The biggest story in sports this week is the public admission by the NFL that a team had a bounty placed as an incentive to injure opposing players. Greg Williams, a former defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints, allegedly paid or offered to pay his players an extra incentive if they injured a key opposing player. Even more money was paid if the player was removed off the field on a stretcher or cart.
Disgusting? Yes. Sickening? Yes. Welcome to the world of pro football.
It should be pointed out that Williams has also been the defensive coordinator in Washington and after this season has been named the new defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams.
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Perhaps the most unnerving part of this revelation is just that -- it has become public information about America's favorite sport, Pro Football. The NFL is a vicious, barbaric, and extremely violent league and thats's why we love it. Where else are 11 violent collisions planned and executed every minute of every game? These gladiators have been trained since pee wee football on the techniques of blocking or tackling, utilizing all of thier brute strength.
Is there any way to determine if someone intended to hurt another player? Nope. I would be naive if I didnt think it was to my team's advantage if the key piayer from the opposition didnt piay. The end result is a game that appeals to our entertainment needs throughout the fall and winter.
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Here in America we pay to watch men box each other for 3 minute rounds and now we pay to watch men kick other men. Our children play video games that make awful violence appear rather routine. For pro football some of us are willing to pay thousands of dollars up front for the right to purchase tickets so we can go and see the game in person. So, who is wrong?
