Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Can they prove it?

The NFL is dealing with a lot of law suits. More than 300 in fact, filed by over 5000 former players. Most of it has to do with head injuries and related trauma. My question is, can they prove it?
I enjoy watching football. Hell, if this was Rome, I very likely would be at the games watching the gladiators get eaten by lions. That doesn't mean I have a high regard for the players. Many of the ones I have met around Manhattan got to college ONLY because of football. If it wasn't such a big sport, they would never have gotten on campus except maybe as custodians. I think the standards for he custodial staff are higher though.
I know these guys suffer a lot of injuries. 1/8 ton of brute mass smashing into another 1/8 ton of brute mass is an incredible amount of force, and things are gonna get broke. The select hand full who make it to the NFL may be the best, but that does not make them the brightest.
When they were playing for the NFL, they received compensation far above what the average college grad would make. Were it not for that, college programs would not draw the attention they do. Lets face it, any other program graduating a group of sixty and only having two that get jobs, is a shitty program. With college ball, its a success story.
If these former players win, what will be next, colleges? Will they eventually sue the high school that they started at? Where will it end? They made a choice. the risks were obvious, at least to those of us who chose not to participate. These former players were blinded by their quest for money and fame. They knew the risks even if they ignored them. Football has been dangerous since its beginnings. Improvements have been made over the years, but for every improvement in safety, there has been an off setting factor. Many players abuse steroids to get bigger and faster.
The only change I wold make is to require the NFL to have injured members present at the draft combine and make every wannabe speak with them about the dangers. I bet nothing would change. the kids would still think themselves invincible and we would still have a ring full of gladiators. besides, half the fun of watching is seeing Mike Vic running for his life.
Every job has its dangers. the compensation matches the risk in most cases. These guys got their check. Now they want more. Too bad. The courts need to say no.

No comments: