What if in the days of Coliseum the most popular gladiators were protected from certain slashes and kicks? What if they could not be hit while vulnerable? What if a defenseless gladiator could not have been touched, but that gladiator was TRAINED to be an assassin, taking advantage of any weak moment of another gladiator? And if the gladiators that violated these rules were fined the precious coin that they worked so hard to earn and/or suspend them. How about if the celebrations were removed from the arena as well? What if they were fined for that as well? How watered down would that have made the battles in the Coliseum?
And this, my fellow fans is what we are going through today.
The football field is our modern day Coliseum. The players are our modern day gladiators. Defenders live for that bone-jarring collision that they get the better of. Good blockers love to get the crack-back (term for peeling back on an unsuspecting defender running for a tackle) Defenders love free shots on quarterbacks. This is what they get scholarships for. This is what they get contracts for. This is a physical sport.
But new rules are being put into place that stop a lot of the collisions that we love to see. True. I will say that some rules are needed. Leading with the helmet, helmet to helmet contact, the horse collar, and going for the quarterback legs are all needed rules to protect players longevity in the game. Concussions are becoming an all too familiar injury on the television each week.
But some rules are protecting certain players on the field too much. The NFL running back takes more abuse than any other player on the field. They are hit almost every play. There are few rules to protect them. Get them down by any means necessary, except by horse-collar or facemask. But if you get the quarterback on a free run, you cannot drive him to the ground, you cannot hit his legs, you cannot hit him long after he releases the ball.You cannot crush a wr anymore, but you are supposed to break up plays.
Also the players have rules on how they can celebrate a td. I know I watched the NFL to see what Chad Johnson and Steve Smith had planned for the td they scored that week. You can't leave your feet, or you can cost your team 15yrds. I know this is about the NFL, but look at what happened to Jake Locker, This is translating into the college game as well. In case you are not familiar, Locker scored a td and just threw the ball up in the air and cost his team 15yrds and a game. A player should not be penalized for having a celebration that is not degrading another player. Again there are exceptions, because taunting should not be allowed. But come on guys...
Football is a game of emotion. Highs and lows, happiness and sadness. The field is where all your hard work shows. Protect all players. Quarterbacks are not the only players in the league. NFL... Please don't stand for the No Fun League. Give the players an identity and a chance to have one.
This may be deeper than you want to go, but what you've spoken of here is a symptom of a greater problem of the wholesale emasculation of American males. The pay discrepancy of women receiving lesser pay for the same job than men is an injustice that should be addressed. However, attempts to address it have gone way too far to the point that women have tried to become men and insist that men exhibit more feminine behavior. Yes, pay should be distributed equitably regardless of the sex of whomever has performed it to acceptable standards, but equal pay doesn't mean men and women are equal. Men and still men, and women are still women; there are inherent biological differences. Recognizing those differences and working with them appropriately is a part of the solution, but that reality seems to escape so many. Instead they press ahead with the unrealistic goal of making men into something they should not be and are incapable of becoming. Similarly they attempt to make women into men... Well, a whole lot more could be said, but hopefully this brief comment addresses it enough.
ReplyDeleteAnother aspect is that the NFL seems to be trying to make professional football into a business and applying business models that don't belong there. I mean really: what other job could you have someone interview you buck naked? Football is entertainment, and while I wouldn't want it to denigrate to the point of becoming like professional wrestling these regulations on celebrations is way too much. Brandon Jacobs got penalized for putting the football under his jersey after a touchdown as an homage to his wife's pregnancy?! He should be applauded for being married and committed to his family, not penalized for a gesture that didn't harm anyone.