CNN reported last night on "In the Arena" [2011-08-03], just before going to Piers Morgan, on the effects of the heat wave engulfing much of the US (including me) was having. It was one of those 60-second sayonara segments that did nothing but be topical and provide a segue into the next program.Among the effects cited were three deaths, one coach and two football players. There was no comment, not even a raised eyebrow or intonation that suggested there was anything unusual about this, as though it were akin to rising gas prices.
Every summer children die for a sport, for the approval of a parent, usually a father; they are dreaming of college and professional sports, and we encourage it, knowing full well it will end in high school. We say it builds character, teaches teamwork, tests our mettle, makes us better citizens.
With rare exceptions, it does none of those things. Instead, it degrades children into hulking brutes, takes time away from intellectual pursuits, inculcates defeatism, equates success with violence and reinforces the association with physical encounters, and teaches competition instead of cooperation. It can slosh their brains around inside their skulls, leading to permanent damage, and in the middle of summer it can kill them.
Look back at all the kids you knew in high school that were on the football team. Where are they now? Maybe a class president, maybe a West Point graduate, maybe a local politician, if you went to a big school like me, but the rest?
I know football (and similar) is a surrogate for war, and we are training an entire society to celebrate confrontation, either by participating or observing.
Let's find another way.
Addendum:
And as some stars aligned somewhere, today I read this wonderful comment at The Oatmeal:
The story that incited it:
Read it regularly, it's worth your time.
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