Who Do I Think I Am??

This one's about the dark side of sports.

Good evening, friends. Tonight marks the start of the last week of preseason football in the NFL. Possibly the last shot for some guys on the big stage. Colleges and high schools have been practicing. Fall is clearly on the horizon, and it's very evident the closer we get to the games starting.

ESPN and https://www.espn.com have been running great features all week about the physical afftects the game has on past and current players. Today's article, albeit a little long, was pretty emotional, but I'm gonna share it anyway. I'll admit, it got me misty a few times.

http://m.espn.go.com/wireless/story?storyId=8307997

It tells the story of a man who played semi-pro ball. On an unregulated field, with sub-par equiptment. He took what was known as a clean hit, a block hard to the chest (the NFL probably would've flagged the hit), and subsequently died. He left behind a lifetime of troubles, as well as five children, on the field that day. All for the love of a game that he basically played for free.

His story has made me a little reflective. I played the game a lot when I was young. With different crowds of all shapes and sizes of kids. The only equiptment we used was the ball, and if we were lucky, maybe cleats and gloves. My mom had to buy me special sport goggles...she was sick of replacing the glasses I always broke.

I was good enough on the playground to twice try out for the varsity team, but both seasons ended early for me with injuries. I still have the crooked pinky and occasional pain from the second time I broke my shoulder.

At that point, I'm the lucky one.

I'm sure I had countless concussions, before I even knew the medical definition of what one was. I've had my bell rung, and rung a few in my time. All of us kids probably did; that what happens when teenage boys are flinging themselves at fast paces on grass, snow and ice. Hell, even in the parking lots where we played two-hand touch.

Those who follow the game know how much of an issue player safety is these days. The game has transitioned in many ways over the years. Rules have changed, players are bigger, stronger and faster, and there's less of the "get back in there" mindset when a guy got hurt. Not that it's not as tough; it's just regulated better.

I've always been a big fan of the game, even if most of my exploits came as a kid playing pick-up games a lot more than in organized leagues. But reading this article and following the game the way I do has given me pause. Semi-pro, like the games we played as kids, are unregulated. People are gonna get hurt. I've seen it many times, and suffered my share of ankle turns, sprained knees and other bumps and bruises.

But more pressing to me now are the head injuries. The evidence exists that football has shortened lives. From guys who couldn't function without having a game to prepare for, to guys who simply lost the mental agility to function over time. It's a scary thought...will I be able to function tomorrow, or the next day? What about next year, or the next 20 years?

Now, this isn't meant to deter anyone from the game. Nobody gets in the huddle or draws up plays in the dirt and says, "You go long, you cut left and slant, and you blow out your knee", let alone thinks that they might die on the next play. If you play with fear- if you play scared- you're no more or less likely to get hurt than the kid flying around the field recklessly, hitting everyone in sight.

But more importantly stated in this article, besides a player's desire and love for the game, is the overall impact it plays on the players, coaches, families, small towns, and lives of these men. As I was in the middle of a paragraph above, the piece on ESPN came on (I read the article online first). These guys are legit crazies, but they love the game.

So do I, from the couch. So root for your teams, your players, your fantasy rosters, or your significant other who watches the game while you shop or mow the lawn. Football's back!

That said, after all I've seen today, I might watch baseball instead tonight. GOODNIGHT NOW!!