“I can remember when football players were heros. Clean cut, healthy living, good guys of all colors.”
That may have been in high school or college, but the pro game was win at all cost as coaches and players created ways to do it whether legal or not. I can think of coaches or owners from the the early years to the present:
Vince Lombardi said “”Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”
Al Davis said, “Just win, baby.”
Knute Rockne said, “Show me a gracious loser and I’ll show you a failure.”
Paul Bear Bryant said: “Winning isn’t everything, but it beats anything that comes in second.”
George Steinbrenner said, “Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing. Breathing first, winning next.”
Leo Durocher said, “I never did say that you can’t be a nice guy and win. I said that if I was playing third base and my mother rounded third with the winning run, I’d trip her up.”
Mike Krzyzewski said “Imagination has a great deal to do with winning.”
And that last quote is exactly what I’m, saying. Pro football like other sports has never been a game of honor. It was a competition of men that wanted to win anyway they could. And there have been some things done on the field that should have gotten people arrested. It’s just in the old days they took care of it on the field during play. This was why they outlawed the chop block, the crack back and now even in some instances, the blind side block. Linemen can’t shoot at the quarterback’s knees. They put on face masks, but that didn’t stop them from getting fingers into the eyes.
I can remember playing in college, and later officiating, and coaches actually set up blind sides during kickoff returns that could be also a down block that in some cases destroyed knees. Oh well, win at any cost.
Today’s game is a lot less destructive than the early years. These players are bigger, faster, more mobile, and want the money. So until you’ve been on the field as a player, coach, or official for NCAA and higher, you don’t completely understand the violence out there. All it is is a semi-controlled riot. Just so far not with the guns. Maybe a few other household things, just not firearms.
rwood
Violence on the field is one thing, it’s like war. It’s the violence off the field that bothers me. Drugs, beating wives and girlfriends.
Many years ago coaches, owners and even movie studios controlled their charges. An athlete or movie star is someone kids look up to. They want to know why there are so many problems with youth today it’s because they have so few heros