Why I can’t watch the NFL anymore

Jim Brown editorial 2002

I actually believe that over the course of his life that Jim Brown has been a legendary figure and mostly for good, but he’s always seemed to have domestic abuse problems and trouble with women, and it’s mostly been overlooked by the NFL and the world.

The above article is over ten years old and yet it seems like some people are shocked by the league’s current problems with this issue. Here’s a recent quote from ESPN:

“Former Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said NFL teams didn’t discipline players in “hundreds and hundreds” of domestic violence incidents during his 30-year career, USA Today reported Thursday.”

I remember actually watching an interview with Jim Brown on Larry King live, where a guy called in and claimed to be the inhabitant of the apartment and the owner of the patio where Jim Brown supposedly pushed that woman and led to the jail sentence described in the above article. it was one of the more uncomfortable moments in the history of Live TV.

Football is a really enjoyable game to follow, but it’s basically become unwatchable to me. The players get used up and spit out. Guys who I used to worship and gave my heart to like Bernie Kosar and Jim McMahon are mere shells of their former selves mentally and physically, and it’s brutal to think about.

Rooting for the vicarious thrill of being a home town fan, something that I once thought defined me now seems silly to me.

People don’t care about steroid abuse. They don’t care who hit their wife or girlfriend. They don’t care who shot themselves or someone else. They just want to have games to gamble, teams to root for and exciting action that they can live vicariously through.

Not only do football players die earlier but their physical lives after playing are a litany of horror stories.

When you add all the rest of the baggage to the NFL, I just can’t stomach it anymore. I used to make fun of my boss in 1991 about not being able to name a single NFL quarterback, and yet I’m almost already at that point. I know more players from the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers than I currently know from the entire league.

The only thing worse than the NFL is college football, where these guys have to go at it for nothing but the hope of playing at a higher level. Anyone that plays is risking paralysis or brain damage every single play they participate in.

It’s basically one step removed from the Lions and the Christians and if anyone said they were the same it would be hard for me to argue with them.