FOOTBALL: POWERFUL OR PANSY?

Apparently there really isn't much news going on in sports nowadays. Besides all the drama around Ortiz' vision and whether or not Brett Favre is secretly trying to make his fiftieth comeback, there really isn't anything worth mentioning.

Which is why I have decided to write a sort of opinion article.

A couple of minutes ago, while skimming through the information at my usual sports websites, I came across this quote:

"This is football in the National Football League. I hit a guy with my forearm in his throat or his chest area, and they're trying to fine me. It's football! [...] Football now is turning into a soft, pansy sport. This is not volleyball! This is not tennis! This is some of the biggest, fastest, strongest men in the world. I think it's absolutely ridiculous."

The person who uttered these words was Rodney Harrison, the recent retiree who will now join Bob Costas and others at his commentary table.

I can understand where Harrison is coming from, and not, all at the same time. With all of the semi-recent articles about all the new rules the NFL just acquired was kind of ridiculous (minus the hugging April fools joke rule). I understand that those in charge of the NFL want the players to ultimately be able to play without being carted off the field every other week due to an injury that might have been caused by the opposing team looking for blood. For example, the brave soul (my hero) that took Tom Brady out the first game of last year's season cannot do that again without penalizing his team with minus yardage.

I love football; it's my favorite sport. I don't like when players play dirty (unless they are on the team I'm rooting for and they are losing badly so why not take out a few players from the opposing team?). I also don't like when players from my favorite team get hurt (although they seem to be hurting themselves, not from contact from another player). So I can see why the NFL is becoming more strict. However, football is a contact sport. I like seeing great plays that include knocking the QB on his ass, or a defensive player knocking the crap out of an offensive player. These are the plays that make football, football.

So Harrison, I can feel your pain, even though you retired and now you don't have to worry about this. However, trying to closeline a player isn't necessarily part of football. Sure you see moves like that in The Longest Yard, but that's really where they should be put. So yes, football is and should continue to be a contact sport. However, unnecessary contact like forearms into throats might be just a tid bit over doing it. Just do the normal brutal plays and I think everything will be fine.

Along with the Harrison quote came this one, which I thought you might enjoy as I did:

"Did Rodney Harrison seriously just complain that he's not allowed to forearm a man in the throat? Why would a forearm to the throat ever be necessary on a football field? What does the NFL have to do before it's not a pansy sport, allow throat forearms and defensive backs to carry switchblades?"

Jaclyn Kahn