Interesting for those keeping track. When organizations are finally forced to face their truth, the whole thing changes and becomes healthier. It's no mystery why the default is to deny, obfuscate, and lie. But when the damage reaches its tipping point, the industries in question can actually start making things right.
Toyota and it's accelerator problem. Police departments and their racism. Cigarettes and their cancer. The financial sector and their myriad fucking games. Exxon and BP and their oil spills. The Republicans and their white privilege and anti-intellectual bullshit. (I am an innovative conservative at heart but because of the Republican leadership and a great majority of their members, I will never be one as long as they support idiocy). And the NFL and its head injuries. OK, some of the organizations haven't reached their tipping point yet, but someone who cares needs to keep the pressure on.
Organizations are like adolescents or arrested adults in their behavior. With some exceptions, of course. But the teenager who lies to avoid trouble from their parents. . . A fully actualized adult sees it and remembers what it was like. But has learned that it is always less than. The real, actual results of engaging in the behavior that induced them to lie, and the ultimate result of the lies sets them back because it leads to inefficiency, damaged reputation, disrespect and dishonor. Which, in the end, leaves the kid (and organization) years behind in realizing their potential as aware, conscientious members of their community.
Just like people, when people finally face their fatal flaws, they can do amazing things, inspire incredible devotion and respect, and improve their ability to accomplish a well-considered and worthy goal. Until that day, they are burdens and liabilities. The world is fraught with risk and there will be errors, mistakes, lapses, and bad-hair days. But an entity practiced in (not spinning) meeting those missteps head-on with integrity save themselves the additional distraction and time of dealing with their inevitably discovered lies, half-truths, deceptions, and machinations.
So bringing it back to football in America. . .
The glory and remuneration of being a football star in America and the function football can fill in our national schema are worth the reduced health of the players. There are not that many players. Compared to the public at large, if there are 1700 players (note 1) at any given time, and an average career between 3.2 to 6 years (depending on whether you believe the Players Association or the NFL). The attention and prestige these players receive are way beyond their effort relative to other hard-working professionals. And yes, as a group, they are exceedingly hard working! But still, there are at least 3200 teachers, nurses, police and firemen... who work as laboriously and make a comparative pittance. Not fair. So the fact that they are at much greater risk for injury and health compromise is help to balance the tableau. They get paid the RIDICULOUSLY big bucks for it. The thing that would make it completely fair is if the NFL were transparent with what they know about injury rates, the scope and depth of the risk, and a real disclosure of just what the players are (statistically) getting into. Then, when the players, with their trusted advisers, make the decision to play, they are doing so with eyes wide open and can honestly sign the waivers that absolve the NFL from punitive punishment, and everyone is there with a full understanding and acknowledgement of what the deal is. Even so, this should in no way be an argument against making the game as safe as possible for the players, but it needs to be a violent and tough sport for it to serve its purpose.
It's fun, it's entertainment, but it serves another purpose, as well. It allows we regulars to project our violence onto them in the arena, and provides a psychic outlet for some of those tendencies allowing us to lead our lives with a little less violence. And it has the potential to serve that purpose even more, like the Roman gladiators, sanctioned boxing, horror movies, etc. We can subjugate some of our macho angst by observing our football players to live it for us. Now if we could find a way to let more teams win more often . . . Allowing the 1700 players to be a cathartic outlet for 150 (give or take 50) million may be worth it. Not to mention the general emotional engagement and entertainment value. So, yeah, let's keep on having football, but let's get the damn NFL to come all the way clean NOW so the sport can live on with integrity.
Note 1: http://www.besttickets.com/blog/unofficial-2013-nfl-census/
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