tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741554021288676089.post7661524340029244543..comments2024-03-28T23:11:54.133-07:00Comments on Point of the Game: Pay to Maim--Making Football Players FelonsJ. Patrick Dobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08573531624507175754noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741554021288676089.post-54874673206487781952012-03-06T11:35:53.951-08:002012-03-06T11:35:53.951-08:00Years ago ice hockey was a much more violent game ...Years ago ice hockey was a much more violent game than it is today. (Understand that, even today, no one looking at athletic endeavors in which one propels a projectile towards a specific spot with a stick of some sort, is likely to confuse ice hockey with golf, in terms of the violence involved and the demeanor of the participants.) But the canard "I went to this fight and a hockey game broke out" was a fairly accurate description of action on the ice. Each team had its "enforcer" whose job it was to make sure that no one on the other team crossed whatever line there was in terms of doing physical punishment to his teams players, particularly the "stars." Their time on the ice very often ended with time in the "penalty box" and the offending opponent knowing that he had gone too far.<br /><br />Over the years, ice hockey has become more civilized rather than less (it is still not a game for the faint of heart). It would be interesting to determine how this occurred, what pressures were brought to bear and from what sources those pressures came.Stan Wasowskinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741554021288676089.post-968847409371446262012-03-05T17:29:58.967-08:002012-03-05T17:29:58.967-08:00While the NFL has to punish these guys to maintain...While the NFL has to punish these guys to maintain a veneer of civilization, it is hard for me to generate much more moral outrage at the system of bonuses by the Saints than for the very existence of the game.<br /><br />Imagine a game started by kicking a ball to a guy who ran runs through 11 other guys trying to knock his helmet off and jar the ball out of his hands. Or plays in which a ball is thrown to an unprotected receiver, and the excitement is seeing if he can hang on to it while being pummeled. It's well known that even legal plays can cause spectacular injuries, and a career of such punishment almost inevitably disables and often addles former pro players.<br /><br />The best cornerbacks knock receivers senseless, the best defensive ends hit the quarterbacks the hardest - that's the game.<br /><br />Only if one can tie the bonus system to a surplus of illegal hits, which in turn earned spectacular bonuses, would I buy that the injuries inflicted by the Saints were the product of anything more than the usual colosseum-style gladiator battle that attracts fans of violent sports. The bonus were tiny compared to their normal salaries.<br /><br />Every team is out to disable the opposing quarterback, make "big hits" on the running backs and receivers, and generally smack each other around, and fans love to watch it. I can't believe people are saying that football players do not, in the absence of bounties, try on every play to do damage to the players on the other team.John Vidalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09871768524749705799noreply@blogger.com