Jeff JarvisFootball is a brutal sport that damages mostly Black young men's bodies for entertainment and money. How long can this continue this way?
Usually, the damage to body and brain comes years later, out of sight. Tonight it comes live, on television. The brutality is built into the game. I stopped watching football for this reason. The sport -- the industry -- must reckon with its consequences.
David LaFontaine@jeffjarvis slow-motion snuff films
I grew up playing, watching, cheering. It was part of so many family events.
@jeffjarvis Down here in the South (Nashville for me), football is the one true religion. Not mine but for most people of all ages.
Chris Boese@jeffjarvis Or Long COVID
@Tonight: “This game doesn’t matter, life matters, Damar Hamlin is the only thing that matters.”
When it’s time for the next scheduled game: everybody will be watching like nothing happened.
Groovy Tasia@jeffjarvis My dad used to play football. And although he never had a major injury we have been pushing for him to get a brain scan for years. You can have a full conversation with him and less than 5 minutes later he has no recollection of it.
lakelady@jeffjarvis same here. I stopped watching completely when I learned about CTE, it's effects and how badly former players were treated. I see no need to continue to watch what as become a gladitorial spectacle
Alan Wolf@jeffjarvis yes, and I particularly worry about the role higher education - intended to help develop minds— has in its promotion
Shane Lewin@jeffjarvis Same. There are plenty of sports to follow without reinventing gladiatorial combat.
Annafesto@jeffjarvis not to mention the flagrant racism with regards to the treatment of Colin Kaepernick.
Bob HarveyIndeed. It has been a silent scandal for some years that professional footballers die young and/or suffer disproportionately from dementia
Recent changes to youth football and concussion monitoring in the professional game are a response, but it remains to be seen if that makes a difference.
Rob Stahlnecker@jeffjarvis You’re being a bit premature to push a narrative. They haven’t said what caused this to happen. It’s possible he had an underlying medical condition no one knew about and football isn’t the only sport this has happened in.
FunkETown@jeffjarvis It's also the only place in Highschool, according to a primary source in the field, where young Black men aren't told to be less. It's one of the few places where many young Black men are encouraged, cheered and where they can gain social capital. Until that's resolved, young men will continue to throw themselves in a meat grinder.
Cat West@jeffjarvis I quit watching horse races because of the abuse and cruelty and too often, broken legs on the track. I quit watching contact sports for the same reason, back in the 80’s. No one should die for a billionaire’s pride. Someone recently corrected “contact sport” to ‘collision sport’. We simply have to evolve away from abuse as entertainment.
ClipperChip 
@jeffjarvis These poor black men are forced to play in a brutal sport against their will and they get nothing in return but injuries. That's it!
Lee@clipperchip @jeffjarvis uhh forced against their will?
@leeleeleelee @jeffjarvis That's what the post reads like. As if society was forcing "mostly" black men to play this "brutal sport" for entertainment. As if they wouldn't give anything to get a chance to play in the NFL for fame and becoming millionaires. It's their choice.
@clipperchip @jeffjarvis ah, I feel you. I agree with you.
@leeleeleelee @jeffjarvis Sorry, I thought the sarcasm was obvious in my post ;)
Lonepine@jeffjarvis CPR on the field - not good! What’s it going to take?
Jose Marichal@jeffjarvis we humans have an endless capacity for cognitive dissonance
Goappstate@jeffjarvis there are many brutal sports (boxing, mma, rugby to name a few).
There are also freak incidents.
No one seems to know what’s going on here.
Not sure how the take that “football is brutal” is helpful?
@Goappstate Usually, the damage to body and brain comes years later, out of sight. Tonight it comes live, on television. The brutality is built into the game. I stopped watching football for this reason. The sport -- the industry -- must reckon with its consequences.
Jim 
@jeffjarvis same applies to boxing, UFC and MMA. They are simply nuts. I wrestled through college and it was rough, but we had rules that prevented insane injuries like football.
AlicePaulAt least participation is voluntary. Something like poverty or abuse is not and we can’t get a grip on those either.
I retract my comment. I did not know that there was a life-threatening injury on the field tonight. Plus, it was insensitive especially since I had a life-changing brain injury. Forgive me.
tom4okstate@jeffjarvis NFL - totally overrated. NBA - Totally underrated. (MLB - properly rated).
Karl
Carole Bell
Ericka Simone@jeffjarvis for as long as people are willing to put human life, tribalism and capitalism above human life, sadly
Michael Gartenberg@jeffjarvis I'd add boxing to that list for the same reasons. Football just a more complex version. Either way, it's our civilized version of the gladiator games that used to amuse the Romans. Our bread and circumstances if you will.
@jeffjarvis al long as fans pay to watch and advertisers sunsidize it.
RichWhy@jeffjarvis Perhaps you should ask the young men who aspire how they feel about it before pontificating.