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Dog Fighting, Football Share Brutal Similarities

We despise one and love the other. But willful injury is inherent to both

By Caroline Miller,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 13, 2009 5:12 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Malcolm Gladwell is serious when he asks the question, in the New Yorker, whether football is really any different from dog fighting. He doesn't just mean that both inflict grievous injury to combatants—though the brain damage sustained by football linemen takes considerably longer to kill them—but that there are troubling similarities between the "gameness" the dogs are prized for, "the desire to please an owner at any expense to themselves," and the gameness that sends players back onto the field despite concussions and other injuries.

Gladwell reviews the science of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the progressive neurological disorder that looks like Alzheimer's but is caused by the constant trauma to football players' brains—repetitive blows comparable to a head-on collision a thousand times a season. Football is unlike other sports—except dog fighting—he notes, in that injury is inherent to the sport, not an occasional accident or abuse of the rules, but part of play itself. "What football must confront, in the end, is not just the problem of injuries," he writes. "It is the fact that there is something profoundly awry in the relationship between the players and the game."


Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco's helmet pops free after being hit by Baltimore Ravens cornerback Fabian Washington, left, and linebacker Ray Lewis.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco's helmet pops free after being hit by Baltimore Ravens cornerback Fabian Washington, left, and linebacker Ray Lewis.   (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, bottom, is tackled by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, bottom, is tackled by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison.   (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 8 comments
ChickenChopper
Oct 14, 2009 6:07 AM CDT
i would argue that many of these young men dont have a choice. there are surely some of these guys who, if not for football scholarships, would be poor as dirt, maybe slinging crack even. so yes, they 'choose' to be there, but im sure at least some thought "what choice do i have to get my family out of this hell hole? if i dont play football, i dont have shit" so imagine some play hurt throughout their entire careers from high school on, if not younger. maybe the problem is actually the emphasis our educational institutions put on athletics versus actual education. funny, the series 'friday night lights' is a great primer on the topic...
Dr.Gonzo
Oct 14, 2009 2:50 AM CDT
People play and take risk because they love the game. Its fun as hell to blast people and get cheered to do it.
davjc09
Oct 14, 2009 2:43 AM CDT
I love football, but I don't feel too bad for the players injured. It's an inherent risk in the job description. If you can't handle that, that's fine. You were given a free ride to school based on your athletic prowess, doesn't mean that's ALL you ahve to do. You could actually... go to class. Dogs on the other hand, have absolutely no control in the matter.

 
NFL • Michael Vick • football • Malcolm Gladwell • dog fighting • chronic traumatic encephalopathy • linemen

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