The NFL Is Becoming Unwatchable

[AmericanEagle]

Originally Posted by posternutbag

The Pats v Miami game was a great finish, the Browns/Pathers was a good game, and that is just this weekend.

Not for us Patriots fans!

[Wadcutter]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Hi Wadcutter,

I share your frustrations about today's NFL, but I must say that your comments, the ones copied above, in particular, really hit me. I am so sorry that your service time in Vietnam resulted in your getting wounded and destroyed your hopes of playing college football. That is quite a sacrifice you made for your country. My hat is off to you.

Regarding football, I do sometimes watch the Seahawks play when they are doing well, but I, too, am frustrated by all the wasted time, the one step forward, two steps back stuff. An awful lot of the time I just turn off the sound and play the guitar while I look up occasionally to see if anything interesting is happening. I don't need to hear the announcers to know what's going on, and if I'm playing the guitar, working something out, at least I don't feel that my time is totally wasted.

Wadcutter, I hope your wound is not bothering you today, after all these years.

- Glenn

Glenn, Thanks very much for your kind words concerning my service In Vietnam.
Although we were involved in a highly controversial war, to this day I consider it an honor and a privilege to have worn the uniform of my country and although I was severely wounded, I don’t regret my time in Vietnam for a second. I served with some of the finest people I have ever met in my life, one of whom gave his life to save mine. My physical wounds are healed Glenn and the VA takes good care of me when I need medical help for anything, but the trauma of war is something a person never really ever puts behind them. In war a man is forced to do things and see things that will haunt him for the rest of his life. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about Vietnam and my friends who suffered so terribly and died horrific deaths at such a young age. Again, thanks for your kind words Glenn, much appreciated.

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by Wadcutter

Glenn, Thanks very much for your kind words concerning my service In Vietnam.
Although we were involved in a highly controversial war, to this day I consider it an honor and a privilege to have worn the uniform of my country and although I was severely wounded, I don’t regret my time in Vietnam for a second. I served with some of the finest people I have ever met in my life, one of whom gave his life to save mine. My physical wounds are healed Glenn and the VA takes good care of me when I need medical help for anything, but the trauma of war is something a person never really ever puts behind them. In war a man is forced to do things and see things that will haunt him for the rest of his life. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about Vietnam and my friends who suffered so terribly and died horrific deaths at such a young age. Again, thanks for your kind words Glenn, much appreciated.

Wow, Wadcutter!

What a gracious and unvarnished response. Again, I salute you for your service and your sacrifice regardless of the war or action. You were there for your country when your country called. I lost two very good friends in Vietnam. It was our generation's war and a very difficult one on so many levels. After all these years there are still so many scars, as you have attested.

Thanks Wadcutter.

- Glenn

[Cypress Knee]

I don't know because it is such an inglorious part of the game, but I think blocked field goals should be reviewable to ensure that the block was not the result of an illegal action. Just this year I have seen two Justin Tucker blocks that should have been penalized, the Steelers offsides three times in a row to attempt to block a Chargers FG, and just tonight Bobby Waggoner of the Seahawks aruguably turned the game around with an illegal FG block.

These special teams coaches know what line they are teaching their players to cross and are on the lookout for the lines the refs are not looking for.

Make a blocked FG automatically reviewable as a turnover and award the kicker a free kick if the block came about as the result of an illegal manuever and some of these questionable shenanigans will stop.

It bothers me because the announcers keep coming back to the play and saying, " Hey, he got away with one" and show it over and over. If it is that egregious of a foul, then take it out of the game.

Jim A

[Murphy Slaw]

I was a huge football fan until a few years ago when the players brought politics into the game. I haven't watched a game since, don't follow scores, even gave away my Urlacher, Ditka, and Walter Payton jerseys.

Sports, football esp was a place I went to ESCAPE the daily bombardment of people forcing their opinions down my throat. I have gained MANY hours a week and couldn't care less about it now.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Murphy Slaw

I was a huge football fan until a few years ago when the players brought politics into the game. I haven't watched a game since, don't follow scores, even gave away my Urlacher, Ditka, and Walter Payton jerseys.

Sports, football esp was a place I went to ESCAPE the daily bombardment of people forcing their opinions down my throat. I have gained MANY hours a week and couldn't care less about it now.

