In his column “NFL plays head games”, Editor Marv Adams writes:
“The Romans had their ‘bread and circuses.’ We have the NFL. We just pay our gladiators more, and they don’t die in the arena. Suffering and premature death come later.
“Our most popular sport is our most brutal. We used to shake our heads at retired players who were maimed by the game, turning old before their time, needing new knees, hips and shoulders. That now pales in comparison to the brain injuries that many have suffered.”
“The NFL only has to look at boxing, which was once more popular than pro football, to know it has to change its game.”
WATCHDOG: Three wags of the tail! Marv Adams so well expresses what we believe.
However, Adams misdirects the source of solution to the problem.
It is the decisions of thoughtful mothers and fathers who direct their teenage children into soccer, wrestling, lacrosse and other sports rather than football that will protect our youth and ultimately bring about the decline of college and professional football.
We love football. We played football for one year on a small college freshman team. We consider football to be a combination of chess and physical prowess. But we are alarmed and disgusted to see the brutal contact and apparent injuries quarter after quarter.
It shouldn’t matter what spectators want. What will matter is what parents decides is best for the children.
