Don We Now Our Gladiatorial Apparel
Dec. 8th, 2013 01:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
captainsblogWhat speaks better of the coming of Christmas than a full slate of NFL games with grown men trying to beat one another up? The Bills are on now, trying to maintain their slimmest of playoff hopes, but honestly? I can barely stand to follow the score, much less watch.
The testosterone lacing of this sport, despite the increasing knowledge of its risks to the players' lives and limbs and brains (and, just as damning, the increasing knowledge of how much and how long the NFL has known about it and suppressed the knowledge), just isn't appealing. This season seems to have brought on more and worse injuries, no matter how much the rules are written or re-written to protect the players. Any effort in that direction is quickly shouted down by the Manly Manly Men in the audience, who say it's one step away from changing the game to two-hand-touch or (the even more common indictment) "sending dem out dere in pink skirts."
College football is no better- worse, perhaps, because of the creeping crud of alleged amateurism that does nothing but enrich the schools at the expense of the "student athletes" that are putting in all the work. This year's NCAA championship game will be between two Southeast Conference teams: Auburn, which upset its hated rival Alabama eight days ago, and Florida State, which had to wait until the middle of this past week to be sure it would qualify. Not on account of onfield performance (they routinely ass-whupped all comers, including Syracuse a few weeks back), but because their star quarterback was facing rape charges on account of an off-field incident from almost a year before.
The victim suffered the usual, Steubenville-style, victim-blaming that seems to happen in most of these high-profile cases of Athletes Gone Wild, but the press conference at midweek, when the Florida State Attorney announced the QB wouldn't be charged, was a complete affront to any notion of justice or decency. The lawyer, wearing his Florida State tie, proceeded to shuck and jive his way through the presser, with the almost all-male press corps joining right in the good-ole-boy fun. Then they all ran over to meet with the Poor Misunderstood Athlete's own lawyer, who continued the jokefest, even entertaining a question about whether the rape victim- oh, sorry yall, the hateful accuser- was really an Alabama Crimson Tide fan trying to hurt a rival's postseason chances.
These people take their football way too damn seriously. I may occasionally comment on an outcome, but I pray I never become one of them.
The testosterone lacing of this sport, despite the increasing knowledge of its risks to the players' lives and limbs and brains (and, just as damning, the increasing knowledge of how much and how long the NFL has known about it and suppressed the knowledge), just isn't appealing. This season seems to have brought on more and worse injuries, no matter how much the rules are written or re-written to protect the players. Any effort in that direction is quickly shouted down by the Manly Manly Men in the audience, who say it's one step away from changing the game to two-hand-touch or (the even more common indictment) "sending dem out dere in pink skirts."
College football is no better- worse, perhaps, because of the creeping crud of alleged amateurism that does nothing but enrich the schools at the expense of the "student athletes" that are putting in all the work. This year's NCAA championship game will be between two Southeast Conference teams: Auburn, which upset its hated rival Alabama eight days ago, and Florida State, which had to wait until the middle of this past week to be sure it would qualify. Not on account of onfield performance (they routinely ass-whupped all comers, including Syracuse a few weeks back), but because their star quarterback was facing rape charges on account of an off-field incident from almost a year before.
The victim suffered the usual, Steubenville-style, victim-blaming that seems to happen in most of these high-profile cases of Athletes Gone Wild, but the press conference at midweek, when the Florida State Attorney announced the QB wouldn't be charged, was a complete affront to any notion of justice or decency. The lawyer, wearing his Florida State tie, proceeded to shuck and jive his way through the presser, with the almost all-male press corps joining right in the good-ole-boy fun. Then they all ran over to meet with the Poor Misunderstood Athlete's own lawyer, who continued the jokefest, even entertaining a question about whether the rape victim- oh, sorry yall, the hateful accuser- was really an Alabama Crimson Tide fan trying to hurt a rival's postseason chances.
These people take their football way too damn seriously. I may occasionally comment on an outcome, but I pray I never become one of them.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-12-10 12:17 am (UTC)