Unfortunately, that has happened in all professional sports.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by Wadcutter

All your points well taken Don and I guess I have to agree with most of them, other than the game is bad for America. But I just have a life long love of the game that I can’t give up. Ever since I was a little kid following NFL games on a little transistor radio Ive been hooked. I played first string offensive tackle in high school and we won the county championship three years running. I would have gone on to play college ball too but I got drafted and sent to Vietnam and wounded and that was the end of my college football dreams. The league and the players certainly aren’t what they used to be by any stretch of the imagination, but pro football is a sport I will always love, even with all its obvious shortcomings. My venting about the numerous foul calls and game delays because of it was just that - venting. I love the game and always will I guess.

I'm pretty much in your boat, but I wouldn't say I have a love for the game anymore - it's more of an addiction. I started watching it with my Dad and big brother when I was about 4 years old in Baltimore in the early 1960s, which put me pretty much at the pinnacle about when the sport was replacing baseball as America's pastime. My Dad worked for the guy who owned the Orioles and my great uncle owned the Colts and we went to a LOT of games until we moved away from Baltimore in 1968. So as a little kid, this stuff ran DEEP. And then we moved to Arizona where I grew up playing football in elementary, Jr. High, and High School, as a QB and defensive back.

Fortunately I wasn't good enough to play beyond high school or I probably would have - I seemed to think it mattered at the time. But as a d-back, I had a number of concussions before people know that they were bad and I just kept on playing. I remember after my senior season, I didn't feel like myself for months, like part of my personality had turned off, and I was really aware of it. About March or April of the next Spring I started feeling like myself again and I didn't understand it until so many years later when all of the concussion stuff started being written about. In retrospect, I'm sure that's what it was and I'm just glad I didn't play any longer and do any permanent damage.

I think it's a brutal game, I think it IS bad for America, or at least in anything resembling it's violent current form. And when you legislate the violences out of it, it's not the same game at all. I've been disgusted with it for years and have even tried to stop watching it. But there's something about the ritual of watching football on Autumn Sundays that I can't quit and I've stopped trying. And I still enjoy it a lot on some level, even as I object to almost all of it. I played the game long enough to have a reasonably educated eye when I watch. And I'm a fan - I've been in the Philly area for more than a quarter century and last year my Eagles finally won the whole thing and it was absolutely wonderful for the whole city. Whether you like the game or not, it was a beautiful civic explosion that I was happy to get to see.

But for all that, I also hate it. It's just one of those things I've learned to live with. There was a time in my youth when I smoked pot every day and had come to hate it and it still took me a good long time to quit. And that was hurting ME, not a bunch of people I watched on TV on Sunday. I like baseball and bicycle stage racing and basketball far far more, but I'm not as addicted to any of those - I go long stretches without watching them. But not football. I'll probably watch it the rest of my life or until the game finally dies for lack of youth participation, which SHOULD happen. If I'd had boys, I wouldn't let them play. And my daughters weren't interested!

And yeah, the refs. That fumble call on the first play of the Dallas / Philly game on Sunday was a travesty of justice! See, I still take it waaaaaay too seriously!

Originally Posted by rokdog49

Sure brought out the haters. "Bad for America" ...Wow...uhh ok.
I can think of a hundred other things that are worse for America

So you're saying being the 101st worst thing for America is a GOOD thing?!?!?!?! I'd say your statement and the one you were reacting too can both be true!

-Ray

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by raysachs

So you're saying being the 101st worst thing for America is a GOOD thing?!?!?!?! I'd say your statement and the one you were reacting too can both be true!

-Ray

I never said it was a good thing Ray, just not high on my list of bad things in America.

My grandson played his last high school football game this year. I love high school football. He played safety and I loved it when he made big plays whether it was an interception or a big hit. He weighs only 145 pounds but has the heart of a lion. His team made it to the playoffs in Division 7, the smallest schools in Ohio. Football at that level is the purest it can be. The comaraderie of those six senior boys on his team who have played together since 6th grade was a beautiful thing to watch. Yep, there were injuries along the way and tackle football is a brutal game. If we look inside of ourselves, it runs the gamut of athleticism, physicality and a group of people performing as one to achieve a common goal. It appeals to the very essence of a lot of who were are. That's why we love it.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

I never said it was a good thing Ray, just not high on my list of bad things in America.

My grandson played his last high school football game this year. I love high school football. He played safety and I loved it when he made big plays whether it was an interception or a big hit. He weighs only 145 pounds but has the heart of a lion. His team made it to the playoffs in Division 7, the smallest schools in Ohio. Football at that level is the purest it can be. The comaraderie of those six senior boys on his team who have played together since 6th grade was a beautiful thing to watch. Yep, there were injuries along the way and tackle football is a brutal game. If we look inside of ourselves, it runs the gamut of athleticism, physicality and a group of people performing as one to achieve a common goal. It appeals to the very essence of a lot of who were are. That's why we love it.

