Why are we shocked football is life and death?
Local newspaper’s warnings about Santos’ credentials were ignored
By Ken Tingley
Football is entertainment. That’s what we tell ourselves.
We marvel at the speed and agility of these modern-day Goliaths making one-handed catches, pinpoint throws and barbarous collisions that often leave players wobbling as they are escorted into a tent so we don’t have to see the damage.
But none of us see it as life and death.
That’s the reality we were confronted with Monday night when a Buffalo Bills player’s heart stopped beating before our eyes.
It shocked us.
But it shouldn’t.
The players are so big and fast and we regularly see season-ending injuries: torn up knees, broken legs and wrists. There is always another player to take their place.
We acknowledge there is a risk, but not death.
We now have to accept a player may die entertaining us and ask what that makes us.
We believe the players take the risk, know the risk because they will be well compensated. But I doubt any think they are going to die.
The NFL’s minimum salary is about $700,000 a year now. The average salary is about $2.4 million a year. Aaron Rogers, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, will make about $50 million this year.
All those salaries are more than any of us will ever make in a year.
How many of us gamble with our health and a year or so in the limelight for for that paycheck?
Some of us would.
I’ve loved football my whole life.
I played in Pop Warner and high school.
I’ve covered it on the high school, college and professional level. I’ve watched as many games as any of you. It has thrilled me many times over.
But seven years ago, a movie called “Concussion” made me think about the risks professional football players take and I was glad my son never played football.
The movie exposed that professional football players were at risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, better known as CTE. It was caused by repeated head trauma or micro-concussions and led to players experiencing aggressive behavior, mood and personality changes, suicidal thoughts, short-term memory loss, difficulties with planning and organization and dementia at a young age.
That’s a frightening prospect for these young men.
Investigative journalism chronicled the suicides of young players because of CTE and how the NFL tried to cover up the pathological findings.
Remember, the NFL is a $17.9 billion industry.
One of my best friends was a 165-pound center in high school. We were taught in the 1970s to block with our head; To stick your helmet in the chest of the opposing player as hard as you could. My friend did this dozens and dozens of times in every practice and game against players that were much larger. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease several years ago.
I believe football is responsible and I don’t feel so bad about quitting the team as a 130-pound running back my junior year.
It took two decades for the NFL to make rule changes that dealt with the repeated head trauma experienced by players. But helmet-to-helmet play happens on every single play. It is not possible to stop in the game’s current form.
Like boxing and the other types of legalized brawling, football is barbarous. That’s why we love it. We need to acknowledge that, too. That there is a violent and bloodthirsty nature in all of us.
Listening to a radio program the other day, the panel was asked a stunning question: What if the player dies?
Should the NFL cancel the rest of the season?
Should it cancel the Super Bowl?
Members of the panel stuttered their way through a response, admitting they had not considered that option. I suspect they could not imagine a Sunday without football, not with the playoffs looming. And not with all those millions in revenue at stake. Football has become ingrained in our lifestyles and living without it is unthinkable.
Even if it is life and death.
We should not be surprised when it is.
Old colleague
Troy Burns was a clerk in the Post-Star newsroom when I arrived as sports editor in 1988. It was clear he had a talent for graphics and design and I soon had him doing basketball shot charts and Saratoga horse racing graphics.
I remember going to the editor at the time and telling him he should give Troy a larger role in newsroom or we would lose him. It wasn’t long before Behan Communications hired Troy where he had a long and successful career.
Troy told me he had just read “The Last American Newspaper” and the 9/11 chapter reminded him he had called up our news editor that day and offered to help - for free.
It reminded me of why I wrote the book. The dedication and commitment by the people who work at newspapers is unparalleled. Troy’s story reminded me it never really leaves your blood.
Local paper broke story
It was the North Shore Leader on Long Island that originally found discrepancies in George Santos’ resume and not the New York Times.
The American Press Institute wrote this: “The hyper local weekly used local connections and niche political experience to notice something was off with Santos’ claims. And while it’s not unusual for a local publication to notice a problem, regional outlets to verify the story and national press to then pick it up, that system didn’t happen here, even after the Leader reluctantly endorsed Santos’ Democratic opponent.”
Accompanying the story was a quote from Santos’ Democratic opponent Robert Zimmerman: “The experience has shown me how important it is to support local media.”
It shows again what we are losing and that both the local and regional press outlets are diminished.
2023 Dream
In an act of patriotism, wouldn’t it be great if Siena College president and former congressional representative Chris Gibson would primary Rep. Elise Stefanik in 2024.
This is not about politics. It is about right and wrong and Gibson did it right.
Layoffs
Anticipating less of a demand for computer chips in 2023, Global Foundries announced a major world-wide layoff at its facilities late last year.
The T-U reported this week the number of layoffs locally was 221.
Ice Castles
The T-U also reported that the latest winter thaw has impacted a couple of local businesses. The Ice Castles attraction in Lake George has not been able to open up this year yet and the ice it has made has been melting instead of hardening.
Officials are holding out hope a return to normal winter temperature will save the event for this year.
I remember going last year right before New Year’s Eve with the temperatures in single digits.
The T-U also reported theWest Mountain ski area was also closed for a few days this week but would the ski area would not say why.
Thruway dining
McDonald’s is gone from all Thruway rest stops as of Dec. 31, 2022. The Golden Arches has been a staple on the Thruway since 1991. It is being replaced by Chick-A-Fil and Shake Shack as Thruway rest stops are renovated.
When my son was born I swore I would never let him play football. He ended up the quarterback at Glens Falls throughout his 4 years and played throughout college. I prayed at every game and it made me cry when a player was down and the guys were on their knees. They loved that game and the team after 15 years continue to be the closest of friends. They get together constantly, are in each others weddings, play on a fantasy league together and just love each other as brothers. I don't know what the right thing is, these guys are like trucks on TV plowing into each other and it is a wonder what happened to Damar doesn't happen more often or worse. My son and I are Bills fans and Monday night was traumatic for anyone watching. I'm thankful he is getting better but of course worry about the long term effects for all of the players.
The players die in horse racing all the time. Scores, perhaps hundreds every year.
The NFL is not very far removed from professional wrestling. They argued to the Supreme Court some years ago that the league is essentially one team (excepting the Green Bay Packers) so they could award monopoly contracts to suppliers. Like horse racing the “league” - because it is always the league not any individual owner - professes to care about the athletes, but just like in horse racing the league was ready to continue play after the potentially dead player - the player who for some amount of time literally lay dead on the field before he was resuscitated - was dragged out of sight.
I haven’t watched football in years. But hey! Have you been watching Mikaela Shiffrin? If it weren’t for global warming she would likely be tied with Lindsey Vonn at 2nd winningest skier of all time. She will likely become the top skier ever. Forever. If global warming has anything to say about it.