I Love Football...But at What Price?

I don't really want to be too heavy this morning; after all, it's a Saturday in the Fall, which means it's football time! Especially here in the sunny Southeast, the air is filled with the sounds of "Roll Tide!", "Go Gators!", "War Eagle!"-- and "Don't Get Beat Too Bad, Tennessee!" (Alas, how the mighty have fallen!)

I do love me some football, no doubt about it. I check high school football scores in the local paper, I set my schedule so I can take in Game Day, I peruse the schedule of the day's televised games. With the marvelous advent of ESPN3.com, I can even extend my fanaticism to the online world. Who'd a thunk we'd have so much access to high-quality football media all those years ago when I huddled with my dad around the AM radio, listening to John Ward as the "Voice of the Vols" calling every exciting play?

But I must also admit that my over-indulgent football conscience feels more than just a bit guilty when I stop and think about the high price we are paying, particularly on the intercollegiate level, in order to get our pigskin fix. Sometimes, I just want to stop and ask: "Have we lost our minds?"

The head coach at my local university-- a major SEC school-- makes more money in 14 games than the President of the United States will earn during his entire four-year term. Fourteen GAMES! After all, that's what they are. Young boys hurling their bodies at dangerously high speeds, chasing an oblong leather ball, while multiplied thousands of rabid fans cheer them on-- as long as they WIN, by golly!

Over and over and over we hear about the "hidden costs" of the pressure put upon players and coaches alike at major college programs. Head coach suffers heart palpitations...key player sidelined with concussion...players arrested for "off the field" violations...BIG money changing hands in order to keep prominent alumni happy.

There is so very much to be said on the positive side for the development of the scholar-athlete model in colleges and universities around the nation. Many young people who would not otherwise have an opportunity for a post-secondary education are allowed access because of their athletic prowess. And certainly, the "big revenue" sports like football help to pay the freight for less popular endeavors, such as lacrosse, softball, gymnastics, etc.

But when do we-- and I include myself here, dressed head-to-toe in orange and white-- stop and really ask the question: at what price, "success?"

I Googled the search term, "player dies after practice" today; there were 6,380,000 hits returned. One of them is the story of a local player here in central Florida who passed away just two weeks ago. He was 15 and "living the dream" of competing on the college, and perhaps professional, level some day.

(Read the story here to learn of the all-too short life of Olivier Louis.)

There are lots of good coaches, lots of good players, lots of good fans, and even lots of good reasons to continue to support football and other athletic programs for our young people. I just hope we can gain some perspective at some point, and remember that it's just a game. Life is more than sports.

Ask Mrs. Louis.