Dan LeBatard thinks we are bad people for watching football

[203Pat]

Man who makes a very good living in part to football tells Joe Averageman to feel guilty for watching millionaires run into each other. Highly Questionable indeed.

 

[shmessy]

That guy hasn't talked about Sports in 15 years.......

Everytime I scroll past his station he's talking about gardening or movies or anything else but sports.

He's irrelevant.

.

 

[203Pat]

That guy hasn't talked about Sports in 15 years.......

Everytime I scroll past his station he's talking about gardening or movies or anything else but sports.

He's irrelevant.

.

I think he make be trying to get himself canned. He got all bent out of shape when the ESPN higher ups told their people to knock off the political nonsense and now this. I think he is trying to set himself up as some sort of martyr.

 

[Boston Boxer]

Man who makes a very good living in part to football tells Joe Averageman to feel guilty for watching millionaires run into each other. Highly Questionable indeed.

that show is unwatchable. not entertaining and not funny...not even a little IMO

 

[fightingirish595]

This kid I used to work with tweeted at the Dan le be tard show yesterday and the account responded by tweeting his profile picture. It was absurd

 

[shmessy]

I think he make be trying to get himself canned. He got all bent out of shape when the ESPN higher ups told their people to knock off the political nonsense and now this. I think he is trying to set himself up as some sort of martyr.

May he succeed in that quest.

.

 

[Fixit]

I'm conflicted every time I watch football, because cheering on people for kicking the **** out of each other and, in a lot of cases, shortening their lifespan, feels icky. Seeing guys retire early and relatively healthy, a la Gronk, makes me feel better.

There's nothing wrong with having multiple, seemingly at odds, feelings about things. Jesus, this board.

 

[XLIX]

It’s the Shank Shaugnessey Maneuver: where a sports media personality who has made a very, very good life for himself working in the sports media looks with disdain upon those of us who made sports so popular in the first place.

 

[203Pat]

I'm conflicted every time I watch football, because cheering on people for kicking the **** out of each other and, in a lot of cases, shortening their lifespan, feels icky. Seeing guys retire early and relatively healthy, a la Gronk, makes me feel better.

There's nothing wrong with having multiple, seemingly at odds, feelings about things. Jesus, this board.

No one is forcing them to play football, in fact many of them are desperate to play. For every Andrew Luck and Gronk (who have every right to stop playing when they want) there are 1000 other guys who will fly to every try out and do absolutely everything they can to continue their career. I don't feel the need to be lectured to by some hypocrite going on a sanctimonious rant for enjoying watching some of the best athletes in the world voluntarily live our their dreams. Maybe that just makes me an "icky" person.

 

[Fixit]

No one is forcing them to play football, in fact many of them are desperate to play. For every Andrew Luck and Gronk (who have every right to stop playing when they want) there are 1000 other guys who will fly to every try out and do absolutely everything they can to continue their career. I don't feel the need to be lectured to by some hypocrite going on a sanctimonious rant for enjoying watching some of the best athletes in the world voluntarily live our their dreams. Maybe that just makes me an "icky" person.

Hey, you do you.

 

[farn]

It's fun to watch. I don't feel guilty at all. I'll be watching again in two days. Yay !

 

[catent]

There's this inherent assumption that every current/potential football player is 100% aware of the risks they are taking when they starting playing, and that's a false assumption.

Sit each of these guys down, show them the evidence regarding head trauma and CTE, and get them to genuinely internalize that IF they get CTE (which is a big 'if'), they will end up mentally and emotionally spiraling and dying relatively young, and you'll see participation drop.

I get that CTE doesn't occur in every player who plays the game of football. But when it does occur it's a crippling death sentence, and I don't think enough people have truly grasped that reality yet.

Do I enjoy the game and will I continue to watch? Yes. But is there some part of me that feels guilty for financially supporting a game that is robbing a handful of players of their lives? Absolutely.

This isn't a binary situation; we can enjoy the game, continue to consume it, and want to see it persist in some form, and still acknowledge the CTE-situation, which is highly problematic to say the least.

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

who is this guy?

 

[ErniesPinkStripes]

Danny Boy can go fk himself, he brings nothing to the table and thinks way too highly of his opinion and position in the media, you're a nobody dude.

 

[Kdo5]

Players today are well aware of the health risks. If they want to keep playing regardless, I won’t feel guilty watching.

 

[borg]

I miss the Roman Empire era

 

[borg]

Man who makes a very good living in part to football tells Joe Averageman to feel guilty for watching millionaires run into each other. Highly Questionable indeed.

Dan should enter a Square Head contest.
Sponge Bob is jealous

 

[RobertWeathers]

He is irrelevant. Who cares

 

[Kontradiction]

There's this inherent assumption that every current/potential football player is 100% aware of the risks they are taking when they starting playing, and that's a false assumption.

Sit each of these guys down, show them the evidence regarding head trauma and CTE, and get them to genuinely internalize that IF they get CTE (which is a big 'if'), they will end up mentally and emotionally spiraling and dying relatively young, and you'll see participation drop.

I get that CTE doesn't occur in every player who plays the game of football. But when it does occur it's a crippling death sentence, and I don't think enough people have truly grasped that reality yet.

Do I enjoy the game and will I continue to watch? Yes. But is there some part of me that feels guilty for financially supporting a game that is robbing a handful of players of their lives? Absolutely.

This isn't a binary situation; we can enjoy the game, continue to consume it, and want to see it persist in some form, and still acknowledge the CTE-situation, which is highly problematic to say the least.

You seriously don’t think grown men are aware that football is a dangerous sport? Especially grown men that have been playing it all their lives and have no doubt sustained injury from the very sport they’re playing at some point in their careers? They’re aware. It’s in the news cycle on a daily basis and the dangers of CTE were the subject of a movie with Will Smith. Most still choose to keep playing. Even before CTE existed in the public psyche, it was pretty common knowledge that football was going to take years off your life. You cannot have athletes in peak physical condition crashing into one another at 12+ MPH without that being the case. Watching that doesn’t make you a bad person. These guys know what they’re signing up for, they’re well compensated for it, and they can choose to retire at any time. Nobody is holding a gun to their heads.

 

[Triumph]

He is partly correct.

Fans are enablers for people like Adrian Peterson, Tyrek Hill, Kareem Hunt, AB Brown, Hernandez to act the way they do. Hernandez shot a guy in college and was drafted by the top team. If you can play good and help the team win all is forgotten and the fans will adore you. The players know this and that why they do not care if they get in hot water. Josh Gordon is a prime example.

The exception to the rule is Kapernick. You can get close to the political 3rd rail, but don't latch onto it like Kap did and not let go.