I remember Coach wafting a cracked ammonia stick under my nose and moving his finger in front of my eyes. I’d been tackled hard and, apparently, had been slow getting up. I insisted I was okay. “Who’s the president?” he asked me. Despite being woozy, I was desperate to get back in the game. When I answered the question — it was Ike — Coach slapped my shoulder pads and sent me in on the next play. That something was, in fact, quite wrong in my head only added to the pride I felt. Even as a high school kid, I knew that more honor was to be had in playing through an injury than in the few passes I actually ever caught.
As I learned when my parents later took me to the doctor, I had suffered a concussion. That was nothing to the embarrassment I felt when they made me tell Coach I’d be sitting out practice for a week. His sneer flooded me with shame. That simply, I’d been plunged into the macho heart of football — a gladiator ethos which has lately drawn scrutiny because, indeed, of brain concussions.
Comments
If Baseball was still America's pastime JC would hate baseball.
Thanks for shining a light on a problem which is becoming a cultural embarrassment, as the true scope of the problem becomes more visible. Football players are the contemporary gladiators. The fans are not too far removed from the thumbs up-thumbs down practices of ancient Rome. Short of eliminating the game altogether, there are any number of changes which could help to limit the damage. Weight control would be one. No human being should be as heavy as the numbers reported for the linemen. With obesity as a growing public health epidemic, and health care costs being the centerpiece of a national debate, pro football should step up and put a weight limit of 280 pounds on participation. Lower levels of the game should go down from their. It would be impossible to truly monitor and enforce, but it would be a symbolic step towards establishing a different type of game. There's plenty of room to enjoy and appreciate the talent in executing football skills but still reduce the danger.
Exactly what is a "cultural embarassment"? Does that mean we do not get invited to tea in Great Britian because we are viewed as savages? Or the French sneer at us over a glass of Port? Do you hang your head in shame when you walk the streets because of the NFL?
Weight control was mentioned, but then you said it would be impossible to monitor and enforce, but a "symbolic" step. What is the point of "symbolic" steps? To allow you to not feel "culturally embarassed"?
You also stated "No human being should be as heavy as the numbers reported for linemen." Really? A typical linemen will weigh about 300 lbs. My nephew played for Iowa, lineman. 6'6", 300lbs. 6% body fat. He would sink if he went in a pool. No flab. I can guarantee you that he could have gotten to 280 lbs easily, and a hit from him would have rocked your world.
Bah, legislation, Massachusetts answer to everything, including our National pasttime.
I have to ask the same question re: cultural embarrassment ... ?? (History: I like your counterpoints. :) ) Establish a "different type of game" -- are you serious? I hope not. I can only laugh at this, it's just too absurd.
This comment has been removed.
Decent article, it serves to inform parents and others of the risks and dangers associated with playing tackle football. The author does go off the rails when he states that "Violence is the point." Nah, that is like saying everyone who goes to NASCAR race is there to see a crash. No, they are not. A statement like that is from someone who either does not understand the game, or only sees the violent side of it. With that viewpoint, basketball is violent, I am not a basketball fan, but every time I catch a glimpse, someone is being slammed to a hard wooden floor with no protective gear. Violence must be the point of basketball, right? Almost every sport involves an element of danger. Downhill skiing, 90 mph with sometimes fatal crashes. Snowboarding, lives have been lost. What we do not need is the "Where is my Nanny?" types sticking their faces in every aspect of American culture to "make it safe" because they feel it is "violent". No one forces a person to play football or to watch it. Those who do not like the "violence" of the game should not watch it and counsel their children not to play it. The author made a good point in this regard.
Well, I played basketball, baseball, hockey and football growing up (track and field, too, but that, for obvious reasons is not relevant here). Football is the only sport where I had a coach tell me to hurt the guy across the line from me as much as possible on the first play and, "You will own him for the rest of the game." I did have one baseball coach try to teach us how to slide in to second with a high spike, but that was one guy out of many.
No, violence is a major part of football, at least I was taught that back in the day. The hard shell padding, for instance, seems to be less for protection of the player than so a lineman can hit an opponent harder.
One of the most important things in any society is protection of its children. Even the most primitive tribes do that. Thirst for profits can subvert that instinct in developing nations, but that's a different issue.
We have other laws to protect children, and if it takes laws to protect our children from possibly permanent injury in sports then we should do what's necessary. Not all parents are good parents.
There is definitely a destructive American approach to sports. I once worked with a youth hockey coach. The talk turned to injuries. He said he always applied heat. I said "What? You're supposed to ice a recent injury." He replied," that way I can get them right back into the game." Parents beware.
This comment has been removed.
Well put, Mr. Carroll. This is a moral question, and it is being ignored by most parents. If we wait for the NFL commissioner to do something, then we will be waiting till the last murder suicide turns out the lights. As you ask, what are parents for?
HistoryIsJustThat,
"Bah, legislation" is correct, but maybe not the way you mean it. I wouldn't worry about legislation.... litigation is what is going to end up changing the game.
There is something up with violence in American culture. I grew up playing football and loved it. I also grew up not questioning American military intervention abroad. Is there a connection between the two? How many firearms do we having floating around in our country? How many innocents slaughtered every year? There's no doubt that we worship violence here. It's time we start dig deeply into our national psyche. I commend Carroll for having the courage and perspective to do so.
TAKE OFF THE HELMETS!!!! Counter-intuitive , but...