Another Reason to Abandon the NFL

I used to really enjoy watching football. It started with high school football when I was in high school and we had a winning team. It was so exciting to go to the games and cheer the team and swoon over the quarterback, on whom I had the biggest crush. I still enjoy high school football and will sometimes go to watch a game even now. No more crushes, but there is still just a bit of that school pride and excitement for the game that a spectator can absorb just sitting in the bleachers.

When we moved to Texas in the late 60's, I became a huge fan of the Dallas Cowboys, and saw in some of those players - Roger Staubach, Lee Roy Jordan, Drew Pearson, Ed "Too-Tall" Jones, Robert Newhouse - that same love of the game and eagerness to just go out and play.

That has changed in more recent years, and I will admit that I have lost my football spirit. Sometimes I still watch a game with my husband, but I don't look forward to football Sunday like I used to. Part of the reason is that it has become about so many other things than the game itself. It is about salaries and who can make the most money. It is about bigger and grander stadiums, with ticket prices out of sight for too many people because of the stadium price-tag. And it has lost its sense of fair play and good sportsmanship.

In all fairness, maybe that last statement is too broad, but we can't deny that "winning at all costs" has superseded what used to be a sport of men who played with some sense of respect and honor.

That has become abundantly clear with the latest scandal that the NFL wishes would just disappear from the news. Last week the NFL released a report that said that for three seasons the New Orleans Saints had a bounty pool that was handled by a defensive assistant. The pool paid out for big hits that would take out an opposing player, and apparently the coaching staff of the Saints knew about it, as did the general manager.

According to an editorial in The Dallas Morning News, this practice is not limited to the Saints.

This is absolutely reprehensible behavior, and I, for one, resign from the role of being an NFL fan. I'll go watch a high school team when I start missing the game.

On another note. I have put my suspense novel, One Small Victory, up for free for today and tomorrow on Amazon. This is the end of Read an E-Book Week, and I thought I would celebrate by giving my readers a gift. Enjoy....

Monday Morning Musings

David E. Abbot, a Community Voices columnist for The Dallas Morning News went out on a limb in a recent column by suggesting that there be no more pink ribbons at NFL games and NASCAR. Lest he incur the wrath of women everywhere, he did start by saying he does appreciate the efforts to raise money for breast cancer research and applauds all the people who step up and participate in the various programs.

The point of his column was not to say that there should be no breast cancer awareness month or other campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of research, treatment, and early detection. What he would like to see is a prostate cancer awareness month and blue ribbons at NFL games and NASCAR.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States among men, and this disease is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American males.

That is a fact I did not know until I started doing some online research. I also found out that when caught early, it is one of the most treatable of cancers that have a positive outcome. The problem is that the cancer is not caught early enough in many cases. Some men do not have the PSA screening on a routine basis, and the other test for an enlarged prostate is about as comfortable as a pelvic exam is for a woman, so many men say no thanks.

What Abbot would like to see is more encouragement for men to be screened and more research for a cure for prostate cancer. And he would like to see all of that promoted at events that are geared toward a male audience.

I hadn't thought about this disparity between breast cancer awareness and prostate cancer awareness, but there is no doubt it exists. And I agree with Abbot that both deserve equal exposure.

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Just a reminder about the contest my publisher for Play it Again, Sam is holding to celebrate its fifth year in operation. To join in the fun with a scavenger hunt and daily prizes, click on the birthday banner on the right panel of the blog or CLICK HERE  The major prizes are a Kindle and a KOBO e-reader, and every day an e-book will be given away free. 

Also, my short story, SAHM I am is featured on Indie Snippets today. Good chance to read a sample for free.