I need to start this off by saying that I LOVE THE NFL!!!
Can’t say it enough! I played soccer growing up and was a bit too brittle/small
for football. Sure, I played in middle school, but everyone played in middle
school. I mean EVERYONE played. And if you didn’t, you had a broken leg or
something. As a soccer player, I had to rationalize not playing somehow. So, us
“dorks”, as the football players called us, would downgrade just about
everything they did or said. “They are dumb jocks!” “Must be nice to rest every 35 seconds.” And
the like. We didn’t get too creative, because we played in a tougher division
and had a better record. As it turns out, I ended up working for a couple of
“dumb jock, football players”, and they weren’t that dumb: They quit playing football
while they were ahead.
Football players pride themselves on being the toughest and
strongest. They get high-five’d after dismembering other players, causing a
turnover – which usually is preceded by a nasty collision – and other
disastrous plays. Football players get huge notoriety from a multitude of
people, mainly because, we, the average person, can’t do what they do. We respect the hell out of them and enshrine
them as gladiators of our time.
So why, all these years later, are they turning their backs
on the game that they used to love, fed their families, and was their
livelihood for a majority of their lives? One word; the C-word: Concussions.
They are suing the league for not informing them of the dangers of
football. No, that’s not a joke. The dangers of football!!! Did you ever think
you would hear such a crazy thought in your life? Football consists of running
fast, hitting hard, putting your hat on someone (referring to hitting someone
with your helmet), and trying to stay up-right. Sure, there is some other
verbiage in there on how to advance the ball and score points, but that’s the
gist of it. Not much there. Soccer might be running and kicking. Baseball would
be swinging, catching and throwing. Football is run fast, hit hard!
So why is anyone surprised by all these concussions? They
have been paid for many years to HIT SOMEONE HARD! What were they supposed to
say, “No, not that hard!” C’mon! These gladiators would never go half-assed. I
was always told that is the way you get hurt, by not going as hard as your
opponent. If you didn’t think something
would happen to your brain after years of playing football, then maybe your
brain was fully functioning to begin with.
You wouldn’t slam your head into a hammer for 25 years and say “what
happened?” The NFL is being raked over the coals for not informing their
players of the mishaps of playing football. Shouldn’t that be common knowledge?
Paying child support and wrapping it up to begin with should be common
knowledge, but many players avoid that too. Who’s at fault, the NFL? I think it’s foolish to blame the NFL for
what should have been taught years ago. Where is the league issued “if it’s
hot, don’t touch it” statement?
We as a society have become giant puff-balls, and the world’s
biggest pansies. Everyone must win, don’t keep score for little league
baseball, tell me everything, hand me everything or else I will sue! It has
gotten out of control and leading us down a trail, we as a society do not want
to go down.
So be forewarned society, if you do not succeed in life, you
will be a failure!
