The devolution of the gridiron

December 8, 2009

What has happened to football?

Games are supposed to be littered with bloody helmets, Richter-scale registering hits, and contorted bodies straight from the mind of Picasso. But as an avid football fan, I can tell that the sport is becoming more about contact, and not collisions. The game of organized violence and chaos that millions of Americans have loved for almost a century is becoming more civilized, and it makes for a lesser game.

In recent years, the NFL has passed a series of new rules and clarifications that limit the aggression with which its athletes can play. At the forefront of the issue is the protection of quarterbacks, who are recognized as the marquee players of the league.

Owners like the New England Patriots’ Robert Kraft aren’t shy about their concerns to reduce injuries to their stars.

“What makes [the NFL] special is special players. It’s like going to see a great movie and the star isn’t in the movie. It’s the same principle” said Kraft, in his support of stricter rule implementations to protect quarterbacks would-be tacklers.

I understand this mindset of league owners. The NFL is a multi-billion dollar beast, and owners want to protect their investments, especially the guys who help light up the scoreboards and sell tickets. I get that quarterbacks have always been the most defenseless players on the field because they can’t brace themselves for any kind of hit.

I also know that signal callers are grown men who willing signed up for this career. These rule changes are starting to accommodate the players, instead of having the athletes adapt to the chaotic nature of the game itself.

While the league authorities do have some legitimate concerns, their intents to make the game safer are actually diminishing the level of play. Stricter rules have made officials overly trigger-happy with the penalty flags. Simply grazing a quarterbacks’ leg has the potential to draw a roughing the passer call.

For their whole lives, these athletes have been taught to play with the mindset that every play is their last. And now these strictly enforced rules tell defenders to scrap that notion, and that they should hesitate instead.

In football, any moment of uncertainty can completely change the complexion of a game. As such, players are not rewarded, but punished for playing with the reckless abandon that has been embedded in their hearts.

Football is a stop-and-go sport; plays last for little more than fifteen seconds at a time. For that reason, some look down upon the game for its lack of excitement.  The appeal comes from seeing some of nation’s strongest, quickest athletes voluntarily sacrifice their bodies for the sole purpose of gaining one yard.

By making defenders think twice about how they approach their job, the gentler NFL is ripping away the soul of the game. My complaints don’t stem from come from some overly-macho attitude. Rather, they come from a fan’s legitimate concern for the identity and quality of the game.

I still love watching football, but it pains me to see a sport defined by physical and mental struggle be in danger of becoming a shell of itself.

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