Professional sports are no longer a force for good.
They do not unify us. They do not inspire us to seek our better selves. They do not provoke participants to take bold and courageous stances.
For the first time in my lifetime, I believe professional sports do more harm to American society than good.
This is what ran across my mind yesterday as I watched Tampa Bay wide receiver Antonio Brown strip off his uniform mid-game, toss his equipment to the ground, wave to the crowd, and run off the field.
Professionalized football – collegiate and the NFL – exacerbated the emotional problems that have plagued Brown since childhood. Because of his immense talent, football afforded Brown the opportunity to ignore the mental scars a dysfunctional upbringing in South Florida wrought. Worse, the new social media demands of professional sports sank Brown further into the mental abyss.
Why is this suddenly every idiot’s new favorite buzz phrase?
And then there’s that lifetime of head hits on the playing field and the quiet brain trauma that is the result, an all too common complaint of NFL players.
Taking a knee on the field isn’t a cure for it or anything else, by the way, although there may be a correlation.
Always looking for an excuse to explain the behavior. Bad childhood, no father in the picture, picked on as a child etc. How about blaming the individual, as an (ADULT ?) take responsibility for you actions. Quit blaming others for your behavior.