Is Football Immoral? Reflections on the Superbowl in an Age of Political Correctness

Last updated on: February 7, 2016 at 6:20 pm by Nancy French

Is Football Immoral? Reflections on the Superbowl in an Age of Political Correctness 2016-02-07T18:20:35-05:00 Nancy French

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Perhaps you’ve seen the news, heard the chatter, or have decided for your own family. Football is just too dangerous. Many have decided that, according to David French at National Review:

… football is just too male, too martial, and too darn American. They’ve argued that football breeds disrespect for women, that it’s too violent, and that its culture is too religious. Yet none of those criticisms have made an impact. People kept watching football, and — crucially — they kept letting their kids run outside, join the games in the field or at school, and level their friends on the crossing route. But now there’s a new attack — one that precisely tracks the timid tenor of our times. Sure we knew football was violent, but now we know it’s dangerous — so dangerous that it’s immoral to watch.

And there is truth in this. There’s a greater risk for injuries in football versus other sports. Plus, we’ve all heard of the danger of concussions. In spite of that, French isn’t convinced that the “protect your children at all costs” mantra is the right way to look at parenting.

This short-sighted, fearful attitude ultimately damages the very children we so desperately safeguard. By taking risks, children learn other virtues, and when children are denied the opportunity to take risks, they often approach the world with a fear and timidity that can haunt them for life. What if my parents had kept me from the field near our house, protecting me from those many blows — endured without a helmet or shoulder pads or protection of any kind? Would I be the same person that I am today? Or would I perhaps be a bit more fearful, uncertain of my own physical courage and toughness?

As people nestle into their couches to watch the Super Bowl tonight, are you watching victims? Or grown men who have made the decision to play football for the money, fame, fun, and excitement that the sport provides?

Also, it’s a good time to decide to reflect on our parenting. Are we strategically deciding to protect our children at all costs? And, is that a good thing? French concludes:

Football, moreover, channels natural and desirable male risk-taking and aggression into a game bound by rules and governed by a code of conduct. In football, as in many sports, you learn self-sacrifice, including how to deny yourself and risk yourself for the benefit of your teammates. One doesn’t have to play football to learn those lessons, and playing football is not necessary to turn boys into young men, but the fear that motivates parents to reject football can indeed keep boys from growing into men.

Read the whole thing here, as French contends that “every football player, when he steps onto the gridiron, demonstrates a degree of bravery that directly rebukes our increasingly bubble-wrapped culture.”

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