Football is both at its peak and in decline as an American tradition. As far as popularity, fiscal viability, and star-power of its athletes, the NFL is at an all time high. The league is widely popular with both young and old, it sells massive amounts of jerseys, magazines and other paraphenlia. Its biggest stars, like Terrell Owens and Peyton Manning, are instantly recognizable to the average American. The league is intelligently structured with salary caps, free-agency (for good or ill), and other arrangements that maximize competitiveness. It generates a lot of money from ticket sales and television contracts, and can also have an enormous impact on local economies. Life has never been better for the NFL and its members.
However, this has been achieved at great cost. In the lates 1960s and early 1970s, Pete Rozelle had a vision of a dominating, profit-maximizing, modern NFL that could tantilize the public. He took steps to move the NFL to modernity by introducing many of the media-driven and drama-pushing aspects of the NFL we see today. However, it is not clear that Rozelle meant to create some of the monstrosities we see in today's football.
When football as a competitive sport began in the late 1870s, and became more professionally dominated perhaps by the 1920s-30s, it was to promote the idea of a much cliched term of a scholar-athlete. Or roughly speaking, to promote good citizenship. Teddy Roosevelt often spoke of the "vigorous life", and how such physical activity was key to the education and character development of a man, and how that promoted good citizenship (and stewardship). While Roosevelt was not one to back down from an athletic or physical challenge, the idea of a "vigorous life", while personally applied, was not ego-centric.
This idea of competition ran strongly in American athletics, especially Olympians, as Olympic competition meant so much more than mere sport, especially in an era of nationalism. (To see idea of how not to represent country, check out the USA's 2004 Mens Basketball Team. What a showcase in selfishness, lack of team, lack of national pride and outright embarrassment. Reason #1 I don't watch NBA anymore. Even the finals.) Football also benefited from this athletic mindset. When George Halas coached the Bears in the early years, he could often not afford to pay his players (who played merely for the love of sport and competition, as they also worked other jobs), so he often held on to his wife's grocery money to provide them with something. As America fell in love with football in the 50s, television became more involved, but the Manly Athlete idea persisited on. But, America began to change, and with it that change many of the ideas of the manly or vigiorous life from antiquity began to get pushed out of the mainstream. In addition to that, as the demand for professional football grew, so did the salaries of its stars. Boys began to dream of football glory for the riches, and not the football itself. This lead to an enormous transformation in the sport, to my mind.
Now, one could say that football has always had its share of jerks and Visigoths, and that may be, and now they are simply more exposed. And I understand that players in the 30s would have played for high salaries if they could. But what I loathe is that their is no pursuit of the vigorious life by football players in the highest sense anymore. Egos run high, publicity is high, the media microscope can be penetrating. I also lament the media's acquiencense in such matters. I do still enjoy the competition and some of the players, but it feels just a little more empty to me now.
Additionally, football is not life. For example, Doug Williams starting a Super Bowl as QB did not shatter NFL racisim. Give me a break. The NFL is exclusively talent-based, more so that almost anything else. How do we undo the damage caused by the Vikings sex-boat? By winning! Now Mike Tice is coach of the year! Seriously get real. Players constantly speak about redeeming their private vices by going out onto the field and "getting it done". Pllllease. Football is not life. It is rarely a reflection of one's personal virtue or integrity anymore. Nick makes some excruciating valid points. The NFL is a pre-packaged love-fest designed to sell and entertain. All that is well and good, but I fear the soul of the NFL is near death.
There are a few athletes who I still consider to be guardians of that soul. One is Peyton Manning, for his love and knowledge of the game. (Despite his ungodly contract.) Some others are Drew Bledsoe for his parenting work and advocacy, Marshall Faulk for his appreciation of the NFL's history and his own humility and Curtis Martin, for similar reasons. I think that these men may understand Roosevelt's idea, broadly speaking. And I also understand that having players like TO and Randy Moss adds to the drama and story that the NFL can produce, but I do see (as far as the images of these men reflects their true nature) them as thieves in the night. And we must not let them seize the soul of the NFL.
