On Wednesday, September 5th I was excited and nervously anticipating not only the start of the NFL season but the healing prowess of Jason Witten, who after injuring his spleen in a preseason game was suited up on the sideline. After listening for hours on ESPN's Fantasy Football podcast, I was assured by their resident injury specialist, Stephania Bell, that it was impossible that Witten could be back for the start of the season. She emphasized it's an injury that can't be rehabbed and if injured again could be lethal. So to my surprise and unhealthy desire to observe a car accident, I watched and anticipated what would happen if Witten were to get speared in the back by a corner back. Luckily, nothing happened, however, it confirmed what I already knew, "Football Players are Crazy".
When does it start? In my opinion it starts in Pop Warner, however, the first time I encountered courageous and stupid actions by football players was in high school. There were several occasions when players bit their lip as they played with a broken foot and possible concussions. I actually had a teammate who played a whole second half of football after being laid out on a punt return and the next day didn't remember what he did the whole second half. Even I begged my coaches to let me play after hearing a pop in my right knee that required my knee to be drained.
Now this macho attitude is not only on the football field but probably in every sport. As a society we watch movies, hear stories from old timers and revere superstars like Micheal Jordan and the like who play sick and injured. We admire these men and women. They are what we wish we could be. Our modern day heroes that sacrifice their bodies for our entertainment.
So what should our society do? Should we do away with football that a study just revealed makes players more vulnerable to degenerative brain disease such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig's disease? Or should we allow players the right to play football?
Personally, I believe if players are educated and still willing to play football they should be allowed to with the caveat that they can't sue the NFL. Is being a football player anymore dangerous then mining coal or serving in the military? Is it anymore dangerous then working in a prison or fighting brush fires? It's not and in a lot of those instances those jobs are a lot more dangerous and doesn't pay those men and women millions of dollars. But we accept that reality because those jobs are necessary.
Does that mean football is necessary? Not as much as the jobs I previously mentioned. However, it does serve society as a form of entertainment. Like acrobats that fly in the air during a circus or a high wire act above Niagara falls. As long as players understand the danger and accept it, football players can be as crazy as they want to be.
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