Adrenalin

American culture is more violent than it used to be, and it used to be violent. The same is true of  american football, america's favorite sport, which of course is part of and reflective of the greater culture.

The word "hit" has made its way into the football lexicon, has come to dominate it. The words "blocking" and "tackling" have been replaced by the word "hit". That's because blocking and tackling have been replaced by hitting.

Blocking and tackling are athletic skills. Hitting is violence. Watch a replay of any football game from the nineteen sixties. The nineteen sixty five champion ship game comes to mind. Green Bay 23, Cleveland 14. I was ten years old, and most unhappy about the outcome.

In 1964 I had watched Jim Brown's Browns defeat the Unitas Colts, 27 - 0, and had become a Brown fan. When Jim retired soon after, I switched over to Gale Sayers and the Bears, where I remained.

At the school where I work the principal is a very nice, highly professional lady who happens to be an avid New Orleans Saints fan. Fearful, but unable to resist, I asked her to comment on the scandal involving pay for injury by Saints players and coaches. Her comment? "Football aint for sissies". I let it go at that, but, I was a bit concerned. Still am. She's mainstream american culture...

It seemed obvious to me a couple of years ago that the New Orleans Saints were trying to injure Brett Favre in the NFC championship game. It now seems obvious that the object in every game, NFL, college, even high school, is to hit as hard as possible.

Its sad. The increased athleticism of today's players would be more utilized with less hitting, and more tackling. Today's players make more violent tackles, but, out of conrtol, they also miss more tackles.

Even with all the violence, partly because of all the violence,football is more popular and exciting than ever. The difference in the style of play is not the increase in size and strength. Its cultural.

America's corporate masters have deliberately and effectively trained the American people; violence is always exciting. Thus trained, we the american people buy whatever our corporate masters choose to sell, accompanied, of course, by adrenalizing violence.

Next football season I might try to tear myself away from live action, and instead watch great games from the remote past on the NFL channel, when football was violent, but less so than now. That is , if I can manage to endure the sudden drop in adrenalin.

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