You don't care

You don't care about athletes. You really don't. No big deal really, because they don't care about you either. And really they shouldn't; fans and athletes (or any other entertainer) have a mutually abusive and very dysfunctional relationship. We need them to entertain us, and we engage in all kinds of vicarious living through their exploits. At the same time, they make a living off of the attention we pay them as much as they do off of their own skills. If we didn't value athletic exploits to the degree that we did, we wouldn't watch the games enough to warrant them getting the money that they do.  And if they didn't things we can't do we wouldn't have any reason to watch.  And the minute we're not getting what we want from them, we move on without any regard for the rest of their lives.

What am I getting at here?  Namely, the bellyaching about the increased safety measures being implemented and proposed in sports like football and hockey.  In hockey, there's been some chatter about the harsh scrutiny on what used to be considered playoffs hits.  An earnest effort to cut down on concussions has led to some suspensions and in game penalties that old school commentators are shaking their heads at.  And on the NFL side we've seen several new rules (or more stringent enforcement of existing ones) that have led to suspensions and fines for plays that were very recently considered routine.  And like some hockey commentators, the cries of 'put a skirt on them!' are just as loud.

Here are my questions for all of you.  How much do you care about safety?  Will you really stop watching football altogether if they get rid of kickoffs or call roughing the passer more frequently?  And if not, then just what is your objection (if you have one)?  If you know just how bad these guys are getting hurt, do you really want the league to let it keep happening to the extent that it currently does?  What if it were your Dad, your brother, your son out there?  Would you want them protected to the highest possible degree, or you would be fine with their future brain health up for grabs?  I know what I'd want.