Blood Sport, Blood Money

The NFL's plan to extend the regular season from 16 to 18 games borders on the barbaric. Quarterbacks excluded , there are no limits to the physical toll they collect from their players. The NFL greedily and cruelly extracts from the bodies and minds of all of their other players without pause. They do this even though they have more information than ever about what happens to their players after their playing careers are done. It's ugly.

According to the St. Petersburg Times, the average NFL player lives for only 55 years ( 52 if you are a lineman). The average American male lives 72-73. Think about that. Would you sign up for that? You forfeit 18-20 years on earth, but you increase your salary 10 fold for a period of 2-10 years, enjoy thrills, excitement, power, and celebrity. Would you make that deal with the devil?

Before you answer, consider that you will likely deal with endless pain the remainder of your shortened life. Your body will hurt every single day. You will likely pop prescription strength pain killers like they are advill. If the traumatic blows to the head have not already left permanent damage to your brain ( not likely) your mind will likely never be clear and clean because of all of the medicine you require to function. You will be more likely than the average joe to develop a dependence on alcohol.

The connections and brief fame you collected by playing football are significant. These acquisitions most certainly could benefit you post football, if you have the desire and skill sets to put them to work in business. But what if you don't have those skills? Maybe the only book you have read sense you were forced to go to classes for a couple years in college is your play book. What if you don't have a degree and possess limited computer skills, no business vocabulary, and have no mentor to lead you?

I know that nobody forces these guys to play football. Most of these guys wouldn't be small business owners, lawyers or doctors if it wasn't for the NFL. Many would never have seen college and most would never find a financial opportunity even close to the on offered by the league. Also, even though I doubt most players spend much time thinking about these post career hard truths, they are aware of the reality. It's brutal, but they choose to participate.

But does the NFL really have to make it worse? Shouldn't they be making it better? Again, they have never had more information about what happens to their players. Concussions are as bad as ever, players are stronger and faster now than at any other time. How about some new equipment to protect their heads? How about an improved pension plan for retired players that includes more money, a lifetime of free physical therapy, as well as emotional and career counseling? How about shortening the ridiculous pre season? Maybe until more progress is made regarding player's health and well being, they should, gasp, SHORTEN the regular season. The league makes billions of dollars and these sacrifices and expenses wouldn't compromise the league for it's fans, so it's the right and moral path right?

Nah, they don't want to wait on all of that stuff. They want to expose their players to 13% more violence and risk.

Where is the outrage? I have seen a few editions of HBO's Real Sports that did a great job articulating the struggles these players go through, but that's pretty much about it. That is fucked up. ESPN, the world wide leader of sports, is, once again, a huge and horrible villain. There job is to cover sports. Football is our most popular sport. Football's players are passing away much younger than the rest of us. This is a story, a huge story, but an unprofitable story. Being they have a virtual monopoly, they get to dictate what's important to America regarding sports.

More games to cover means more advertising dollars and it is as simple as that. Nothing else matters.

I knew football was an amazing money maker, but it really hit home after this summer's conference realignment drama played itself out. Conferences in the NCAA almost ceased to exist, based solely on football dollars. When this eventually happens, it will not only have a large, negative impact on student athletes of other sports, but on all students of non private schools that don't rake in football dollars. Having conferences that share money in a way that doesn't allow football to drive so much of the educational power and over all opportunity is a good thing. Call me a lefty pinko.

The horrible post career lives of football players is not unlike the the laborers who suffered by exposure to asbestos. Our public universities should not be so strongly controlled by their ability to construct a strong football program. If Congress had the time to investigate and humiliate baseball players who did steroids, they most certainly should make some time for this.