I believe the following question is one that many football fans have been grappling with due to recent events. “Should I stop being a football fan?” or at the very least, “Should I stop watching the NFL until major organizational changes are made?” On one hand there is an action-packed contact sport, an 11-on-11 contest of strategy and cunning, the ultimate mix of excitement and execution. On the other hand, there are the undeniable costs that must be played in order for such a sport to exist.
Due to the heightened aggression and strength required for such a sport, there will always be players who channel their on-field aggression into violence off the field to devastating effect. Even if it is a small minority of players who choose to commit acts of domestic violence, these actions are often damaging not only to its victims but to our society as a whole.
Take the very recent aggression of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice for example. Ray Rice’s actions are part of a long history of similar incidents occurring on all levels of football. There is no way to downplay the effect these incidents have had on Janay Rice as well as her loved ones. However, what is often downplayed are the effects that incidents such as this one can have on every football fan as well as American society.
Whenever a professional athlete such as Ray Rice does something terrible it is extensively covered by non-news networks such as ESPN or TMZ. The problem that is presented is that these networks are often ill-equipped to present topics such as domestic violence in a way that presents them respectfully and without bias. For example, would it make sense to ask carpenters to give their opinions on foreign affairs or any other topic outside their area of expertise?
In the same sense, former professional football players now employed by ESPN should probably not be expected to give proper and constructive responses on matters such as domestic violence. The problem is that, despite their bias and lack of expertise, these employees are asked to discuss and elaborate on such sensitive issues. Additionally, they are not asked to do so in casual conversation with a small audience but rather are expected to speak in front of an audience of hundreds of thousands of Americans. As a result of this, sports fans who otherwise may have remained neutral or uninformed on domestic violence, a problem in of itself, will now receive improperly researched opinions to derive their own from. And one only needs to look at Twitter to see some of these vile opinions displayed.
This is only one of the potential problems that football can inflict on our society. This is not even to mention the current problems existing with the NFL. Problems especially regarding player safety, and even the league’s unwillingness to budge in order to give either referees or former players a mere fraction of their overall revenue even when it would greatly improve both parties lives. This greed was shown in great detail with their initial indifference to Ray Rice’s act of violence and their subsequent cover-up of information once they realized that domestic violence might affect their profit margin.
I am not going to preach and tell everyone to quit watching football. The game of football is no doubt something that is ingrained deeply into our society and brings many people a sense of community. I very much remember the Christmas day in 2006 when I watched my hometown Jets essentially clinch their first playoff spot since I started cheering them on or laughing with my family at the sheer absurdity of Mark Sanchez’s “Butt-fumble” on Thanksgiving day. Despite the memories and love that we have for the game, Americans need to be at least conscious that every jersey a person buys, or every commercial one watches during a game fuels an industry that has shown for a long time to hurt others without a second thought—as long as it still makes a pretty penny.
Do the recent scandals that have occurred within the National Football League offend you enough to stop watching NFL games? Do you believe that major changes need to be made or is the NFL too powerful and popular for drastic change? What do you feel is an appropriate response and punishment for players or individuals who commit such disgusting crimes? Tell us how you feel and please send all of your feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
