IT'S JUST A GAME, FOLKS - JUST A GAME
bwallace2012
Posts: 37 Member
in Chit-Chat
back in the olden days - sometime after inflated pig bladders were replaced by footballs made of pig skin but before the game became Big Business - football used to be a sport, a game the guys played for fun.
I taught in junior-high then, and used to stand outside monitor duty during the lunch period. the boys bolted their lunches so they could get outside and play the game. I marvelled at the way those 8th and 9th grade boys played touch football. no referees, no adult supervision, and yet they played the game. it didn't matter which team lost or won, and apparently the guys played on whichever team needed an extra player for balance. the game ended when the bell for classes rang.
there was a sign across one wall of the gym. it was a quote from Grantland Rice. "It matters not that you win or lose, but HOW you play the game."
football was thought to be character-building. it taught teamwork. it taught how to accept both victory and defeat with grace. it taught sportsmanship and fair play. it was a game.
the cheerleaders were chosen to lead cheers. they were chosen for their enthusiasm, their ability to lead. cheers, ok, but they led.
the Heroes of the game were looked up to by the rest of the students. they walked with dignity. they had pride. they were Examples for the rest, and they took that responsibility seriously. so did the coaches. so did the school.
ah, Grantland, where are ye now?
alas. the game has changed.
now we have the NFL, corporate sponsorship, buckage to be made. sheep to be led. bread and circuses.
and now the Heroes, still role models for the rest, have changed a bit, but they are still Examples - Examples of DUI car wrecks, drug abuse, spousal abuse, child abuse, animal abuse, even murder, and excesses that tax the imagination. but that's all Forgiven and Forgotten. minimal punishment. why? well, because they're Heroes. Role Models. they bring in the Buckage.
I ask why they aren't kicked off the team, why they aren't dropped by their Corporate Sponsors, why the sports fans don't rise up in rebellion against such behavior. silly question.
and the role of wimmin? gone are the cheerleaders of yore. oh, for shame! sex objects, sporting equipment. camp followers. ah, the things women do to make themselves attractive to men! worse than high heels!
ok. now back to your regularly scheduled programming. I'll leave you to your beer and velveeta dips, your team identification, your follow-the-corporate leader.
you could be outside playing a game of touch football with real people, not bowing in submission to your football-field-sized advertising machine. ....... but it's your choice.....
I'm gonna go shed a tear for Grantland.
I taught in junior-high then, and used to stand outside monitor duty during the lunch period. the boys bolted their lunches so they could get outside and play the game. I marvelled at the way those 8th and 9th grade boys played touch football. no referees, no adult supervision, and yet they played the game. it didn't matter which team lost or won, and apparently the guys played on whichever team needed an extra player for balance. the game ended when the bell for classes rang.
there was a sign across one wall of the gym. it was a quote from Grantland Rice. "It matters not that you win or lose, but HOW you play the game."
football was thought to be character-building. it taught teamwork. it taught how to accept both victory and defeat with grace. it taught sportsmanship and fair play. it was a game.
the cheerleaders were chosen to lead cheers. they were chosen for their enthusiasm, their ability to lead. cheers, ok, but they led.
the Heroes of the game were looked up to by the rest of the students. they walked with dignity. they had pride. they were Examples for the rest, and they took that responsibility seriously. so did the coaches. so did the school.
ah, Grantland, where are ye now?
alas. the game has changed.
now we have the NFL, corporate sponsorship, buckage to be made. sheep to be led. bread and circuses.
and now the Heroes, still role models for the rest, have changed a bit, but they are still Examples - Examples of DUI car wrecks, drug abuse, spousal abuse, child abuse, animal abuse, even murder, and excesses that tax the imagination. but that's all Forgiven and Forgotten. minimal punishment. why? well, because they're Heroes. Role Models. they bring in the Buckage.
I ask why they aren't kicked off the team, why they aren't dropped by their Corporate Sponsors, why the sports fans don't rise up in rebellion against such behavior. silly question.
and the role of wimmin? gone are the cheerleaders of yore. oh, for shame! sex objects, sporting equipment. camp followers. ah, the things women do to make themselves attractive to men! worse than high heels!
ok. now back to your regularly scheduled programming. I'll leave you to your beer and velveeta dips, your team identification, your follow-the-corporate leader.
you could be outside playing a game of touch football with real people, not bowing in submission to your football-field-sized advertising machine. ....... but it's your choice.....
I'm gonna go shed a tear for Grantland.
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Replies
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So basically what you did here was compare Jr. High/High School football to the NFL??
I'm so damn confused.0 -
I lost interest half way through.....or less0
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I lost interest half way through.....or less
Cliffnotes:
High school football is about the game, NFL is about the business.
No real news.0 -
I lost interest half way through.....or less
Cliffnotes:
High school football is about the game, NFL is about the business.
No real news.
And you forgot that it's the cheerleaders who are to blame. I think....0 -
I lost interest half way through.....or less
Cliffnotes:
High school football is about the game, NFL is about the business.
No real news.
