[ARETE] Sport and Society - Football Obsession

[richard crepeau]

SPORT AND SOCIETY FOR ARETE

December 5, 2023



While watching more and more college football in the last few days as the season comes to its close, I have been struck by what seems to be an increase in the frequency and intensity of the hits received by the players. Some players are knocked out and have concussions; some sustain fractures, while others experience lesser trauma across the body. As the speed and size of football players has increased over the past three decades, the collisions on the football field have become more violent.

Two weeks ago, The New York Times reported on a recent study by  Boston University researchers involving young athletes who died before age thirty. All those in the study played contact sports, and over forty percent of those studied had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The donated brains of 152 athletes were in the study and 63 were found to have CTE. Of the 63, none had played contact sports beyond high school or college, and 48 had played football. Most of the others had competed in hockey, soccer, or wrestling.

The article, posted on The New York Times website (https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Finteractive%2F2023%2F11%2F16%2Fus%2Fcte-youth-football.html%3FsearchResultPosition%3D1&data=05%7C01%7Csport_literature_association%40lists.ku.edu%7C351b916a45ee4f23654208dbf5fb837e%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638374232833850628%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=p0gohFcZ1dQywsPUHb7H72z%2BORVZaYiK1Dw7B3CObqQ%3D&reserved=0) examines the deaths of five young men. The first is a video suicide note from one of the players. There are writings about depression, thoughts of suicide and other personal issues from some of the athletes. There are videos of interviews with the parents of all these young men. These are very difficult to watch. The symptoms they describe are typical of those with CTE.

Some research indicates that in middle age those who played football had no more mental health problems than those who did not play. On the other hand, a number of researchers agree that the increased number of hits to the head, no matter the severity, increases the possibility of permanent damage. This has led to recommendations on limits to practices and games. Also, it has led to recommendations prohibiting contact sports prior to the teenage years.

One of the most interesting parts of The Times article came when the parents of those who had died were asked if knowing what they now know would they allow their child to play football. The answers varied. There was one strong “no,” an unequivocal “yes,” while some offered a qualified “yes.”

I am not certain if I should be surprised by the “yeses” considering the power of football in American culture, but I am. A friend who was a star football player in high school and college told me that he hated football, but was coerced into playing by the belief of his father and others around him that football defined manhood. The association of football with manliness is, in fact, a close one and is expressed in a variety of ways in the culture.

In recent years, a number of commentators have questioned their devotion to the game. Some no longer watch football on television. Some players have walked away from the game, vowing to never allow their children to play football.

Steve Almond, who has been a sports reporter and broadcaster, and lived in the football obsessed states of Florida and Texas, in 2014 wrote Against Football: One Fan’s Reluctant Manifesto. Almond questioned if it was wrong to watch the game or to allow children to play football, or if it was immoral to watch a game that causes brain damage. The book caused some public comment at the time, but clearly there has been no rush to abandon the game as television ratings have never been higher.

As you subject yourself to the nearly continuous parade of football games on television over the next two months and players are carted off or limp off the field, think about what you are watching. What about it appeals most to you? Does the fact that there could be long-term consequences for those playing, some leading to early death or severe mental issues, matter?

What is the risk/reward ratio? Is it a matter of personal choice and freedom? Should children be making the decision about playing or is it a parental responsibility? Are there other reasons to endorse football? Does it teach important personal and social qualities? Does football contribute to community?

As for me, I am still watching, although with less enthusiasm than I once did nor as often as I once did. I now think that the title of the last book I wrote, NFL Football: America’s New National Pastime should have been subtitled America’s New National Obsession.

On Sport and Society this is Dick Crepeau reminding you that you don’t have to be a good sport to be a bad loser.



Copyright 2023 by Richard C. Crepeau
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