I think my "girly" side is kicking in again - trumping my love of the game.
It looks like, inevitably, the regular NFL season is going to be extended to 18 games. I hate this idea. Hate it.
Sounds crazy, right? Here I am, sitting on the couch, writing a blog about football and saying "no more football" - but hear me out.
Adding two more games to the regular season means that my favorite players will be subjected to two more punishing and dangerous battles each year. I think it's reasonable to think that this could very well shorten their careers, and even worse, impact the quality of their lives after football.
As it is now, the average player only lasts in the NFL for about 3 seasons. Think of that...everything you've worked for your whole life used up in 3 years.
I know...I know, "Don't feel sorry for them! They make more in those 3-4 years than I will make in my lifetime!"
Here in middle-class-ville, it's easy to imagine that the money would make it worth it. But does it?
Most of these guys start their careers in the NFL still so young that they believe they are invincible, immortal - with pockets full of cash. They can barely see past tomorrow, much less 10, 20, 30 years into the future. Could you at 22?
But does the fact that they get paid obscene amounts of money to "play a game" make it right to capitalize on their talents for our entertainment until their bodies are pulverized?
Something about that just seems "off" to me.
Am I the only one?
I hear what you're saying Heather. And her goes MY girly-ness.
ReplyDeleteThe game really is only getting more agressive.
I read a report yesterday about how most defense teams are drilling to go right for the QB so he doesn't even get the ball out... and they, as you said, pulverize them! Gone are the days of Marino, Warner and Favre who played season after season after season start to finish for 10++ years. Newer QB's won't be able to be in the game that long being hit on every play.
Then I was watching a special on HBO last night about a former football player, Raiders running back Steve Smith, who contracted Lou Gehrig's disease or ALS. It is believed that all the hard knocks in the head playing the game we so enjoy triggered the Disease. Today he suffers the medical expense with with very little support from the NFL and the burden is placed on his family to care for him. No amount of money can take place of a human life! Copy & paste this link if you get a moment: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/08/18/link-emerges-between-als-and-head-injuries/
Let's be honest, this sport is not an easy one. Though often they make it look easy! These men take HARD hits.... don't get me wrong, they LOVE the game. But they are human as we all are. You know how hard it is to tear a ligament or dislocate a shoulder? Extending the season would mean curtailing how much time we, in reality, get to watch our favorites play and how long their bodies hold up.
With games to be won and strategies to always be "greater than", it would not be likely to have the 2nd string or even 3rd string come into the game regularly to preserve the 1st string players. That would be the only way to extend the season. The hits will come more powerfully, and the injuries more constant.
I vote no on extending the season. Maybe the stations who regularly broadcast the games could do as they do with reality tv and replay all of the previous season when training camps start to get everyone excited, and we could integrate that as part of the new season. Just my idea....
Having said all of that... I LOVE the game of football and I can't wait for the regular season to start... Stay healthy guys!!
Okay, here goes my non-girliness. I would love a longer season and I think with the right conditioning they can take it - I think being able to add extra folks to the roster (up from current 53 players) will give folks who may not have had the greatest camp the chance to really shine in a real game situation. Lest we forget that Tom "Terrific" Brady was something like a 6th round pick and was barely on the team - it would be fabulous to find more of these diamonds...but that is the PR side of me who wants to see those stories told over an 18 game season!
ReplyDeleteThere's an old saying: Always leave them wanting more. I think it has an application in this instance. Other sports have suffered from extended seasons, from over-kill and over-exposure. Look at the NBA. The playoffs practically coincide with Spring training as it is! With so many games, networks choose to cover only the big market ones. That hurts fans and that hurts the game. I love, love, love football and the weekend after the Super Bowl has always been a black hole, but enough is enough. Give the players a break and give the fans just enough to keep them coming back for more.
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