Yet even as most of us are outraged; even as all the NFL and its media minions like ESPN and the network pundits cry foul, the games continue, the sports-talk shows carry on and the fans, by and large scream and yell, but many still pack the park. Levi's Stadium will be full of 70,000 49ers fans wearing full gear, red and gold, people tail-gating. A party atmosphere. NBC will trudge out Al Michaels --"Football Night" in America. The roar of the crowd. Those not at the game will be watching from their couch with all the goodies fit for a king. Insanity.
Insanity --stop for a moment to consider....here we are, some of us for the first time, talking about domestic violence. Huh? Oh yeah, Ray Rice and the video. Roger Goodell and what did he know and when did he know it? Wait, he had to see the tape! The outrage. NOW comes out and says Goodell has to go. We react and post messages on social media. Twitter explodes, so too, Facebook: "I've been a season-ticket holder for 26 years but I'm cancelling after the season is over", says Mandy from Ohio. Shock and awe. Deep resentment and anger. A public fed up. Talk-show hosts venting disgust along with listeners. Growl. Yet we all talk about the game. And wear the jerseys and listen to the radio and go over the Sunday schedule, check the scouting reports and make sure our fantasy football sheets are covered. Crazy. Insanity, really. I can't explain it. But it's who we are for better or worse. Anything else would be quite unexpected.
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Insanity --stop for a moment to consider....here we are, some of us for the first time, talking about domestic violence. Huh? Oh yeah, Ray Rice and the video. Roger Goodell and what did he know and when did he know it? Wait, he had to see the tape! The outrage. NOW comes out and says Goodell has to go. We react and post messages on social media. Twitter explodes, so too, Facebook: "I've been a season-ticket holder for 26 years but I'm cancelling after the season is over", says Mandy from Ohio. Shock and awe. Deep resentment and anger. A public fed up. Talk-show hosts venting disgust along with listeners. Growl. Yet we all talk about the game. And wear the jerseys and listen to the radio and go over the Sunday schedule, check the scouting reports and make sure our fantasy football sheets are covered. Crazy. Insanity, really. I can't explain it. But it's who we are for better or worse. Anything else would be quite unexpected.
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Most people watch football because it's a great game, despite all the distractions. We now live in a hyper media bubble-Facebook, Twitter, Multi satelite informational networks, the Web, closed circuit cameras etc. I really don't think behavior is any different than twenty years ago. But, that behavior is almost impossible to hide from media sources for those in the public eye.. All humans are flawed. We make poor decisions almost daily. For those living in the bubble, flaws/poor decisions will play out for all to see until the public tires of the of the perpetual drama..
ReplyDeleteHey, Obama's sending 500 into the Middle East with no clue as to if and when peace will ever come. The Russian Church has declared Putin "a God", and Russian courts have proclaimed Putin the "President for Life". It's the End of the World as We Know It, and how do you feel?! Now, if "everyone was talking" about the Ray Taliafaro story, Pig Vomit might get a grip on how to redeem social values & improve overnight ratings with his 50,000 watt blowtorch that blankets the West Coast of North America and parts of Canada and Mexico. So it goes...
ReplyDeleteI will watch the games, wear the jerseys, and cheer on my team. I love NFL football games! I just love the NFL a little bit less.
ReplyDeleteThere are people who watch football because they love seeing mistakes and idiotic advertising. I remember when football was simply about the game. Now it's about everything else that often blinds the main subject. I, for one, have cut back drastically on football viewing (to the ends of each game etc) because all of the pageantry, politics, and overcommercialization as well as mock drafts have become beyond insufferable, rendering the whole game useless in my minority view. Good luck trying to bring society some perspective, where in many football elements, it's treated like a disease.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of perspective on a different subject, Rich, let us know if any of the PIXers leaving are prominently in front of the camera. Didn't see anything different this morning up front; sounds like those behind the scenes, especially with night beat, are the ones that will take the hit first.
Football is the Roman Coliseum battles of the 21st century. Who cares about the consequences or body count? Bring on the lions, tigers and bears. For once, I'm glad I live in a city that doesn't have an NFL team! Besides, how ignorant is it to want one team to kill, beat, defeat the other team, and then magically expecting that kind of violence to stay in the locker room after the game. Does anyone expect a drunk driver to make it home safely after a party without crossing paths (or killing) anyone else out on the road that night? Yeah right....
ReplyDeleteCan't believe the Rice video is altering people's behavior with respect to the NFL. This stuff has been going on for years. It's likely each NFL team has someone who has committed some form of domestic abuse. The 49ers have collected several players that were castoff from other clubs after committing domestic abuse. The Niners/Harbaugh are more interested in winning games than being the moral standard of the NFL. As long we don't have to look at videos of abuse, it's all swept under the rug. For me, I watch/root for the Niners, but also recognize that most of the players are not role models on any level and should never be swooned over or held in some higher level of esteem. They're just football players. I'd likely not want anything to do with most all of the players. At the end of the day, It's just entertainment.
ReplyDeleteSo true, 4:11!
DeleteNobody remembers OJ? Seems like people think this is the first time we've seen domestic abuse by NFL players on video. We saw the battered and bruised pictures of Nicole during the murder trial. Unfortunately this abuse is nothing new.
ReplyDeleteYes, Rich, the world is an insane place. It's sad but true.
ReplyDeleteWhen a man (a huge football player guy, to boot) can feel justified in punching a woman into unconsciousness, no matter what she may have said to him to provoke him, or even struck him first, it's time to reassess the violence that is rapidly becoming the norm in our society, rather than the exception.
Let's all take a step back, folks. Forget football, money, and lawsuits for a moment, and ask yourselves the big question: is this kind of stupid violence the thing we want to see happening in the world around us? Is this the kind of thing we want to, by example, teach our children?
IS IT?