Addressing these in reverse order:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trolly McTrollson
Is there a case to be made that the players are okay with the risks of what they do therefore the fans shouldn't feel bad about watching them go out and play?
I think it will still be some time before that's the case; the prevalence of CTE among NFL players was only recently discovered and still might get found to be worse. Given how much time you spend giving your life to football before you get to the NFL (in HS, college), I don't know if you can even say that players in the NFL
today were fully aware of the risks of what they were signing up for.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trolly McTrollson
Most years I buy NFL gamespass and watch several games a week, but the past few years it feels more and more ethically dubious to support an industry that's taking a savage toll on its players.
Going beyond that, what about the values the NFL displays as a league and organization?
This article points out all the misdeeds (domestic violence, DUI) players can get away with and still be celebrated within the sport, while Colin Kaepernick has been effectively blackballed for a political protest*. Roger Goodell is a piece of human garbage and the NFL has some notable douchebag Trump supporters (Brady, Belichick, Richie Incognito). Meanwhile, the NBA
marches in the NYC Pride parade and their players regularly and freely
speak out on
important political issues (and much to Lestat's consternation, they banned Donald Sterling for life).
If I had to guess, I'd say the NFL knows where their bread is buttered and that they can't alienate white racists, while the NBA doesn't have to give a **** about losing people that probably aren't into basketball to begin with. So if you're looking at sports from a political perspective, doesn't that make your choice pretty obvious?
*edit: while conservatives and Lestats may find this to be a controversial statement and not a given, I'll say this; even if you buy the conservative argument that it's not about blackballing but that teams find his behavior to be a "distraction",
only in the NFL (or at least, certainly not in the NBA) would that behavior be such a "distraction"!
Last edited by goofyballer; 08-20-2017 at 04:46 PM.