An open letter to those considering becoming members of the club I joined years ago.
Welcome,
Come on in. Actually, hurry on in, as the hours you will free up by not watching or participating in this sport will astound you.
As a young adult I slowly began to distance myself from following any violent sports. I grew repulsed by the degrading display of disregard for our magnificent bodies. My awareness grew as boxing matches became serious entertainment business on television.
This was pre-Mike Tyson’s reign. It was an era of heavyweight contests that featured Muhammad Ali, Joe Frasier, and George Foreman. Those fights were highly advertised and drew record numbers of viewers to the sport. I recognize I was drawn in not due to a passion for these performers or their bravado, but rather by Howard Cosell’s way way way over-the-top broadcasting grandiosity.
My confusion about why anyone would want to be in the line of any work requiring taking hits to the head for a career, or one in promoting it, has stayed intact since childhood. But what I eventually came to accept is that most of the football players and boxers appear to need to do what they do. Some will admit this. Others simply seem to me to choose not to stop, no matter how much lickin’ they face or take.
Yes, I did watch several of those historic boxing fights, but I would stop watching when I couldn’t stomach the horror. Even when I could appreciate the athleticism and the discipline involved to achieve their status, it was insufficient to fully capture my devotion to the theater and hype of that type of masculinity.
Same thing happened when I saw football games. Football drew larger crowds than boxing, with the Roman colosseum setting, the deafening noise, the sexualization of the cheering squads. But what they did share was the intentional blows, and those are what became the biggest turn off for me.
I stopped watching the games, college or pro, as I did not want my viewing ratings to help the advertising sponsors. I also stopped attending the football parties where junk food, the overconsumption of alcohol, and constant chatter of stats were front and center.
My revulsion to the brutality had gradually morphed into trying to avoid all of football, but this was not possible. That’s because of my partner’s line of work. As a senior advertising executive, it was necessary for me to accompany him to many athletic events and several football games, including a Super Bowl. I admit the socializing during the travel to and from that game, and while in the prized seats, was delightful, as was the half-time show with the Rolling Stones. But it still wasn’t enough to make me a fan.
It wasn’t until 2017 when I was on a flight home from Paris, and presented with the opportunity to watch the movie “Concussion” that my rejection of football deepened further. That movie helped me understand the science of those hits. I learned how unsafe the sport of football had become, in large part because the damaging data had been withheld.
For those who are unfamiliar with the 2015 film, it was based on the true story of a forensic pathologist, played by Will Smith, who discovered a neurodegenerative disease in football players linked to repeated trauma to the head. We know it as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Dr. Bennet Omalu’s findings have led to a growing awareness of the risks from football head injuries, with symptoms that may not show up for years. Attention on head trauma continues, but it gets muddied. The NFL recently announced that concussions for the 2024 season were down 17 percent from 2023. They reported 182 concussions — big ta-da! I don’t think so. Lordy knows how many more may have happened that were not recognized and documented.
The NFL has made some modifications, attempting to reduce the destructive impact the game has on their players’ health and wellbeing. How the kickoff is executed (“Dynamic Kickoff”), and improved quality in head protection (use of “Guardian Caps”), are two examples.
No matter how much perfume you may spray on decomposing flesh, it still stinks.
What this NFL revelation does not spotlight is that childhood and young adult sports can also involve head injury. Concussions are cumulative, so by the time a high school player finds their stride in college football, and then gets a slot on an NFL team, you can only guess how many bonks to the head have landed. This sets up the athlete for increased risk of a CTE diagnosis, well before the playing days are over. Fortunately, more and more parents are becoming aware of these dangers, resulting in fewer youth joining football teams. The NFL should rightly be alarmed.
Several days ago, I watched “Enigma,” the 3-part series that takes viewers into the spectacular life of quarterback Aaron Rogers. As with “Concussion,” I highly recommend it. For one thing, it helped me to understand even more the “compellsion” – compelled and obsession – that Rogers and many others experience with football. I also learned about Rogers’ complex relationship with Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease last year. Ali also suffered with that debilitating neurodegenerative disease.
There lives the stubborn truth: Compellsion with violent sports will never be worth the price to the loved ones who end up caring for those who become brain-damaged or otherwise incapacitated.
Giselle M. Massi is the author of “We are Here for a Purpose: HOW TO FIND YOURS” and the novel “Just Dance the Steps.” Giselle was a journalist with The Denver Post for 16 years and writes the newspaper advice column TELL GISELLE. Contact her at www.gisellemassi.com.
