American Football

 

We now know without any doubt, American football causes brain damage in its players. And yet, absolutely nothing is being done to either correct how the game is played or to completely end the sport. In this article, they have a quote from Ben Sasse, a former Senator, who wrote an op-ed  in the WSJ, "America needs its boys to play football."

Why? What is the need to watch men (mostly men) slam into each other, break bones and worse, have their brains shaken and rattled until permanent damage occurs?

When my sisters visited me a few weeks ago, my youngest sister showed me a picture of her granddaughter who played football on a co-ed team. She is the only female on the team. My sister was so proud of her. I was speechless and didn't say what I should have said. It didn't matter to me the gender. (It does to Sasse) I just wanted to know why anyone would allow their child to enter this sport knowing how it could destroy the child forever? 

Football is huge in this country. Life is centered around it. Friday Night lights, Thanksgiving, Superbowl. People arrange their lives to include this sport. I used to watch the games until I woke up one day and realized I didn't like these people very much. I didn't like the good ole boy feel, the violence, the double standards as men pummeled each other while women cheered wearing short skirts and tight tops. Female reporters were treated with disdain and it's still a male dominated sport.

Put all that aside. All of it- except for the fact that the game causes serious and permanent injury. But as Ben Sasse shrugs and explains, Americans gotta have it.

We've been learning quite a bit about us in these past few years. We seem to still see the male as the dominant and better half, not just in sports, but in business and politics. It also seems we have men like Ben Sasse who feel the need to protect the status quo. Let men rape, pillage, fight, kill, destroy, harm, hurt, drink, dominate, because that's the American way.

Every Empire usually falls. I think it might be time for our demise.