Football Sunday

            It was a gracious invite from a friend I’d love to have seen. But I had blocked my Sunday to complete a presentation and catch up on paperwork. (Titans on TV takes three hours. Titans in person takes all day, which, much as I’d have loved, was more than I had to spare.)

            On the one hand, I seriously would’ve loved the catch up …Ballgames and old friends are great combinations for conversations between plays (especially given how little I know about the team this year). On the other, with so much going on (between farm, goats, books and business), I have learned that commitments to myself are every bit as important as those made to others (perhaps more so). On yet another hand (yes, we’re now at three) …to be honest, I’m rethinking football all together these days…It’s hard to watch the news and not question what entertainment by punching, hitting and pummeling is doing to our cultural mindset.

            Granted, I write this on a Sunday when the Ray Rice story is all over the news. And while I had to google just who the dude played for, I think we all knew the story wasn’t so much about the team, as it was a) domestic violence, and b) the conflicts of interest it poses for NFL owners weighing their billions against the sudden social outcry of an issue too long pushed under the rug.

But even more than the details of this case, I ask, is it such a surprise to think that when one is trained to tackle for a living that reflexes might trigger when he loses it under pressure in settings that have nothing to do with his sport? God knows I'm making no excuses for the dude…Just the opposite.  I’m saying “Hellow??”  Is it really such a stretch to think that when training, recruiting, rewarding, and revering a person for his ability to hit, tackle, knock down, punch… Is it such a leap to think aggressive reflexes might trigger in moments of emotional volatility (made worse if you add passion, alcohol…God knows what). OF COURSE WHAT HE DID IS WRONG. We know this. But do we not also know by now that in emotional moments of anger or passion, rational thinking regularly gives way to instinctive, animalistic behaviors, for which reflexes often kick in.

I worry the same for soldiers and PTSD, btw; I would think “snapping” could happen quite easily for a guy who’s adrenalin spigot is set on idle having been trained to sleep with a gun while awaiting enemy fire day after day after day. Again, this is not to excuse, it is to examine. Just saying, “jumpy” might be a natural side effect for one having been trained to fire when fired upon. (And while that training was for all the right reasons, (namely “To protect our country”)…that training still has to go through the personal circuitry of a human body, for which muscle memory alone could take hold the next time he or she feels a threat.)

Should those committing crimes be punished? You betcha. But punishing and dismissing avoids the deeper question, which is: how do we help them (besides worshiping them and paying (NFL players) gobs of money and pretending they should all just know how to never misbehave.) Additionally, I think WE need help as pretending these people are wired like us and should know how to behave just because… is a far cry from the reality of the matter as is starting to play out.

            So I didn’t watch football today, though I did spend a bit of time watching the political shows. I couldn’t tell you whether the NFL commissioner did or did not see the full tape when he said he did (of the elevator coverage of Rice pummeling his fiancé and dragging her body like a ragdoll); my point is not to debate the case.  My point is, Pavlovian training and muscle memory being what they are, means being trained to pummel could net you a reflex reaction to pummel next time your body fears a threat…(real or imagined; physical or emotional).

Furthermore, I’m not picking on the NFL, after all, it’s not the only arena promoting pummeling… (Can we say Mike Tyson?) Heck, I recall when our beloved Preds first came to town; their introductory ad campaign showed some of our favorite country music artists with front teeth knocked out—On air I asked, “Was this per flying pucks or flying mitts?” (Either way it looked painful…even violent, despite all the snaggle-tooth smiles.) The answer was, “Ah, we weren’t thinking of either. We just thought it was cute.”

            Not to be a buzz kill on our favorite pastimes here, but have you noticed that more and more our news, our sports, our apps and video games…all seem to involve more violence? And while we’re passively consuming these things by the billions (in dollars, ticket sales and products) could it be that unintended consequences might involve an aftermath of aggression that here of late, seems to keep rearing its ugly head in the worst of scenarios?  (No final answers here…Just posing a theory and pondering the possibility of a connection.)