© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
WNPR News sports coverage brings you a mix of local and statewide news from our reporters as well as national and global news from around the world from NPR.

America's Love-Hate Relationship with Football

Marine Corp New York
/
Creative Commons

I root for the Green Bay Packers...and not casually. As I speak, there's a Green Bay Packers mug nearby, on weekends I wear a Packers cap and use Packers shopping bags. Most disturbingly, in the long, long off-season, I subscribe to services which provide me with daily obsessive updates on anything going on in Packers land. And, I read them even though nothing really is going on. 

I tell you this so will understand how odd it was for me when last year, Packers tight-end Jermichael Finley went down with his second serious injury in the head and neck area. Finley was fabulously talented but as he lay there on the field I heard myself saying out loud, "get up, go home, hug your kids, and never play this game again." 

America has a love-hate relationship with football. In part, that might be due to football's inability to figure out what it wants to be.

On the golden side of the coin, football can be a transforming sport, instilling a sense of responsibility to something greater than self,  a strong work ethic, and the ability to persevere the most grueling of physical and emotional challenge. And, that doesn't even touch on the sheer beauty of the game. That's the side that's made of Gold.

On the tinny and dented side of the coin, Ray Rice is suspended for two games after rendering his girlfriend unconscious, Chris Cochran, UConn's starting quarterback must leave the game to preserve his health, and former Miami Dolphin guard Richie Incognito, can bully teammate Jonathan Martin without consequence.

The American public can't figure out what it wants either. Is it wrong to consume as entertainment a game that can cause brain damage, treat women poorly, exploit student athletes and exhibit racist and homophobic attitudes?

Football is deeply and irrevocably ingrained in our culture. Deciding how we think about it is not as easy as it looks.

Today, how our attitudes toward football are changing. 

Guests:

 

Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Colin can be reached at colin@ctpublic.org.
Chion Wolf is the host of Audacious with Chion Wolf on Connecticut Public.
Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. She still produces shows with Colin and the team when her schedule allows.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content