Those young men and women who are recovering in our hospitals from combat are the real heroes where every second wasted on watching the NFL is time and money wasted.
...you could say the same thing about every single endeavor that doesn’t involve military service...and while I admire the hell out of your service, doubly so since I am not a veteran, you are talking through your highly opinionated hat...you are hardly in a position to lecture anyone about whether his or her time or money is being wasted...
You are correct: I do have a chip on my shoulder against professional football and most other sports too. I saw them as a leisure activity with zero usefulness that our country occupied itself with while we were risking everything. It was a strong sign that we weren’t important enough to suspend the games - or use those same guys to support us.
I admit that it isn’t rational. People do what people do. Actually the kind of guy who is the best for football is more than likely a liability in combat. The big guys are too visible, make too much noise moving at night, and they are much harder to carry when they’re hit. Nonetheless, it bothered us a lot that life just went on without us.
My wife was watching me post my screeds with disapproval and quietly put a Christmas card up on my fridge with a photo of a best buddy I rescued back then. She reminded me that the reason I was there was in that photo: he has five daughters and a dozen grandchildren now. I have to stop resenting that the world values different things than I do.
Enjoy your football, buddy.