s trying to bury.

He keeps swinging at Obama, hoping it’ll stir up the crowd and distract from his own past — the parties, the plane rides, the predator he called a friend. But the attacks don’t land anymore. The meme war isn’t enough. People want results. Their rage needs a purpose. And all Trump’s got left are reruns.

It’s not just that it’s lazy — it’s hollow.

When a strongman starts recycling old tricks, it’s not to provoke. It’s to survive. And this time, even the laughs feel forced.

Fourth & Democracy: South Park Torches Trump’s Teeny, Tiny Member

South Park kicked off its 27th season this week by going straight for the groin — literally. The season opener fired shots at Donald Trump with a heavy dose of symbolism: a romantic relationship between Trump and Satan, a tank-as-phallus painting, blunt jokes about the president’s anatomy (or lack thereof), and not-so-subtle references to the Epstein scandal.

Even Eric Cartman’s edgelord schtick got put on trial — symbolizing the death of “woke” panic as a cultural force and South Park’s own reckoning with its past.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone have always punched up — not just at individuals, but at institutions. And this time, they aimed at the one guy who once convinced people he wasn’t the establishment. Trump’s whole brand was built on being anti-elite, anti-PC, and “one of them.” But now? He is the system. Wealthy. Litigious. Thin-skinned. Obsessed with power. Obsessed with his image.

The satire lands because it reflects the shift happening in real life — Trump’s not the iconoclast anymore. He’s the punchline.

And that punchline is likely to keep coming. Parker and Stone just inked a $1.5 billion deal with Paramount for 50 new episodes. So if Trump keeps attacking media companies and calling late-night comedy out, he might want to brace for impact. Because South Park just proved they’re still fearless — and he’s no longer untouchable.

What to Watch

Quarterback Season 2 - Netflix

Netflix and Peyton Manning’s production company ran it back for a second season of the popular show which follows three NFL quarterbacks as they navigate the job. This season it’s Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons, Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions, and Cincinnati Bengal’s QB Joe Burrow being featured. Check it out on Netflix now!

Happy Gilmore 2 - Netflix

The most anticipated golf movie sequel of all time is here. Happy Gilmore comes out of retirement to fund his daughter’s dream of attending a prestigious ballet school in Paris. Adam Sandler is back with a ton of cameos and some feel good vibes to lift us out of dark times.

What to Read

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

The Body Keeps the Score breaks down how trauma rewires your brain, hijacks your body, and shapes the way you think, feel, react, and even sleep — long after the moment has passed. Whether it’s combat stress, childhood wounds, abuse, or just years of holding everything in because “that’s what men do,” this book explains why you feel the way you do… and how to start healing.

Upcoming Drops

Ready or Not - Gaming (Already Out)

OK, it’s not technically upcoming — but it’s one of the biggest sleeper hits of the year, and everyone’s talking about it.

Ready or Not, the hyper-realistic SWAT team simulator that blew up on PC, just dropped on console. It’s been getting rave reviews — even Shane Gillis and Matt McCusker were hyping it on their podcast this week.

Whether you’re rolling solo or with a squad online, the game throws you into high-stakes tactical missions where one wrong move can mean civilian casualties. It’s tense, intense, and eerily close to real life — but that’s what makes it great.

In Closing

We’re heading into the home stretch of summer. Kids are going back to school. The tempo’s about to pick up — fast.

Before the chaos of fall kicks in, take a breath. Spend some time with your people — family, friends, chosen family. Get outside. Do the thing you’ve been putting off. Clear your head. Touch some grass on purpose.

Put yourself first this weekend — not out of selfishness, but survival. Because when the holidays roll in and the pressure’s on, the work you do now — the rest, the reset, the reconnection — will make all the difference.

Stay loud. Stay grounded. Stay up.