This past Thanksgiving Day in the US, there were plenty of football games to watch. Millions of Americans got their weekly fix as they enjoyed their holiday with family, turkey, and football. I was not one of them. A few years ago, I had an epiphany. For the most part, I have stopped watching the NFL. Why? It has taken me almost my entire life to realize what the NFL is about. It is not about the purity of the game, the thrill of the long bomb or the sacking of the quarterback. It is about selling tickets, jerseys, and ball caps. It is about selling advertising time for beer, pizza, and pick up trucks. It is an entire industry making billions of dollars and at what cost? The exploitation of young men, particularly African American men, which can lead them to spinal cord injuries and permanent brain damage.
The number one thing I wanted to become in my life was a professional athlete. Many are called and few are chosen. Trust me, I was called. I had it in my heart and in my mind, but my body was not at the elite level. I was an above average athlete. But at 6’2”, 200 libs, there are literally tens of thousands of guys like me in North America with my physical stature that are pretty good. I was not the 1% of the 1%. Throughout my childhood my favourite sports changed. At the age of five, I was going to play in the NHL. At ten, I was going to play Major League Baseball, and, in my teens, I had a passion for the NFL. At the age of 20 I realized my passion was not going to happen, but I still flirted with the idea of playing in the CFL. In retrospect, I am glad that it did not happen.
Why the change of heart? Physical injuries happen in sports. I separated my shoulder playing high school football; I chipped my elbow getting hit by a pitch in baseball, and I sprained my ankle playing basketball. Injuries happen and as a player and a fan you can accept that as part of the package, but in the NFL, there are a growing number of spinal cord injuries and instances of permanent brain damage. For me, this is a bridge too far.
I cannot change the world, but I can control my little corner of it. Everything you do in life is a choice and I refuse to get sucked in by the masses. How can I in good conscience be “entertained” when a young African American man is getting his brain cells damaged permanently? I find that immoral. What is worse is that there is a growing billion-dollar gambling industry where you can bet on the outcome. How ethical is it to make $50 or $100 on a wager while a young man is carted off the field wearing a neck brace?
Don’t get me wrong, the neanderthal within me is still wowed by the long bomb or kick off return but my wiser alter ego has realized the NFL for what it is. It is a massive money-making machine dangling a carrot in front of the noses of underprivileged black youth to sell those tickets, jerseys, ball caps and advertising time for beer, pizza, and pick up trucks. I choose not to be a part of it. I would rather put my passions into playing with my grand kids or reading a good book.