With NFL lawsuits being filed by a number of former players, along with major league baseball's decision to change longstanding base running rules, it would seem that player safety is becoming more and more an issue that will change the face of professional sports.
A lot of folks have long thought that professional athletes shouldn't fuss about the dangers of playing as they are paid extravagantly and are playing their respective sports voluntarily. Many equate danger with what I might call "macho-ness," intimating that danger makes the games more important or exciting.
For obvious reasons, concussions have been a problem for a lot of players in professional football. Only in the last few years has the medical community realized the cumulative effects on a player's brain when that player has received multiple concussions.
Having said that, some of the former NFL players who are suing the league claim that the owners hid from them the dangers of getting knocked senseless, a remark that seems just a bit incredulous. If I get this right, there are players who had no idea that running full speed across an open field before getting run over by a 300-pound defender going the other way could cause lasting harm.
Professional football players are rather large, extremely strong and very fast. No amount of padding or gear can eliminate the effect of 300 pounds of athletic fury from exacting a toll on another human body. To its credit, the NFL last year dedicated $765 million to be used for the care of former players who have lifelong debilitating injuries. Pro football generates boat loads of money and it is only right that they help those who have suffered in the promotion of the sport.
It wasn't long ago that many players routinely used steroids and other chemicals to get an edge in competing on the gridiron. Besides the internal damage the drugs did to those ingesting them, there was a lot of external damage that was done to opposing players with this artificial strength and rage. I was shocked to learn not that many years ago that the life expectancy of NFL lineman was something around 50 years, mostly due to substance abuse. When those facts came out, the league moved to ban those substances.
The NFL has changed rules to make the game safer over the years, as it is also smart financially. Paying a star athlete millions of dollars only to seem him languish on the sidelines with an injury is something no one wants.
On the baseball side of things, Major League Baseball will develop a new rule to prevent collisions at home plate between a catcher and base runner. Presently, when a runner is coming home, the catcher is entitled to block the plate with the runner having the green light to barrel right through. Just recently, San Francisco's Buster Posey sustained a broken leg, and multiple torn ligaments in a home plate collision, with the all-star catcher lost for the season.
St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina had his picture on the MLB website demonstrating how a catcher can cover home and avoid potential injuries. Catching is perhaps the toughest position to play in baseball, and good catchers are hard to come by. Losing them to injury could be catastrophic for some teams. When Molina was sidelined for a time in July, the Cardinals had a losing record while he was out.
A lot of folks are grumbling about the potential rule change, bemoaning the "pansie-fication" of the game. It is kind of like when Teddy Roosevelt helped bring about a rule change to require helmets to be worn by football players in the early 1900s. Though players were getting maimed and even killed, there were those who resisted the change because it wasn't manly.
Not long ago, there was a painting in the old gym here in Pea Ridge that stated "Whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." Actually, whatever doesn't kill you, could maim you or ruin you for life. That old painting was symbolic of an old attitude of toughness that was wrongheaded if not dangerous.
Pea Ridge schools has on its staff a professional trainer who monitors student safety and who is there to pull an athlete out of competition when further participation could present a danger to him or her. This is a relatively new position, especially for smaller schools. Such a position is invaluable in protecting the health and safety of students.
Sports are fun and potentially lucrative, but not without a risk. It only makes sense to reduce the danger as much as possible.
Potential Auburn millionaires?
Last winter when Auburn succeeded in luring Gus Mahlzahn back to the Tiger fold, there was great jubilation amongst the Auburn faithful.
When Mahlzahn first came to Auburn as the offensive coordinator, the Tigers had their most prolific offense ever, winning a national championship in his first season. Two years later, Mahlzahn relized hs desire to be a head coach by taking the Arkansas State job. While he was gone, the Tigers sank to a 3-9 record, going winless in the SEC at 0-8.
When it was announced that he was returning, 14 rabid Auburn fans placed bets in Las Vegas that the Tigers were going to win the national championship in Mahlzahn's first season. To the uniniated, folks can pretty much bet on anything, anywhere, for about anything in Vegas.
As Auburn was pre-season rated to be near the basement of the SEC West in 2013, the 14 men got 1,000 to 1 odds that the Tigers could pull off such a feat. While the amount of money bet has not been released, the hotel backing the bet is getting ready to take a large hit. Auburn plays Florida State for the national title, and if they win, several of their fans could be become millionaires.
Bentonville wins 7A
4A football finals set
Bentonville celebrated its fourth straight appearance in the large school state championship game by defeating Cabot 39-28 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
The 4A state championship final will be held next week at War Memorial between Friday nights semi-final winners Warren and Booneville.
Booneville surprised the experts by thoroughly whipping Pine Bluff Dollarway 43-14. Warren came from behind in the final minutes to defeat Valley View 27-20. Valley held a 20-19 lead late in the 4th quarter before the Lumberjacks mounted a late comeback. The game was the last in 4A for Valley as they will be moving up to 5A in 2014.
Booneville's dominating cruise through the playoffs make them a favorite to win it all this next weekend.
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Editor's note: John McGee is an award-winning columnist and sports writer. He is the art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, coaches elementary track and writes a regular sports column for The Times. He can be contacted through The Times at [email protected].
Editorial on 12/18/2013