The first thought that popped into my head as I watched Buffalo Bills security Damar Hamlin mendacity immobile on the sector Monday Night was a dialog with the late Darryl Stingley 20 years in the past.
Stingley, the previous New England Patriots receiver who grew to become a quadriplegic after an notorious hit in 1978 when Oakland Raiders defensive again Jack Tatum smashed into him and severed two of his vertebrae, was speaking to me about how followers so nonchalantly eat the violence of soccer.
“Sometimes fans have this mentality like they’re watching John Madden’s computer football,” Stingley stated then. “Fans want to see heads explode, but what you need to remember is that those are real heads in those uniforms – human heads.”
And human bones and knees and shoulders and brains.
And hearts.
Hamlin was in vital situation Tuesday after struggling a cardiac arrest following a sort out that led to the indefinite postponement of Buffalo’s Monday evening showdown towards the Cincinnati Bengals.
In a tragic, surreal scene, Hamlin’s uniform was reduce off as he was administered CPR by medical personnel. Bills and Bengals gamers, a lot of them in tears, shaped a human wall to defend Hamlin from public view.
Usually when an injured soccer participant lays unconscious on the turf, it is just momentarily. Eventually, the injured participant wakes up and offers involved teammates a thumbs-up signal as he’s carted off the sector.
Tragically, there was no thumbs-up signal as an ambulance transported Hamlin to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Like many NFL gamers, Hamlin was principally unknown to the tens of millions of us who have been watching Monday Night Football. Yes, we all know the celebs – the quarterbacks and the extensive receivers – however NFL rosters are largely stuffed with gamers like Hamlin who’s a sixth-round draft select of Pitt who’s making near the league minimal to run down his dream.
Football will not be solely probably the most violent of our main sports activities; it’s the most nameless. Many of the gamers themselves are little greater than anonymous, faceless motion figures hidden beneath helmets and behind facemasks.
Even in actual life, they’re fantasy soccer gamers as a result of we principally disregard actuality when contemplating the ache and accidents these modern-day gladiators endure to entertain us. The NFL provides us nice drama and theater and all of us get engrossed in watching and betting on the video games. Except we neglect the sacrifice it takes for the athletes who really play the video games.
Every week, these of us who play fantasy soccer will scan the damage report back to see which “our guys” is offered this Sunday. Except we neglect that behind each twisted knee, sprained ankle or wrenched again is a limping, gimping soccer participant nursing a swollen, contorted, mangled physique half.
Did you see the sickening sight of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Nick Foles convulsing on the sector after he was sacked final week?
And who will ever neglect Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa getting knocked out towards the Bengals in September and his fingers grotesquely and involuntarily contorting right into a fencing response – a medical situation that’s all too widespread when a participant suffers a severe concussion. Tua sat out final week with one more concussion and has suffered a minimum of two – if not three – head accidents this 12 months alone.
But the present should go on as a result of we adore it a lot.
The NFL has tried to make the sport safer, but it surely’s unattainable to legislate all of the violence and brutality out of the sport.
If I’ve written it as soon as, I’ve written it one million occasions, you’ll by no means hear me complain about NFL gamers who maintain out for more cash and larger contracts. For our viewing pleasure, soccer gamers actually put their necks on the road each week – to not point out their knees, shoulders, skulls and brains.
Unlike NBA and Major League Baseball gamers who signal mega-million-dollar contracts which can be absolutely assured whether or not they ever play or not, most NFL contracts will not be assured.
Damar Hamlin, as an illustration, signed a 4-year, $3.6 million contract with Buffalo final season, however solely $160,000 of that’s assured.
Hamlin was injured when he made a comparatively routine sort out, however is any sort out within the NFL really routine? Is it routine for sculpted 220-pound males to deliberately run into one another whereas touring at full pace?
“Football is not a contact sport,” Vince Lombardi as soon as stated. “Football is a collision sport.”
And each season, the gamers get greater, stronger and sooner, which suggests the collisions get tougher, extra vicious, extra violent.
The NFL rulemakers have tried to make the sport safer, however followers grumble each time they do. We complain incessantly that refs are calling too many “roughing-the-passer” or “targeting” infractions regardless that these penalties have been carried out to guard the gamers themselves.
“One hit can change your life forever,” Stingley instructed me all these years in the past.
Sadly, the names and faces have modified over the many years, however the brutal actuality of soccer will at all times stay the identical.
Email me at [email protected]. Hit me up on Twitter @BianchiWrites and hearken to my Open Mike radio present each weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and HD 101.1-2
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Source: www.bostonherald.com