First, I was just kind of joking on the "100 worst things in America". I got your point but I figured being the 101st worst thing would still be pretty bad and saw some humor in that. My bad that I didn't manage to convey the humor I was going for.

As for the other stuff, I was that same kid in high school. An undersized safety (and sometimes a slooooow cornerback, when I was still the best of bad options) who hit waaaaay too hard and often did some real damage, to both the guy I was hitting and to myself. Because this was in the '70s when they still taught us to use our heads as a weapon. I loved it at the time - I hate it in retrospect. I think there are a lot of other sports that run the gamut of athleticism and provide all of the other teamwork and intestinal fortitude benefits without the same level of destructive violence that football has. I feel the same way about boxing. And hockey, but hockey CAN be played in a less violent manner than it has been without losing the fundamental appeal of the sport.

I don't mean to take anything away from your grandson's experience, or mine in the rearview mirror. But I do honestly think it's a sport that should dry up and go away as more and more mothers and fathers steer their kids away from football and into other sports with the same character building traits but less chance for horrific long term injury.

-Ray

[Wadcutter]

Originally Posted by raysachs

I'm pretty much in your boat, but I wouldn't say I have a love for the game anymore - it's more of an addiction. I started watching it with my Dad and big brother when I was about 4 years old in Baltimore in the early 1960s, which put me pretty much at the pinnacle about when the sport was replacing baseball as America's pastime. My Dad worked for the guy who owned the Orioles and my great uncle owned the Colts and we went to a LOT of games until we moved away from Baltimore in 1968. So as a little kid, this stuff ran DEEP. And then we moved to Arizona where I grew up playing football in elementary, Jr. High, and High School, as a QB and defensive back.

Fortunately I wasn't good enough to play beyond high school or I probably would have - I seemed to think it mattered at the time. But as a d-back, I had a number of concussions before people know that they were bad and I just kept on playing. I remember after my senior season, I didn't feel like myself for months, like part of my personality had turned off, and I was really aware of it. About March or April of the next Spring I started feeling like myself again and I didn't understand it until so many years later when all of the concussion stuff started being written about. In retrospect, I'm sure that's what it was and I'm just glad I didn't play any longer and do any permanent damage.

I think it's a brutal game, I think it IS bad for America, or at least in anything resembling it's violent current form. And when you legislate the violences out of it, it's not the same game at all. I've been disgusted with it for years and have even tried to stop watching it. But there's something about the ritual of watching football on Autumn Sundays that I can't quit and I've stopped trying. And I still enjoy it a lot on some level, even as I object to almost all of it. I played the game long enough to have a reasonably educated eye when I watch. And I'm a fan - I've been in the Philly area for more than a quarter century and last year my Eagles finally won the whole thing and it was absolutely wonderful for the whole city. Whether you like the game or not, it was a beautiful civic explosion that I was happy to get to see.

But for all that, I also hate it. It's just one of those things I've learned to live with. There was a time in my youth when I smoked pot every day and had come to hate it and it still took me a good long time to quit. And that was hurting ME, not a bunch of people I watched on TV on Sunday. I like baseball and bicycle stage racing and basketball far far more, but I'm not as addicted to any of those - I go long stretches without watching them. But not football. I'll probably watch it the rest of my life or until the game finally dies for lack of youth participation, which SHOULD happen. If I'd had boys, I wouldn't let them play. And my daughters weren't interested!

And yeah, the refs. That fumble call on the first play of the Dallas / Philly game on Sunday was a travesty of justice! See, I still take it waaaaaay too seriously!



So you're saying being the 101st worst thing for America is a GOOD thing?!?!?!?! I'd say your statement and the one you were reacting too can both be true!

-Ray

Great post Ray, really enjoyed reading about your experiences and thoughts about the game. A lot there we can all relate to I think.

[mdhttr]

Originally Posted by Cypress Knee

I don't know because it is such an inglorious part of the game, but I think blocked field goals should be reviewable to ensure that the block was not the result of an illegal action. Just this year I have seen two Justin Tucker blocks that should have been penalized, the Steelers offsides three times in a row to attempt to block a Chargers FG, and just tonight Bobby Waggoner of the Seahawks aruguably turned the game around with an illegal FG block.

These special teams coaches know what line they are teaching their players to cross and are on the lookout for the lines the refs are not looking for.

Make a blocked FG automatically reviewable as a turnover and award the kicker a free kick if the block came about as the result of an illegal manuever and some of these questionable shenanigans will stop.

