WELCOME! First,let me tell you that I played football and loved football! However, it is becoming increasingly clear that football is dangerous to one's health, especially at the professional level. That is, it's dangerous at any level, but the profound danger seems to be in repetitive life-long hits in the head, even with a helmet on. So while you may do some short-term damage to your brain by playing college as a child thru high school or college, it seems the real significant long-term damage comes if you play football ALL your life ! At least that seems to be the case, anecdotally and according to studies.
Thus, this blog is NOT ABOUT banning all football forever but about warning of the dangers of football as a career, while advancing the affirmation of youth football (ie thru college) as a good analogy and form of discipleship for a good, long, virtuous Christian life. The hard knocks of football that you get as a player in "pee wee" league (or rocket league as they called it where I grew up) and in high school and college are a good way of training one for the hard knocks of life and getting back up off the grass and trying again, and again....and AGAIN, win, lose, or tie !
We know also as Christians that we will be persecuted for righteousness sake, yet to rejoice nonetheless. Football players learn that some other players will play dirty...and sometimes get away with it. Do you play dirty back ? How do you handle it? A warm-up for life. I cover all sorts of news and have many blogs and wanted to start a football blog to revel in the great game of football but could NOT DO SO IN GOOD CONSCIENCE given what I know now. I am 47-years old now, and so YES I grew up in the 70's & 80's before there was much information about the danger of brain concussions. Sure, we wore helmets...I am not so old that we were those who wore leather helmets but the modern-day plastic riddell helmets that you see all players wearing now. And while these protect our heads from skull fractures, doctors say they don't stop concussions (ie the brain moving around inside the skull). It's a real danger. We've even seen some ex-pros become suicidal because of possible brain damage due to a life of being hit in the head. The stories, cases, concerns, testimonies are endless. I can't ignore it, nor should you, in good conscience.
Believe me, I want to ignore it. I love football. I love the season. I love the rough-and-tumble. But I don't like brain damage and cannot, in good conscience, cheer players on knowing that they may be doing permanent damage to themselves after a certain point. Yet I also want to report on football stories, and so I've decided on a compromise. By reporting on football on this BLOG , with each post there will be a reminder of the potential permanent damage these players are doing to themselves and each other. Yes, as a football player you are also responsible for the damage you inflict on others, even if it is within
the rules of the game.
Thus, this blog is NOT ABOUT banning all football forever but about warning of the dangers of football as a career, while advancing the affirmation of youth football (ie thru college) as a good analogy and form of discipleship for a good, long, virtuous Christian life. The hard knocks of football that you get as a player in "pee wee" league (or rocket league as they called it where I grew up) and in high school and college are a good way of training one for the hard knocks of life and getting back up off the grass and trying again, and again....and AGAIN, win, lose, or tie !
We know also as Christians that we will be persecuted for righteousness sake, yet to rejoice nonetheless. Football players learn that some other players will play dirty...and sometimes get away with it. Do you play dirty back ? How do you handle it? A warm-up for life. I cover all sorts of news and have many blogs and wanted to start a football blog to revel in the great game of football but could NOT DO SO IN GOOD CONSCIENCE given what I know now. I am 47-years old now, and so YES I grew up in the 70's & 80's before there was much information about the danger of brain concussions. Sure, we wore helmets...I am not so old that we were those who wore leather helmets but the modern-day plastic riddell helmets that you see all players wearing now. And while these protect our heads from skull fractures, doctors say they don't stop concussions (ie the brain moving around inside the skull). It's a real danger. We've even seen some ex-pros become suicidal because of possible brain damage due to a life of being hit in the head. The stories, cases, concerns, testimonies are endless. I can't ignore it, nor should you, in good conscience.
Believe me, I want to ignore it. I love football. I love the season. I love the rough-and-tumble. But I don't like brain damage and cannot, in good conscience, cheer players on knowing that they may be doing permanent damage to themselves after a certain point. Yet I also want to report on football stories, and so I've decided on a compromise. By reporting on football on this BLOG , with each post there will be a reminder of the potential permanent damage these players are doing to themselves and each other. Yes, as a football player you are also responsible for the damage you inflict on others, even if it is within
the rules of the game.
But then again, football , when played properly and with self-awareness, up to a certain age is an excellent form of training for life, including the Christian life. And that's the football I applaud and encourage. Up to a certain age. As for pro football, I honestly think it's time to re-think the game, or limit how many years a person is allowed to play. At the Fukushima disaster there are limits to how many times a person can go in-and-out of certain areas before they've reached their radiation limit at which point they are banned to enter again either forever or for a significant period of time. Likewise, football needs to think of itself in such a way. After so many years playing, it should be automatically assumed a player has received their "radiation limit" and must stop playing. It's the only way to be fair to the players and their families
(even if the players don't care).
(even if the players don't care).
That's my thought and opinion
on the subject for now.
on the subject for now.
