The wimpification of America?
by Greg Krehbiel on 5 February 2013
The science seems to be pretty clear that the repeated blows to the head that football players endure is very dangerous.
So, do we convert the NFL into the flag football league?
There’s certainly a legitimate argument for that. How many boys are brain damaged today because of football?
However, I can also remember a few things I heard about WW2. Specifically, the French were taught non-violence, compromise, and retreat, while the Germans were taught that nothing was impossible for the German man. The results were disastrous, despite the superiority the French had in arms.
Also, I have heard American generals attribute the success of American forces in WW2 to … football.
Is it possible that allowing boys to take such risks with their health is necessary to having the kind of culture we need for national defense? Not sure, just asking.
-- 2013-02-05 » Greg Krehbiel
5 February 2013 @ 9:56 pm
We’ll see in 20 years when many (most?) frontline military are raised not on Football, but Halo, Call of Duty, Dead Space, etc…
: )
Also, read something recently (can’t find it) questioning the severity of head trauma over lifetime on kids who play football but don’t go past High School. Majority of football youth don’t even make it to High School Varsity level.
6 February 2013 @ 6:39 am
Are you saying that kids who quit in high school end up with no lasting damage?
6 February 2013 @ 2:14 pm
No. Only that the article indicated that there are other studies that seem to indicate it may not be as much a problem for the vast majority of youth football players as it’s being made out to be. Me, I don’t know.
Primarily responded to the main point – perhaps other “acceptably violent” outlets exist these days that will continue to provide for a culture needed for our future national defense.
It’s an interesting topic though!
7 February 2013 @ 12:37 pm
Three unrelated thoughts:
1). We have come to believe that life should be risk free. Every injury (physical, emotional, perceived) is followed by lawsuits and new legislation. We want freedom to act as we wish and freedom from its consequences. Periodically we hear a story like: teen sneaks onto some private property, sleds down the hill, gets hurt, then the sues the owner for not preventing him from sledding.
2). It seems we are taught that violence is an aberation and all intimations of violence should be removed from society including pretending your hand is a gun or drawing violence on a piece of paper. Are kids allowed to roughhouse, play dodgeball, king of the hill or smear the queer (strike that last one)? Some schools have stopped tag – too aggressive. We don’t remove it from entertainment though. Is that why MMA, NFL and HALO are so popular? Is there an inverse relationship? Not sure.
3). Why do we hear so much about PTSD and veteran suicide? Are we paying more attention to it in our therapeutic culture? Have large percentages of veterans in the past suffered in silence or are the numbers way up for veterans of the 90s and 00s? I have a friend who’s dad was in the Battle of the Bulge. He never talked about the war until he was in his 70s and thought that PTSD is nonsense. I guess he would say, “You bury that shit way down and get on with your life.” Different generation for better or for worse.