"Aye, There's the rub!"

Those of you who spend any time around my blog know I don't talk a lot about American Football. Part of the reason is that I have become really disillusioned by the poor conduct and behavior of the players on and off the field. It's gotten to the point where watching ESPN or the NFL Network is like watching Court TV. I also just hate that every time a reciever catches a ball or a defensive players sacks to quarterback or makes a good play, they carry on what seems like forever as if they have won the damned game with all of the dancing and such. I just don't watch the game as much anymore.

When I was a kid, I was glued to the TV on Sunday afternoons watching both games of the doubleheader.When I was a kid in the 1960's and 1970's, Back when the Minnesota Vikings were a very good team with players with charachter, you NEVER would have seen that type of behaviour like you see today on the field. If a player scored a touchdown, they just handed the ball to the ref. If Alan Page, Jim Marshall or Carl Eller sacked the quarterback, they regrouped with their mates in the defensive huddle. I loved those old-school players like Chuck Bednarik(the last guy to play both offense and defense in a game-a tough, tough guy who would get along with any rugby player or Marine Drill Sargeant), Mike Ditka, Dick Butkus, Bill Brown and Jim Otto. Those guys played the game and made a good living, but did not get rich from it. A couple of years ago I had a chance to get my picture taken with former Vikings Dave Osborne, Bill Brown and Mick Tinglehoff. I felt like a little kid again. To me, guys like this represented what was great about American Football.

One thing that people don't realize is that there are a good number of former NFL players who have some serious health issues related to the pounding their bodies took back then. More than a few are disabled. Seeing a guy like Earl Campbell being wheeled around in a wheelchair at the age of 53 is a tough thing to watch. Mike Webster was maybe the greatest center in the history of the game. He had severe problems with mental health and memory issues related to playing with so many concussions. He died in virtual poverty cared for by his son.

In Minneapolis a couple of days ago, there is a group called "The Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund" had a fundraiser in the Twin Cities. Here is their web site: http://www.gridirongreats.org/

As you know, American Football is a tough game. There are quite a few players who suffer from some serious health issues related to playing the game. There are many good causes to which one can donate this time of year. For those of us in my age group and older who got joy out of watching NFL games in the 60's and 70's, it might be worth your time to visit the web site and think about making a donation to some guys who the NFL and NFL Players association seem to have forgotten about, and that's a real shame. They deserve better from the League who made a lot of money off the blood and sweat of these hard men.