Hello Vick Dog Chew Toy Fans!

Every now and then something comes out through the NFL that makes me think and question reality.  I always have been and will be a sports fan.  Sports, our favorite team, are the ONLY thing in life that we can love inconsequentially.  Think about it.  What is the absolute WORST that can happen if your team loses?  Sad, mad, down for a bit, but nothing long term.  No collateral long term damage is done.

I am watching the pre-game on ESPN just prior to the Jags Monday night game and they do a special on what the NFL should do to further protect its players from vicious hits.  I am all for that; continue to make advances on equipment and safety devises.  This is something every “employer” should be looking to do.  However, the NFL, (at least according to ESPN), seems to want to take it a step further.  Their idea of “protect” is to punish and limit the reality of the situation.  This made me as myself a question:  why is it that the NFL is the only organization that can attempt to eliminate the inherent risks of its profession?

Do firefighters get a pass when encountered with a dangerous situation?  Do the police get to choose who they go after and under what circumstances?  Do our Military hero’s get to choose the battlefield or their personal rules of engagement?  DO OUR PETS GET TO CHOOSE THE OWNERS THAT SELECT THEM?

Here is my point:  life is inherently dangerous.  We all choose what we do for a living.  We all have a choice to change what we do for a living at any time.  Many of us do not get paid hundreds, even millions of dollars every year to face the dangers of our profession.  Firefighters, police, military personnel receive a tiny portion of what pro athletes receive.  In almost every case, the dangers that are faced are far more substantial and real than a hard tackle.

I do not want anyone to be injured doing what they have chosen to do.  What I do expect is that you carefully evaluate the risks and make your decision based on the worst case scenarios.  “Real life” is far more dangerous and harmful than “sports life”.  Accountability is also far more severe in “real life” than it is in “sports life”.  Do you think that you would be back at your job just a few years after you abused animals and lied about the severity or your amount of involvement?

I love sports, but I long for the old days.  The days when real people played and held themselves accountable.  Every profession has its bad examples, but it seems that they were few and farther between.  Accept the risk, hold yourself accountable, be a true man or woman and represent your profession well.

What Vick and others have done with the character of the NFL and professional sports cannot be repaired.  What the NFL is doing in order to attempt to limit inherent risks is yet another sign that we cannot accept the fact that life is a contact sport, so wear a chinstrap.