The reaction of current and former players to the removal of Jay Cutler, quarterback of the Chicago Bears, from the NFC Championship game in the third quarter last Sunday due to a knee injury, just seemed so wrong. Maurice Jones-Drew, a running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars, tweeted: "All I'm saying is that he can finish the game on a hurt knee....I played the whole season on one....". Former player and ESPN analystDeion Sanders wrote:"Folks, i never question a players injury but i do question a players heart."Mark Schlereth, a former Redskins lineman, Mike Ditka, former tight end for the Bears, Asante Samuel, cornerback for the Eagles and Dornell Dockett of the Cardinals all had similar negative remarks to make about Cutler's lack of mental toughness.
What concerns me in this case is the warrior mentality reflected in the comments. Warriors are supposed to be tough and take their share of pain. It also indirectly implies that the game of football is about inflicting pain, with a warrior being somebody who cannot be intimidated by the threat of pain. This mentality also breeds a culture of violence that turns tackling into an attempt to take off somebody's head, or hurt them so badly that they do not want to play. A warrior does whatever it takes to make the other person back down and lose heart for the game.
The warrior mentality threatens the very definition of the game of football. Football is a violent sport as it requires you to stop a player from advancing immediately or they will score points. The idea is to score points by passing or running. That is the game, not to see how many players can be carted off the field. You don't score points for physical damage.
Don't get me wrong. I understand that intimidation is a weapon that can be used. If you can distract somebody from doing their job by making them afraid, it is easier to do your job. I played football. I did well enough to be the target of those threats. I was on the bottom of piles with opposing players ripping out the hair on my legs, biting me, or trying to scratch me. I thought the idea was to ignore the threats, not let the fear stop me, and go play the game. I used the taunts and ugly stuff to motivate me to do even better. Nothing felt better than to score a touchdown and toss the ball in the face of some guy who was threatening me. To me, ignoring the game inside the game was the right way to play the game.
I don't know what the game is anymore. I love football. I don't like violence. Leave that for street gangs and drug lords. I like to see people play the game the right way. I just don't know if the current NFL players know what that is anymore.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
LOVE OF THE GAME
One of the truisms in sport is that playing for the love of the game is the best reason to play a sport. If you are playing to please a parent or coach, make money, or for the fame and glory, you will be sorely disappointed. Your father or mother may not approve of what you are doing. Your coach will yell at you sometimes. You may not get the contract that you hoped for. And fans are fickle, pulling for you one minute and throwing beer at you the next.
The one thing that pulls you through all that adversity is the love of the game.....playing your sport your way and the right way. It is great to see that two of the Philadelphia coaches, Doug Collins of the 76ers and Peter Laviolette of the Flyers, seem to agree with that idea. The 76ers are a young team and learning how to win. They have lost many games so far in the this season due to making mistakes in the last minutes when it mattered most. Their record is 5-14 in games decided by 8 or fewer points. They are 1-7 in games when the difference is less than 5 points.
Collins solution is to preach the love of the game. Central to that idea is to respect for the game itself and what it can teach you. As he is often heard saying to his players, "You can't cheat the game.....I don' t think I ever evaluated myself as a person until I got my heart broken in some way. Where was I going to with that?.....The strength of the human is in those moments."
Laviolette believes in teaching the love of the game. His methods are different because he has a veteran team who playing great hockey and are first in their division nearing the half-way point of the season. His problem is to keep them at the top. So how does he remind them of the love of the game? He schedules an outdoor practice in Central Park yesterday before the Ranger game today. Playing outdoors reminds the players of playing as a kid on frozen ponds, one of the things that brings fond memories to the players. Listen to what several of them said: "Skating outside is just a lot of fun. (Danny Briere)......It's fun to get out here and get back to your roots (Matt Carle)...Sometimes you need these kinds of days....It just makes you think of why you play hockey (Claude Giroux)".
Two great coaches who understand their sport and the love of the game.
The one thing that pulls you through all that adversity is the love of the game.....playing your sport your way and the right way. It is great to see that two of the Philadelphia coaches, Doug Collins of the 76ers and Peter Laviolette of the Flyers, seem to agree with that idea. The 76ers are a young team and learning how to win. They have lost many games so far in the this season due to making mistakes in the last minutes when it mattered most. Their record is 5-14 in games decided by 8 or fewer points. They are 1-7 in games when the difference is less than 5 points.
