I used to enjoy watching football and then I stopped when my husband and I watched a documentary on what it does to the players who suffer on the field and for years after.  It’s not a sport and it’s not a game.

These last few 49’er games, I got sucked in again but then today I watched as our third-string quarterback was injured almost immediately.  On the instant replay you can see the painful action over and over again.  In comes the fourth string guy, and immediately the same play with his hand and shoulder swung back, but in this case, his head also hits the ground hard.  He has a concussion and is out of the game.  In comes an injured Brock who is unable to throw the ball, a requirement for a quarterback.  The “game” has just begun but is essentially over.  Where is the sport in that?

We wouldn’t allow this brutality  in animals.  Why do we allow it in humans, who yes, are also animals, though touted as more intelligent, though one might wonder if this is so.  A rattlesnake only bites when in danger.  A skunk only sprays the same.  Why then, are men put on a field to battle and at such a cost to their health now and in the future?  It’s time to stop.

I quote John Lewis, an amazing man, politician, and civil rights leaders who had nothing to do with football, and yet, maybe his words unite us in honoring and reflecting on all that we think, watch, and do.  

John Lewis:

And if you follow your truth down the road to peace and the affirmation of love, if you shine like a beacon for all to see, then the poetry of all the great dreamers and philosophers is yours to manifest in a nation, a world community, and a Beloved Community that is finally at peace with itself.