It bothers me because the announcers keep coming back to the play and saying, " Hey, he got away with one" and show it over and over. If it is that egregious of a foul, then take it out of the game.

Jim A

Agree--that non-call in the Seahawks-Vikings game was extremely unfortunate. I keep waiting for an offensive line to anticipate that move with a well-timed and placed upward thrust that would make any defender extremely nervous about exposing their groin in such a way. Same thing with the hurdling runners. Not encouraging it, just saying it is likely to happen the more players get away with those moves. Maybe the rules committee should step in and address it before it comes to that.

[reeve21]

As a tall skinny kid I dropped football for other sports when I got to high school. But even at the "midget" level I had a serious knee injury, and I vividly remember one of my brothers wandering around the field talking to himself after a tough tackle. We thought it was funny at the time. And then I separated my shoulder playing in a supposedly safe "flag" league in college. That one still bothers me, but it did give me an excuse to try out some smaller body guitars

My earliest memories with my dad were watching the Giants in the early sixties. I'm very thankful he is still alive and well living only a mile away for most of the year, and we still watch a lot of Giants games together.

I don't think football as we know it will be around in 50 years. People die playing it every year, and when that starts happening in real time on national TV the end is near.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by raysachs

First, I was just kind of joking on the "100 worst things in America". I got your point but I figured being the 101st worst thing would still be pretty bad and saw some humor in that. My bad that I didn't manage to convey the humor I was going for.

As for the other stuff, I was that same kid in high school. An undersized safety (and sometimes a slooooow cornerback, when I was still the best of bad options) who hit waaaaay too hard and often did some real damage, to both the guy I was hitting and to myself. Because this was in the '70s when they still taught us to use our heads as a weapon. I loved it at the time - I hate it in retrospect. I think there are a lot of other sports that run the gamut of athleticism and provide all of the other teamwork and intestinal fortitude benefits without the same level of destructive violence that football has. I feel the same way about boxing. And hockey, but hockey CAN be played in a less violent manner than it has been without losing the fundamental appeal of the sport.

I don't mean to take anything away from your grandson's experience, or mine in the rearview mirror. But I do honestly think it's a sport that should dry up and go away as more and more mothers and fathers steer their kids away from football and into other sports with the same character building traits but less chance for horrific long term injury.

-Ray

No problem Ray sometimes I can be a little overly sensitive.

I got a kick out of your comments about your size and skillset.
That describes Lucas to a tee, although he is very athletic. I wouldn't want to leave the impression that his grandmother and I didn't hold our breath on every play in fear of him getting hurt. For the record, I'm glad he's done with it.

[buddyhu]

Originally Posted by raysachs

First, I was just kind of joking on the "100 worst things in America". I got your point but I figured being the 101st worst thing would still be pretty bad and saw some humor in that. My bad that I didn't manage to convey the humor I was going for.

As for the other stuff, I was that same kid in high school. An undersized safety (and sometimes a slooooow cornerback, when I was still the best of bad options) who hit waaaaay too hard and often did some real damage, to both the guy I was hitting and to myself. Because this was in the '70s when they still taught us to use our heads as a weapon. I loved it at the time - I hate it in retrospect.I think there are a lot of other sports that run the gamut of athleticism and provide all of the other teamwork and intestinal fortitude benefits without the same level of destructive violence that football has. I feel the same way about boxing. And hockey, but hockey CAN be played in a less violent manner than it has been without losing the fundamental appeal of the sport.

I don't mean to take anything away from your grandson's experience, or mine in the rearview mirror. But I do honestly think it's a sport that should dry up and go away as more and more mothers and fathers steer their kids away from football and into other sports with the same character building traits but less chance for horrific long term injury.

-Ray

I think this is the main point. Football has a lot to offer folks who play/have played it. And when it is at its best, it can be compelling to watch. But I think many of us watch it as a habit...something we have been doing most of our lives, and which has a lot of emotional momentum to it.

Times have changed, the game has changed, we have changed. So, for some, the game has been unwatchable for a long time. For others, it is becoming unwatchable. And more and more, people look for other avenues to learn some of the things that footbal can teach, without having such a thorough intermingling of sport/teamwork with violent actions and violent people.

[Nyghthawk]

I used to love watching football with my dad back in the 60's and early 70's. I played uncounted hours of sandlot football sans pads and helmets as my knees and ankles will attest. I played JV football in school until everyone was bigger than I was.

I watched it more recently until I read extensively about CTE. It makes football hard to watch when you realize that players are committing slow-motion suicide for those big pay checks. Those "good hits" are literally killing them.

Don't watch anymore. Just can't do it.