|
|
June 18, 2013
|
|
|
|
 Four Reasons to Watch the Super BowlPosted on Feb 2, 2012
By Robert Lipsyte, TomDispatch (Page 3) Watching those hits, hearing them lauded, feeling them vicariously is the guilty pleasure of football, as marketed by the NFL. Players who can deliver such hits and those who can absorb them, shake them off, and play on are extolled as true warriors, as gladiators, as real men. More and more of those “real men” are now being diagnosed with dementia and other conditions caused by the traumas first suffered by Peewee brains. The “concussion discussion” started with retired NFL players pleading with the league and the players’ union for financial help with their medical bills. It has since trickled down to college, high school, and youth football as it becomes ever clearer that all those little insults to the brain that begin so early add up to catastrophe in middle age. So if you believe in taking responsibility for “every other kid,” go organize in your community against helmet-wearing tackle football—at the very least until high-school age. (If you let your own kid play peewee football, you should be charged with child abuse.) It’s hard to go up against Jock Culture, which you’ll be watching in its full power and glory on Sunday. Then again, it’s hard to go up against the banks and the war machine, too. It’s time, in other words, to occupy football. And if you need a pep talk before you get started, here’s one from Tim Tebow, who marked his eye-black with the numbers of biblical quotations until it was banned by the NCAA last year. (The NFL also bans unapproved logos.) I approve one of Tebow’s—Hebrews 12:1-2. “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Advertisement Follow TomDispatch on Twitter @TomDispatch and join us on Facebook. Copyright 2012 Robert Lipsyte
1
2
3
TAGS:
|
Bank of America Lied to Homeowners and Rewarded Foreclosures, Ex-Employees Say
 . '/' . substr('9780769634326',-6,3) . '/' . '9780769634326' . '.jpg'; ?>)
Email 
Print
Share
Email to a friend
Newsletter 
Like Us
Follow Us
Get Our Feed
Tags|Bazaar|Podcast|About Us|Contact Us|User Agreement|Privacy Policy|FAQ: Comments and Moderation | Google+
© 2013 Truthdig, LLC. All rights reserved.
By bpawk, February 5, 2012 at 4:32 pm Link to this comment
If only people would apply this much energy and fussing into their own lives and how they future will be for themselves and children instead of mindless energy into rich ball players who don’t give a hoot about them, the world would be a better place.
Report thisBy brigitta, February 5, 2012 at 5:02 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
In response to Flickford: I am a working class person and I have little or no interest in football. Some conservatives like to throw all working class people into this category of beer-drinking sports fan. While my bosses will be watching, my co-workers and I probably will not.
Some conservatives also like to dismiss as ‘politically correct’ anything that points out the apparent classism and racism in our culture. ‘Politically correct’ language/behavior usually refers to that which is phrased or done in a way that avoids offending certain groups. The writer of the article has obviously not been successful in this regard. I also find little that is boastful or morally superior about the tone of the article. He seems to point out some troubling realities football players face.
I do wonder if your accusation and dismissing of the article as ‘politically correct’- as lacking something genuine - is not an attempt to gain the moral high ground with a supposed anti-elitist straight talk. Is your post a vainglorious attempt at moral superiority?
Report thisBy Annie Meo, February 3, 2012 at 5:43 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
CTE, (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), according to some articles I have seen,
Report thismay start with repetitive brain trauma connected to insults to a child’s brain when
playing organized football as young as 5 years old. Those insults continue and
become more damaging as the children grow and get into more aggressive “play”.
By the time they are finished playing college football those players who play
positions which cause them to have repetitive head injuries are at high risk for
CTE, as are boxers. At this time, so far as I have been able to ascertain, there is no
care provided by the football leagues to provide funding for treatment, and
retraining for these injured athletes.
If more people were aware of this devastating consequence of these dangerous
“sports”, perhaps boxing and football and other “games” that cause CTE would be
less popular.
By Flickford, February 3, 2012 at 2:23 pm Link to this comment
Progressives seem to like to stand up for working people and yet vilify what they
Report thislove - sports, nascar, etc. How disgustingly patronizing and elitist can you get?
Despite having to endure the over-hyped commercialization of the whole sport,
the pervasive military presence - I love watching my favorite football team the New
York Giants play. To me it’s not even a guilty pleasure, it’s just a great pleasure.
It’s probably my last connection to the Great American Scheme but I can’t help it. I
played football in high school and I got a lot more out of it than just having an
outlet for pent-up youthful male violence. It’s silly to have to put the whole crazy
spectacle into a politically correct frame to be able to enjoy the game, it’s a vain-
glorious exercise in moral superiority.
By paternophile, February 2, 2012 at 8:45 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
The hands-down stupidest article ever published on this site. Why isn’t this on Sports Illustrated instead? Oh yeh, even they wouldn’t try to excuse Joe Paterno and his pet pedophile as this pathetic article tries to do.
Report thisBy greg_2, February 2, 2012 at 6:33 pm Link to this comment
Joe Hill?
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
Alive as you or me
Says I, “But Joe, you’re ten years dead,”
“I never died,” says he.
“I never died,” says he.
“In Salt Lake, Joe,” says I to him,
Him standing by my bed,
“They framed you on a murder charge,”
Says Joe, “But I ain’t dead,”
Says Joe, “But I ain’t dead.”
“The copper bosses killed you, Joe,
They shot you, Joe,” says I.
“Takes more than guns to kill a man,”
Says Joe, “I didn’t die,”
Says Joe, “I didn’t die.”
And standing there as big as life
And smiling with his eyes
Says Joe, “What they forgot to kill
Went on to organize,
Went on to organize.”
“Joe Hill ain’t dead,” he says to me,
“Joe Hill ain’t never died.
Where working men are out on strike
Joe Hill is at their side,
Joe Hill is at their side.”
From San Diego up to Maine,
In every mine and mill -
Where working men defend their rights
It’s there you’ll find Joe Hill.
It’s there you’ll find Joe Hill.
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
Report thisAlive as you or me
Says I, “But Joe, you’re ten years dead”,
“I never died,” says he.
“I never died,” says he.
By SharonMI, February 2, 2012 at 11:52 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
This article reminded me how curious I was when the TWENTY-EIGHT year old hockey enforcer Derek Boogaard died last May from an overdose of painkillers and alchohol…did he have CTE or not? I looked for months with no news. Well, results are in as of Dec…yep.
http://espn.go.com/new-york/nhl/story/_/id/7321038/report-new-york-rangers-derek-boogaard-had-brain-ailment
I hope these guys haven’t died in vain.
Report thisBy SharonMI, February 2, 2012 at 11:38 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Thank you, thank you for writing about the glorification of concussions. The depression and dementia due to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy doesn’t only affect the victim and his family….one former athlete (football or hockey I don’t remember) attacked a fast-food worker in his paranoia, and in front of his daughter he was so out of control. Suicide is not uncommon (Dave Duerson for one).
Report this