And you forgot that it's the cheerleaders who are to blame. I think....
Silly me.0 -
I lost interest half way through.....or less
Cliffnotes:
High school football is about the game, NFL is about the business.
No real news.
And you forgot that it's the cheerleaders who are to blame. I think....
Silly me.
:yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn:
this is news? oh wait...you said it wasn't.....0 -
What's wrong OP? Your blog didn't get enough attention so you had to copy and post it in the forums? Enjoy your whiny little post. I'm going to feed the football-field-sized advertising machine and watch football all day.0
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I remember those days, OP. At my school, it was basketball instead of football, but it was all the same. A couple of people would get outside, grab the ball, and start shooting. As each person came out, they'd join in on whichever side needed player until you had a full set. It even naturally happened that you'd end up playing 3v3 half court games because that meant you could have a second 3v3 game on the other half of the court (more people playing).
Come to Boston. Sure, not all of our stars are perfect examples, but we don't take none-o-that. They want to be crap people, they'll be gone in a heart beat.
Just remember, while you lament the Pro Footballer, there are nearly 3,000 professional NFL players. When you made your list of people with poor character, you made a list of 5ish people? And you had to go back some years to do it. In that time, the NFL has probably had about 4,000 players.
5 sour apples out of 4,000 is really not bad at all. While these are terrible crimes and they ARE examples, they are also just guys playing a game. If, for instance, you were tangled in a domestic dispute, would you lose YOUR job? (Well, probably. You're a teacher. But most people wouldn't and there wouldn't be an expectation that they should).
At the end, you really got to the heart of it. This isn't about "Men playing games and being bad examples," because why are we looking to Men playing games as examples? The problem is that we LOOK to those people for examples.0 -
Back in my day....0
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I THOUGHT I read this already.What's wrong OP? Your blog didn't get enough attention so you had to copy and post it in the forums? Enjoy your whiny little post. I'm going to feed the football-field-sized advertising machine and watch football all day.
thank you for helping me realize I am not cuckoo for cocoa puffs.0 -
Back in my day, we used to watch REAL football... and we walked thirty miles in twenty feet of snow naked to watch.
Kids these days just don't get it.0 -
EXTREME PHOBIA WROTE:
Just remember, while you lament the Pro Footballer, there are nearly 3,000 professional NFL players. When you made your list of people with poor character, you made a list of 5ish people? And you had to go back some years to do it. In that time, the NFL has probably had about 4,000 players.
5 sour apples out of 4,000 is really not bad at all. While these are terrible crimes and they ARE examples, they are also just guys playing a game. If, for instance, you were tangled in a domestic dispute, would you lose YOUR job? (Well, probably. You're a teacher. But most people wouldn't and there wouldn't be an expectation that they should).
At the end, you really got to the heart of it. This isn't about "Men playing games and being bad examples," because why are we looking to Men playing games as examples? The problem is that we LOOK to those people for examples.
I like your tone, love it, but your perspective plea does not stick. You use the tools of scorekeeping and corporate balance sheets when what is called for are tools of humanity. Can't use a hammer when a scalpel is required. The football kerfuffle is about chaotic, organic, living, breathing human beings and that is where perspective is to be found.
You say as example that there are only 5 sour apples, and that leaves around 3,993 innocent of the crime bystanders? I subtracted two more from your 5 players for the 2 or so coaches and additional players that have had to stand up and say something, even if it reading from the approved legalese. That leaves in any estimation well over 99% of the football population who remain silent and therefore complicit. 99% who lend their approval to domestic violence. They are hardly innocent and neither are the ticket buyers who keep shelling out and attending the games, whether they realize it or not.,
How can parents or other adult leaders support any group that tells their daughters that they are only worth respecting as people if the perpetrators get caught? Or teaches their sons by example that strong men cannot help but be silent and violent? That's some perspective.0 -
couple of thought-provoking comments here. rest need to go back to their football games. rational thought is obviously not a team sport. and we wonder why our younger generation seems to be sinking into barbarianism.....(shrug).....so what.0
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couple of thought-provoking comments here. rest need to go back to their football games. rational thought is obviously not a team sport. and we wonder why our younger generation seems to be sinking into barbarianism.....(shrug).....so what.
You still need to explain why you're comparing Jr. High/High School football to the NFL.0 -
Just a game? You must not play Fantasy Football then.
BTW if Justin Hunter was on your 12 man fantasy roster, would you keep him or dump him. Can't decide.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Ah, yea, the good old days that never existed anywhere except in someone's poor memory.0
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Those were my husband's exact words last night when his team started to lose.0
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These are just modern day gladiators. Ancient gladiators weren't all perfect role models either. Stop idolizing, and by extension, teaching children to idolize, the wrong people in society, and you won't be quite so apt to find disappointment. Games for games sake are great when you're a child, but as adults we should look up to those who contribute more to society than just a diversion or a spectacle. Teachers, doctors, and scientists come to mind. At least for me.
Choose your heroes wisely.0 -
If, for instance, you PUNCHED YOUR WIFE IN THE FACE AND KNOCKED HER OUT COLD then dragged her around like a lifeless ragdoll, would you lose YOUR job?
