As much as I love watching it, I think columnist John Kass may have a point.

But, even if he's wrong, we're clearly getting our entertainment at the expense of well-paid young men, who are sacrificing their health...and in some cases, their lives.

What do you think?

I am no fan of the American football entertainment industry, and all the public subsidy it receives. Starting in grade school where many kids sacrifice their knees and backs. All the way to college where the chosen few get a poor education while they sacrifice their bodies training even fewer for the pros. All to entertain a few armchair quarterbacks. This is not a sport. It is entertainment, nothing more. Entertainment featuring young med that tear up their bodies and NASCAR is not car racing anymore, it is simply entertainment featuring cars. I no longer watch either of them. I have friends that take the "high road" and watch "mostly" college football because they are not paid. Give me a break, they are paid, they have full ride "scholarship", room and board included, medical care and women. Just not paid money. High school only, well the school diverts resources to pay coaches, who make more than the math teachers etc. All a scam to entertain the town.

Rod

Since children's skulls are still growing it seems hard to rationalize their playing a sport where the head is used. It seems that unless football is supported in school it is bound to become less of a viable sport as time goes on. I won't miss it.

Around here I've noticed there is a focus on Lacrosse. It's as popular with the girls as it is with the boys. That being said there have been tragedies due to the ball hitting the chest.

All our county rec coaches must go through mandatory concussion training and our schools have rules for sidelining kids after a concussion. Also the kids are concussion tested before the start of the season even in non-contact sports. I think they've gone a little too far though; my daughter had to be concussion tested for volleyball. When you do things like that, I think it takes away from the legitimacy of testing kids for the contact sports. People stop taking it seriously.

If pro football goes away, how will people know which brand of beer they're supposed to drink?

Allowing kids to participate in maiming sports is a form of child abuse.

If I'm being paid millions, I would take a chance with injuries.

Pure speculation but I'd guess that there is a greater risk of traumatic injury in riding a motorcycle than in playing football. Same with many professions.

There are any number of careers that can result in permament injury; playing football is just one more. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, for example, affects everyone from slaughterhouse workers to computer programmers. We consumers pay the slaughterhouse worker to cut up our steaks for our dinner, we pay codemonkeys to write the next version of Windows for our computer, and we pay the NFL player to give and receive bodily harm for our entertainment. Is the difference between these three cases really so vast?

On on hand, the guys who become NFL players aren't likely to find similar economic opportunities in other lines of work. The stars earn big bucks, bigger than they could possibly make anywhere else with their mind or body. However, for most NFL players, it ain't a lot:



When you make that much money in the space of just 3.5 years, the IRS takes a big bite, but there's enough left over that if it's wisely invested, it could provide a decent supplement to whatever job the player finds after his NFL career is over. Unfortunately, I think most players aren't that smart with their money. I recall reading an article several years ago about a financial advisor who worked for the NFL, whose job it was to counsel new players regarding fiscal sensibility. He said his job was often hopeless, as new players who were suddenly earning several hundred thousand dollars a year started living the good life, not thinking of (or saving for) the future at all; he said the "MC Hammer" scenario happened all too often. Instead of a high, short-lived salary, the NFL might better serve these players by setting up some sort of trust fund for each one that ensures something like a lifelong pension, even if it's modest.

I think most college players go into it with the hope of turning pro at the end. It's a rare exception when a college player actually uses his sports scholarship to focus on a meaningful education. If a college player's body is to suffer some permament damage, at least it ought to be in the pursuit of a real education that can lead to a productive non-athletic career, or a real above-board salary (maybe something like that trust fund mentioned above?).

My concern with this type of thinking is that we are next. Say "hello" to nanny state

BTW: I think Mitch brings a more sensible approach to the real issues; the real affliction these players suffer is that of financial well being.

And hence the depression?

A guy goes from making $millions to zero with no chance of ever getting back to where he was...not to mention the adoring fans, etc.