tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420322690040076675.post1831078985802452733..comments2023-03-16T09:04:59.272-05:00Comments on Rusty's God Blog: Why I Am a Football HeathenRusty Spellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192027160446175143noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420322690040076675.post-19397562519180589952012-07-14T16:58:07.944-05:002012-07-14T16:58:07.944-05:00I couldn't agree with you more.I couldn't agree with you more.Jennanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420322690040076675.post-86430454421390797352012-05-09T20:02:19.619-05:002012-05-09T20:02:19.619-05:00Hi, Anonymous. Thanks for your thoughtful comment....Hi, Anonymous. Thanks for your thoughtful comment. I think I do understand the appeal you write about. I remember being proud of myself as a small child playing "rough house" with kids five years older than I was. ("I could have been killed!") And I certainly agree that competition can foster courage and bravery, and football does so in a very real way since it's so physical and therefore impossible to ignore.<br /><br />But it's the dangerous, violence-breeding aspect of football that makes me not want to applaud it, and it's why I'd encourage boys to turn to less body-damaging competitions (physical or non-physical ones) if I could.<br /><br />However, I'm not really picking on the players. This post disapproves of the *fans*: those who are attempting to feel these courageous and "alive" feelings... but only *vicariously*. Fans are not doing anything; they are merely sacrificing someone else and getting the emotional benefit. You can hear it in the language: "*We* beat the Broncos."<br /><br />It is the bloodlust of these fans that helps to make the sport such a violent and dangerous (and sometimes deadly) one. The carnage is part of what they pay to see.<br /><br />I do realize (as I suggested in the post) that I'm simply not a violent person while others thrive on it (directly or vicariously). When someone dies in NASCAR (another fatal sport), fans suggest that the driver knew death was a possibility and feel that the driver thought it was worth the risk, possibly part of the thrill. These sorts of "thrills" do not thrill me, and I wouldn't want them as a participator or as a viewer.<br /><br />So don't worry about your long comment. You can always count on me for an even longer response :)Rusty Spellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04192027160446175143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420322690040076675.post-53593835348471992482012-05-09T13:13:40.253-05:002012-05-09T13:13:40.253-05:00While I understand how you could have come to this...While I understand how you could have come to this conclusion, I think it is possible that you did not take the time to consider what fans of football find merit in this game.You're exactly right in concluding that it is a dangerous game. And sadly, despite the advances in safety equipment and protective rules, players do sometimes get critically hurt. But the danger is part of the appeal. The gridiron is a stage on which boys and men alike can develop and present their courage and bravery. After you have sacked up and and hit the shit out of a man much larger than you; there is very little you will cower from in the future. If you are willing to fully commit to something like this, knowing that it's going to hurt like hell,you have exemplified at least some characteristic that should be applauded. You are right that the commercialization of the game has cheapened it, but the spirit and essence of football is a rewarding activity that develops valuable traits in youths that otherwise would likely not be developed so completely. Sorry for the long comment; I just wanted to present a differing viewpoint that people who have never played the game would not be able to experience.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420322690040076675.post-67155170597301723792012-04-21T20:56:35.255-05:002012-04-21T20:56:35.255-05:00Thanks for your comment. We're not alone, but ...Thanks for your comment. We're not alone, but we may as well be sometimes.Rusty Spellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04192027160446175143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420322690040076675.post-53032072684646675142012-04-20T07:33:03.525-05:002012-04-20T07:33:03.525-05:00Thanks for putting into words what I've been f...Thanks for putting into words what I've been feeling for the past thirty something years.<br /><br />You're not alone.teamvaluehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08752588596268579190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420322690040076675.post-33713973353928417292011-11-14T20:06:44.271-06:002011-11-14T20:06:44.271-06:00I missed October, but we'll see about doubling...I missed October, but we'll see about doubling up in November.Rusty Spellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04192027160446175143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420322690040076675.post-76265034284600213262011-10-09T15:12:40.960-05:002011-10-09T15:12:40.960-05:00I'm currently working on one, which is both (a...I'm currently working on one, which is both (a) about my new baby (kind of anyway) and (b) hindered by her (time-consuming little thing). But I hope it can go up before the end of October. I also want to do a post on either Halloween or the Devil, and this is the perfect month for it, so maybe we'll get lucky there. It seems that my actual posts always jump ahead of my "Potential Future Posts," so that list only grows.<br /><br />Thanks for the encouragement!Rusty Spellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04192027160446175143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4420322690040076675.post-16688763689075827082011-10-09T00:21:24.322-05:002011-10-09T00:21:24.322-05:00Please do more than one blog post this month, Rust...Please do more than one blog post this month, Rusty. I'd love for the "Potential Future Posts" list to grow shorter still.Njordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12517760174309412006noreply@blogger.com