4 ms·

It's basically a combat sport. These days, the players know or ought to know that is the case. I feel bad for the guys who get hurt, but the ones playing at the

It's basically a combat sport. These days, the players know or ought to know that is the case. I feel bad for the guys who get hurt, but the ones playing at the college and professional level are being rewarded substantially for the risks they take.

isleyaardvark 14y ago
That makes it basically "spectators pay players large amounts of money to injure themselves for our entertainment." I don't think that's the sign of a civilized society.
- jamesaguilar 14y ago
  That's overly reductionistic. We're not paying to watch them strike eachother in the head with baseball bats. We're paying them for an intense display of athletic skill, which incidentally is also extremely risky and likely to cause long-term harm. The reality is bad enough without overstating your case or taking a naive view of what people are getting out of spectating.
  - revelation 14y ago
    By the time you were fighting in the amphitheatrum novum, you had already survived a bunch of other fights and proven your abilities. And of course the citizen of Rome came for the same "intense display of athletic skill". There isn't much enjoyment in just mindless slaughter, so you add animals and weapons and shields.
    - jamesaguilar 14y ago
      Again: the stupid, sensationalist comparison to bloodsport is not helping your case against anyone who doesn't already agree with you. Normal, rational people will read your comment and say, well, there are no swords or lions in football, nor any caesar giving the thumbs up or down, and almost no one dies on the field. Clearly this guy is off his rocker.
- jtreminio 14y ago
  What about boxing?
jessaustin 14y ago
The point of the article is that even the "healthy" players are receiving regular head trauma that has devastating cumulative effects. A typical one- or two-year pro isn't getting set for life. Much less the average college football player, who donates his time and health for the benefit of people and organizations who are already wealthier than anyone else he'll ever know.
- jamesaguilar 14y ago
  > A typical one- or two-year pro isn't getting set for life Do typical pros only play one to two years? Also, I thought the harm done was proportional to the duration of play. Also, let's face it, how much they're rewarded versus the wealth of the promoters has only has a little bit to do with the question. MMA boxers mostly pay IN to the system, except the very best. What's far more important are that the risks are communicated fairly and that everyone be given a free choice to participate or not.
jimmar 14y ago
I've heard it described as ritualized warfare. Yes, it's violent. Every player knows that going into the game. That being said, I think the NFL needs to take additional steps to make it safer, because players at all levels look to the NFL on guidance for how the game should be played.

isleyaardvark 14y ago

That makes it basically "spectators pay players large amounts of money to injure themselves for our entertainment." I don't think that's the sign of a civilized society.

jamesaguilar 14y ago
That's overly reductionistic. We're not paying to watch them strike eachother in the head with baseball bats. We're paying them for an intense display of athletic skill, which incidentally is also extremely risky and likely to cause long-term harm. The reality is bad enough without overstating your case or taking a naive view of what people are getting out of spectating.
- revelation 14y ago
  By the time you were fighting in the amphitheatrum novum, you had already survived a bunch of other fights and proven your abilities. And of course the citizen of Rome came for the same "intense display of athletic skill". There isn't much enjoyment in just mindless slaughter, so you add animals and weapons and shields.
  - jamesaguilar 14y ago
    Again: the stupid, sensationalist comparison to bloodsport is not helping your case against anyone who doesn't already agree with you. Normal, rational people will read your comment and say, well, there are no swords or lions in football, nor any caesar giving the thumbs up or down, and almost no one dies on the field. Clearly this guy is off his rocker.
jtreminio 14y ago
What about boxing?

jessaustin 14y ago

The point of the article is that even the "healthy" players are receiving regular head trauma that has devastating cumulative effects. A typical one- or two-year pro isn't getting set for life. Much less the average college football player, who donates his time and health for the benefit of people and organizations who are already wealthier than anyone else he'll ever know.

jamesaguilar 14y ago
> A typical one- or two-year pro isn't getting set for life Do typical pros only play one to two years? Also, I thought the harm done was proportional to the duration of play. Also, let's face it, how much they're rewarded versus the wealth of the promoters has only has a little bit to do with the question. MMA boxers mostly pay IN to the system, except the very best. What's far more important are that the risks are communicated fairly and that everyone be given a free choice to participate or not.

jimmar 14y ago

I've heard it described as ritualized warfare. Yes, it's violent. Every player knows that going into the game. That being said, I think the NFL needs to take additional steps to make it safer, because players at all levels look to the NFL on guidance for how the game should be played.