In 1970 I moved to Alameda, an island just west of Oakland. Naturally I became an Oakland Raiders fan. For most of the 70s the quarterback for the Raiders was Ken Stabler,r known as “the Snake “ He was an amazing player, now in the Hall of Fame.
Stabler died this past July of colon cancer, but his family also noted that he was “not himself.” After his death the family donated his brain for analysis. He suffered from C.T.E., the brain disease afflicting hundreds of former NFL players.
Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, was asked about C.T.E. at the pre-Superbowl press conference. Goodell rather glibly suggested that all of life is a risk, and that you could be in danger just sitting on your couch.
Today the New York Times magazine ran an article on just how wealthy the NFL owners are. All of them have franchises worth hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars. Surely they can use some of that money to make the game safer.
I like football. I am amazed at the skill of the players, and I often find the games tense and exciting. Nevertheless, I did not watch the Superbowl. I can’t watch a hard tackle without thinking about the long term damage to the players. I don’t enjoy the game any more.
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