Collins solution is to preach the love of the game. Central to that idea is to respect for the game itself and what it can teach you. As he is often heard saying to his players, "You can't cheat the game.....I don' t think I ever evaluated myself as a person until I got my heart broken in some way. Where was I going to with that?.....The strength of the human is in those moments."
Laviolette believes in teaching the love of the game. His methods are different because he has a veteran team who playing great hockey and are first in their division nearing the half-way point of the season. His problem is to keep them at the top. So how does he remind them of the love of the game? He schedules an outdoor practice in Central Park yesterday before the Ranger game today. Playing outdoors reminds the players of playing as a kid on frozen ponds, one of the things that brings fond memories to the players. Listen to what several of them said: "Skating outside is just a lot of fun. (Danny Briere)......It's fun to get out here and get back to your roots (Matt Carle)...Sometimes you need these kinds of days....It just makes you think of why you play hockey (Claude Giroux)".
Two great coaches who understand their sport and the love of the game.
Monday, January 10, 2011
SEX, VIOLENCE AND THE NFL
I wish I did not like the game of football so much. I love watching the games but the culture of the NFL is making me sick. Money talks, and TV money is big money.The Seattle Seahawks 41-36 upset win over the New Orleans Saints earned the highest TV rating in over two decades for a wild card game, an 18.3 rating with a 33 share, up 8% from last year's equivalent wild card game. Similarly, the Jets-Colts 17-16 last second victory earned the highest rating since 2002.
Obviously, the NFL is doing well as a business, and doesn't want to anything to interfere with this money making machine. Sex and violence are marketed carefully to attract a TV audience without going over the top. There are pole dancing cheerleaders but they keep their clothes on. While there have been many fines, there is yet to be a suspension for any violent hit for the entire 2010 season. Sex and violence translate into significant TV ratings.
But then there are those players who push the limits of the sex and violence culture. Brett Favre is a good example. Nearly two years after texting a Jets hostess, Jen Sterger, he is supposedly investigated by the NFL for sexual behavior that is inconsistent with the standards set by the NFL for their players. Yeah, right. First, it takes two years to discover. Then the NFL investigation takes several months and doesn't get disclosed until the last week of the season. Notice Brett is not suspended which would potentially reduce the TV ratings for a popular player with a high TV draw. Then, the NFL makes itself look good by fining him $50,000 for interfering with the investigation.
But now for the most disgusting part, it turns out Jen Sterger wasn't the only one who had to put up with Brett's predatory sexual behavior. Two part-time massage therapists who worked for the New York Jets, Christina Scavo and Shannon O'Toole, were fired from their jobs after also complaining about receiving sexually suggestive text messages from Brett. They have sued Brett for unspecified damages. Don't expect to hear much about this case in the future. Brett will pay enough money to make this go away long before it goes to court and interferes with his TV popularity. The NFL will make sure of it. It just would not look good on TV.
Obviously, the NFL is doing well as a business, and doesn't want to anything to interfere with this money making machine. Sex and violence are marketed carefully to attract a TV audience without going over the top. There are pole dancing cheerleaders but they keep their clothes on. While there have been many fines, there is yet to be a suspension for any violent hit for the entire 2010 season. Sex and violence translate into significant TV ratings.
But then there are those players who push the limits of the sex and violence culture. Brett Favre is a good example. Nearly two years after texting a Jets hostess, Jen Sterger, he is supposedly investigated by the NFL for sexual behavior that is inconsistent with the standards set by the NFL for their players. Yeah, right. First, it takes two years to discover. Then the NFL investigation takes several months and doesn't get disclosed until the last week of the season. Notice Brett is not suspended which would potentially reduce the TV ratings for a popular player with a high TV draw. Then, the NFL makes itself look good by fining him $50,000 for interfering with the investigation.
But now for the most disgusting part, it turns out Jen Sterger wasn't the only one who had to put up with Brett's predatory sexual behavior. Two part-time massage therapists who worked for the New York Jets, Christina Scavo and Shannon O'Toole, were fired from their jobs after also complaining about receiving sexually suggestive text messages from Brett. They have sued Brett for unspecified damages. Don't expect to hear much about this case in the future. Brett will pay enough money to make this go away long before it goes to court and interferes with his TV popularity. The NFL will make sure of it. It just would not look good on TV.
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