The Calvin Johnson announcement is the latest high profile NFL retirement and it's remarkable because at this point it's so un-remarkable for a player (frequently a star) to walk away before his time. Johnson is a sure fire HOFer but is too intelligent to continue putting his body and head in harms way,
More of these are coming.
They get drafted into the NFL, and the first rounders are welcomed into "the life" with am on stage nationally televised handshake and photo op with Goodell. One by one they come up and get "Goodelled". Dim witted/look-the-other-way announcers talk of the great experience of being a #1 pick; the kid puts on a hat and begins the NFL's version of the Bataan Death March.
In the ensuing weeks they'll deposit checks worth millions. And in the ensuing 4-5 years they expose their bodies and brains to unconscionable danger thousands of times. 260 LB world class, well trained athletes who run a 4.5/40 collide violently with them in the open field, multiple times every game. Dazed or not, they get up and stagger back to the huddle where the next play is called. Rinse and repeat. No one wants to cop to a concussion and let the next man in take his job.
Each year the NFL makes the most minimal changes possible. I don't know what this year's change is. Have they agreed that head shot offenders will receive a stern verbal tongue lashing?
And I haven't even said a thing about the legal danger the league is in. There are still class action lawsuits that have yet to be litigated (and most likely settled out of court). There will be more lawsuits. Right now, the NFL seems to have an unspoken policy of reaching big settlements over several years. Guess who pays for that? Instead of X commercials/quarter we get X+Y. PSL and seat prices increase. Beer rises from $16 - $20. A bag of bad popcorn goes to $13. And more and more games get moved to PPV.
The game is still great. You know, the part where a QB throws a 55 yard frozen rope for a go ahead TD.
I don't think the game will ever will go away entirely. But it HAS to change. Or it WILL go away. It's starting to get hurt the way baseball got hurt when inner city kids turned their backs on stickball and played hoops instead.
But I do know youth participation is WAY down and some leagues have shut down entirely. It's not "America's Game" as some contend. It's America's time bomb. The infrastructure stinks and must might take it down.
Discuss if you'd like. Say "meh" if you want. Whatever. Most of what I've written has been written before. I just know this: If I had a son going into HS and he said he wanted to play football the answer would be "no". Work on your short game, learn how to hit the curve, perfect hitting 18 footers. But no football. Sorry. And I don't care if he was a budding 260 lber.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...om&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial
More of these are coming.
They get drafted into the NFL, and the first rounders are welcomed into "the life" with am on stage nationally televised handshake and photo op with Goodell. One by one they come up and get "Goodelled". Dim witted/look-the-other-way announcers talk of the great experience of being a #1 pick; the kid puts on a hat and begins the NFL's version of the Bataan Death March.
In the ensuing weeks they'll deposit checks worth millions. And in the ensuing 4-5 years they expose their bodies and brains to unconscionable danger thousands of times. 260 LB world class, well trained athletes who run a 4.5/40 collide violently with them in the open field, multiple times every game. Dazed or not, they get up and stagger back to the huddle where the next play is called. Rinse and repeat. No one wants to cop to a concussion and let the next man in take his job.
Each year the NFL makes the most minimal changes possible. I don't know what this year's change is. Have they agreed that head shot offenders will receive a stern verbal tongue lashing?
And I haven't even said a thing about the legal danger the league is in. There are still class action lawsuits that have yet to be litigated (and most likely settled out of court). There will be more lawsuits. Right now, the NFL seems to have an unspoken policy of reaching big settlements over several years. Guess who pays for that? Instead of X commercials/quarter we get X+Y. PSL and seat prices increase. Beer rises from $16 - $20. A bag of bad popcorn goes to $13. And more and more games get moved to PPV.
The game is still great. You know, the part where a QB throws a 55 yard frozen rope for a go ahead TD.
I don't think the game will ever will go away entirely. But it HAS to change. Or it WILL go away. It's starting to get hurt the way baseball got hurt when inner city kids turned their backs on stickball and played hoops instead.
But I do know youth participation is WAY down and some leagues have shut down entirely. It's not "America's Game" as some contend. It's America's time bomb. The infrastructure stinks and must might take it down.
Discuss if you'd like. Say "meh" if you want. Whatever. Most of what I've written has been written before. I just know this: If I had a son going into HS and he said he wanted to play football the answer would be "no". Work on your short game, learn how to hit the curve, perfect hitting 18 footers. But no football. Sorry. And I don't care if he was a budding 260 lber.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...om&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial
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