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Football
By Susan Olling
It’s that time of year again. Yes, when normally sane-looking
people have to make a pilgrimage to the nearest television or stadium
to watch a football game. Why?
During a hotel stay recently, last year’s Buckeye Nut U. vs. Ann Arbor
Tech game was being repeated. This Buckeye Nut U. alumna, who
went to most of the home games during her time at The University, read
a copy of the McPaper and tried to ignore the screen. I didn’t
watch this thing last fall, no reason to watch now. I did notice
that the Buckeye Nut U. players didn’t wear their usual home uniform
(at least the one I remember). These new ensembles need to go
away. There aren’t enough adjectives to describe these atrocities to
the retinas. Thank goodness for the McPaper.
I can’t understand why last season’s nonsense had to be
regurgitated. Any ideas?
Speaking of The University, a big thank you to whoever back there
helpfully sent a postcard with the football schedule and game watch
sites in our area. I was curious about the 25 Nov opponent:
TTUN. Guess someone couldn’t remember the team’s name. Ann
Arbor Tech is much more creative than TTUN. And clearer. Oh
yes, the postcard went into the shredder while I had a good laugh.
Unlike what seems to be going on in western Ohio, other parts of the
country are seeing a decrease in the number of youth and high school
football players, and some high school football programs are
disappearing. Parents are having second thoughts about
encouraging their sons to play football. Perhaps they’re being
overly protective. Perhaps there are other sports in which to
participate. A high school between Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
ended its varsity program due to a “lack of sufficient players and
concern for student safety.” Recent articles are citing safety as
just one reason some high schools are closing down their football
programs. Not only is there concern for the players’ general
safety at work. We’ve read and seen quite a bit about the
relationship between concussions, chronic traumatic encephalopathy
(CTE), and playing football. The cost of a football
program, for school districts that haven’t recovered from the economic
downturn about ten years ago, has been a reason for discontinuing
football. Demographic changes are also fueling the
decrease. There are schools with significant populations of
students (and their parents) who haven’t been exposed to football and
don’t understand why football’s important.
A Washington Post op-ed writer described football as being in a “fade
pattern”. It won’t disappear completely, but it won’t be the
overwhelming fan favorite that we’ve known. He compared football
players on a team from the mid-1960’s to players today. The
quarterback for the mid-1960’s team, who weighed all of 177 pounds, was
inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame after his professional career
ended. Unfortunately, he also had “moderately severe” CTE before
he died from cancer two years ago. No surprise, today’s college
players (and more than a few high school players) are much heavier (and
faster) than fifty years ago. What does this mean? The
kinetic energy of a football game in 2017 is much greater. My
least favorite college courses were two quarters of physics, but I do
remember kinetic energy from all that. If you’re larger and
faster Player A and hit Player B, the kinetic energy from Player
A goes to Player B. The collision may look spectacular from
the comfort of your house, but Player B may at least need help leaving
the field.
This same writer describes college football as the “appendage of higher
education”. I strongly disagree. Higher education is
the appendage of college football. Must have bigger and better
stadiums. When I was a student, Ohio Stadium seated a cozy 88,000
or so. It’s ballooned to a monstrosity enlarged, apparently, just
to seat more rear ends. We should just call college football
teams what they are: NFL farm teams. I would love to see
college football rosters that include the player’s majors.
Probably quite a number of exercise studies majors and the
like. And undeclared. I’m appalled when I see
articles describing how much some college football coaches are
paid. Four million or more dollars per year just to coach
football?! Ri-i-i-ight. And I know what I can tell the next
pimply-voiced Buckeye Nut U. student calling for money.
Evidently, one of the highest paid of these gentlemen described
football as “the last bastion of hope for toughness in America in
men.” Perhaps this coach should think about booking a stay
at Parris Island or San Diego. I understand it’s quite a
memorable twelve weeks.
One of my college friends suggested in last year’s Christmas card that
the lot of us should go to a football game back in Columbus in the
fall. I responded that I hoped they would have fun; I wouldn’t be
there. I suspect I was booted from more than one Christmas card
list. Oh well.
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