In life there is a balance that must be found between too
much and too little. Too much water and you drown, too little water and you
dehydrate; too much heat and your brain fries, too little heat and you die of
hypothermia. These are broad examples with a lot of room for “error” between
the extremes. Not all areas of life have such cushions. Some areas of life such
as defusing bombs, flying fighter jets, and brain surgery have smaller margins
between too much and too little. Therefore it is imperative to find a balance
quickly.
much and too little. Too much water and you drown, too little water and you
dehydrate; too much heat and your brain fries, too little heat and you die of
hypothermia. These are broad examples with a lot of room for “error” between
the extremes. Not all areas of life have such cushions. Some areas of life such
as defusing bombs, flying fighter jets, and brain surgery have smaller margins
between too much and too little. Therefore it is imperative to find a balance
quickly.
The National Football League is currently trying to find a
balance between too much and too little. NFL fans love watching their teams
suit up every Sunday to play a very physical, very intense game. We love to see
the long throws, the hard hits, the amazing grabs, the soaring leaps, and the
unreal speed of professional athletes in their prime. However, along with those
images come the images which are more somber, the sight of ankles and knees
bending in directions they were not meant to go, seeing fingers bent and
projecting at wrong angles, and lastly and more seriously watching as a player
receives a brutal hit and falls unconscious to the turf. Yesterday I witnessed
such a hit during one of the games I was watching. The hit was clean and fair
but the results were just as devastating as they would have been had it been a
dirty shot. The defender contacted the ball carrier in a helmet to helmet
collision. The ball carrier fell to the ground as if he were dead. It was
pretty intense to watch, and it was evident that those involved were affected
as well. This hit as well as others has highlighted a controversy that has been
going in the NFL for years now: How do we find a balance between too much
physical play and too little? The very thing that makes football fun to watch
is also what brings so much danger to the players, the intense physical
contact. Too much and players end up (in extreme cases) injured for life, too
little and you remove all risk and daring from the game leaving it akin to
baseball, tennis, or golf. Fans love the NFL because it is so intense, because
there is so much risk, because it requires such skill and athleticism. It is
like watching a PG version of the gladiator sports of Rome (without the wild
animals and pointy weapons). However, a balance does need to be reached to
protect the players and still maintain the authenticity of the game. My hope is
that it will be reached soon and that the balance will be one that will last,
so that my children and grandchildren can witness what a great game football
is.
balance between too much and too little. NFL fans love watching their teams
suit up every Sunday to play a very physical, very intense game. We love to see
the long throws, the hard hits, the amazing grabs, the soaring leaps, and the
unreal speed of professional athletes in their prime. However, along with those
images come the images which are more somber, the sight of ankles and knees
bending in directions they were not meant to go, seeing fingers bent and
projecting at wrong angles, and lastly and more seriously watching as a player
receives a brutal hit and falls unconscious to the turf. Yesterday I witnessed
such a hit during one of the games I was watching. The hit was clean and fair
but the results were just as devastating as they would have been had it been a
dirty shot. The defender contacted the ball carrier in a helmet to helmet
collision. The ball carrier fell to the ground as if he were dead. It was
pretty intense to watch, and it was evident that those involved were affected
as well. This hit as well as others has highlighted a controversy that has been
going in the NFL for years now: How do we find a balance between too much
physical play and too little? The very thing that makes football fun to watch
is also what brings so much danger to the players, the intense physical
contact. Too much and players end up (in extreme cases) injured for life, too
little and you remove all risk and daring from the game leaving it akin to
baseball, tennis, or golf. Fans love the NFL because it is so intense, because
there is so much risk, because it requires such skill and athleticism. It is
like watching a PG version of the gladiator sports of Rome (without the wild
animals and pointy weapons). However, a balance does need to be reached to
protect the players and still maintain the authenticity of the game. My hope is
that it will be reached soon and that the balance will be one that will last,
so that my children and grandchildren can witness what a great game football
is.
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