Thursday, September 18, 2014

Are You Ready for Some Football?

It's football time.  Good old american football - pigskin, goalposts, chicken wings and cold beer.  Next to hockey, football used to be my favorite sport to watch.  But this year I'm not so enamored with it.  One some level, I feel like watching football condones the violence some of the players engage in.

I've been reading a lot about the subject -- it's hard not read about it, the media is on a full court press.  We have been fully informed about numerous players who have been arrested for assault, domestic violence,  child abuse.  Some, but not all, of these arrests led to charges being filed.  Some led to fines and/or suspensions.  All of these fall under the NFL 'personal conduct policy'.  The policy was created in 2007 by Roger Goodell.  It was his attempt to hold the players to a higher standard.  The policy itself won't stop violence, you have to back it up with action - appropriate action.  A punishment doesn't work if it doesn't hurt.  

It is a fact that Ray Rice knocked out his fiancé in an elevator and then dragged her out of it, unconscious, when the doors opened.  She has since married him.  What?!?!?!  I know she angered him, spit in his face, called him names -- then he punched her.  What in the world was she thinking marrying him after that?  What kind of a world do we live in when women think behavior like that is okay.  Of course I assume she's in the relationship for the money - and she can't get his money if she doesn't marry him.  Where is her self-respect?  It is sad to think that we live in a world where people have a larger desire for money than for respect.  What has her life been like to this point if she is allowing him to abuse her, and making excuses for him in public.

And Roger Goodell lied to us.  Outright lied about having not seen the footage of that attack.  It was not until the public saw it, and realized that he had seen it at the beginning and knew all along how serious this was, that he punished Ray Rice.  So first he chose inaction over action, and then he lied about it.  Of course Janae Rice thought it was okay for him to hit her - why would she think otherwise? 

Roger Goodell must go.  I think I agree with that.  But is it just Roger Goodell?  Maybe football itself needs to go.  We expect these men to turn on the violence on the football field, and then turn it off when they leave the field.  We see them as role models who are idolized by many.  They are paid large amounts of money for doing an extremely physical job.  We expect them to hurt people.  But only under certain circumstances.

I'm not excusing their behavior by any means.  But in addition to being violent, they are suffering head injuries.  The evidence that concussions have long-term effects is overwhelming.  We send these men out there every week to entertain us and they are suffering long-lasting brain injuries.  The effect of that on not only them but on their loved ones cannot be overlooked and I wonder if we should rethink football.   

Are you ready for some football?  Because I'm not so sure I am.

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