GridIron

Football is a brutal sport. Beyond stating the obvious, I must ask myself what is more brutal/destructive. The universal knowledge of how brutal the sport is or the fact that we actually like it. Rush for it, live for it, adorn it, love it, gather over it, worship it, and admire it. Admire these men who are our sons, our brothers, our cousins, communities, neighbourhoods and the hope of a family all in one person. We watch them defy unimaginable odds, tackle adversity, muscle their way past hardships, and all of that whilst putting their past, present, and future on the line every single time they play. A transformation for safety is a remarkable start, but at what point do we, the observers, the enablers, become more than complicit? Become the same brutish force that upholds the sanctity of the association? By any means necessary is the motto. The motto for every athlete unable to fully enjoy their retirement because their wounds are rather active, the motto for every athlete that has people depending on them, the motto for ones that would choose inevitable death before dishonour and the motto for those that do more than the body ever should do for a sport that does not love them. Oftentimes one can make the distinction between the governing body that rules over the sport (NFL) and the sport itself (Football). However, this is one of those rare cases when the sport hates you just as much as the body that organizes it.