That was a really insightful article.
A fascinating point is the job requirement to physically & mentally dominate others. Most people struggle to turn that on and off perfectly.
The NFL is a business, subject to the same civil and workplace rules as the rest of society. However, the job, not unlike some law enforcement and correctional jobs, demands and rewards intimidation.
In a somewhat similar workplace issue, I once worked in a firm selling expertise. We had to get the senior experts to have confidence that they could walk into a company boardroom, full of successful people who had spent their careers in that industry, and convince them that our expert had a greater understanding. The expert needed to be convinced that they were infallably right. Then they would recommend some way of running the business that made no sense to the business managers, but they were still operating on infallability mode. It was hard to switch that on and off.
So the NFL needs to struggle with applying rules that make sense in our culture, to an organization that entertains through its creation of a culture of intimidation.
In the case of Martin, no question he is right that he should not have accept a hostile work environment. In the case of Incognito, he is rewarded for his hostility.
It's easy for those of us who live in the real world to see Incognito as a villian. It's just as easy for those of us who love the game of football to see Martin as someone who failed to see the thrill in living in that world.
I think the NFL will continue to struggle to meet the demands of societal rules and mayhem as entertainment.