Well, don't spit in someones face, and then attack them, when that someone outweighs you by 100lbs of muscle.
Did he react inappropriately? Yes. Did she? Yes.
Go up to anyone and spit in their face and attack them, see what happens.0 -
SonofaBeach wrote:
You still need to explain why you're comparing Jr. High/High School football to the NFL.
Me thinks the onus is on you. Where is there a better comparison to one football group not driven overtly at least by Big Buckage? Meantime, sorry to say, the only faulty analogy I see here is yours.
Funny SNL last night, spoofing the commissioner and said rightly "We Fight Women" not 4. ha!
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couple of thought-provoking comments here. rest need to go back to their football games. rational thought is obviously not a team sport. and we wonder why our younger generation seems to be sinking into barbarianism.....(shrug).....so what.
0 -
These are just modern day gladiators. Ancient gladiators weren't all perfect role models either. Stop idolizing, and by extension, teaching children to idolize, the wrong people in society, and you won't be quite so apt to find disappointment. Games for games sake are great when you're a child, but as adults we should look up to those who contribute more to society than just a diversion or a spectacle. Teachers, doctors, and scientists come to mind. At least for me.
Choose your heroes wisely.0 -
OMG, Mr Diggler - do I detect a sign of intelligent life on the Forums?0
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Yes the commercialism is a bit unfortunate but it's everywhere.
Truthfully I'm hoping the fact larger numbers of women watching football will hopefully mean they put an end to this crap. It's depressing.
These men aren't however heros or role models, any parent who makes them as such has issues.
Also you are taking a few very bad examples of humans and ignoring the athletes who actually do wonderful things for their communities.
But to bring that up wouldn't support a cynical and bitter outlook, so why bother.
A lot of things in our society stink and are unfortunate. Trying to find positives doesn't hurt.
Call me an ignorant cow or sheep or whatever livestock you want, I'm going to watch and enjoy football and genuinely hope
Things change. If they don't, I'll consider not watching.
Baaaaaa0 -
If, for instance, you PUNCHED YOUR WIFE IN THE FACE AND KNOCKED HER OUT COLD then dragged her around like a lifeless ragdoll, would you lose YOUR job?
Well, don't spit in someones face, and then attack them, when that someone outweighs you by 100lbs of muscle.
Did he react inappropriately? Yes. Did she? Yes.
Go up to anyone and spit in their face and attack them, see what happens.
Solid victim blaming here...
If you think that a woman spitting your face deserves to be knocked out cold, I feel sorry for anyone that comes in contact with you.0 -
If, for instance, you PUNCHED YOUR WIFE IN THE FACE AND KNOCKED HER OUT COLD then dragged her around like a lifeless ragdoll, would you lose YOUR job?
Well, don't spit in someones face, and then attack them, when that someone outweighs you by 100lbs of muscle.
Did he react inappropriately? Yes. Did she? Yes.
Go up to anyone and spit in their face and attack them, see what happens.
Solid victim blaming here...
If you think that a woman spitting your face deserves to be knocked out cold, I feel sorry for anyone that comes in contact with you.
Are you going to go spit in his face and attack him?
Chivalry or equality...
Chivalry, yes he was wrong for hitting a lady.
Equality, he was attacked by a person, and defended himself.
I don't know about you, but I'm smart enough to not attack someone who I know could kick my *kitten*.
ETA: He didn't continue beating her... he stopped a threat on his person. It just so happens that he did it with one shot. She would be a 'victim' if he beat her every night.
HOW would this change if it was two guys, with one being scrawny, the other being an NFL player, and the scrawny dude attacked the player... the scrawny one would get picked on, if this would have even made the news.0 -
If, for instance, you PUNCHED YOUR WIFE IN THE FACE AND KNOCKED HER OUT COLD then dragged her around like a lifeless ragdoll, would you lose YOUR job?
Well, don't spit in someones face, and then attack them, when that someone outweighs you by 100lbs of muscle.
Did he react inappropriately? Yes. Did she? Yes.
Go up to anyone and spit in their face and attack them, see what happens.
Solid victim blaming here...
If you think that a woman spitting your face deserves to be knocked out cold, I feel sorry for anyone that comes in contact with you.
Are you going to go spit in his face and attack him?
Chivalry or equality...
Chivalry, yes he was wrong for hitting a lady.
Equality, he was attacked by a person, and defended himself.
I don't know about you, but I'm smart enough to not attack someone who I know could kick my *kitten*.
ETA: He didn't continue beating her... he stopped a threat on his person. It just so happens that he did it with one shot. She would be a 'victim' if he beat her every night.
HOW would this change if it was two guys, with one being scrawny, the other being an NFL player, and the scrawny dude attacked the player... the scrawny one would get picked on, if this would have even made the news.
I get it, you think he was defending himself, against his wife, who spit at him, so that justified him knocking her out.
You don't know that he doesn't beat her ever night...
But it's cool, you think it's okay to hit women...GOT IT.0
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