on football and society

http://poststar.com/news/local/brawl-rough-play-force-early-end-to-football-game/article_568887b2-5722-11e4-8486-abf7836ea5b5.html

I did a quick scan of this story about a high school football game that got cancelled due to violence on and off field and thought, typical--fans taking a sport too seriously. Really though is that fair for me to assume America has football problem? I tried to draw a large conclusion about society and sports from a small example about a high school football game where the competitive nature of athletes became elevated and coaches who should have known better, didn't rein in the emotions. One constant irritation I have with ESPN and much of the mainstream news is the need journalists seem to have to connect dots of unrelated events, especially concerning football. One dot being the bad behavior perpetrated by the player on another individual or individuals; the other dot being the violent sport (football) that supposedly nurtures and encourages the behavior detrimental to others. In the wake of tragic occurrences the conversations turn quickly from the event to what the event means about machismo in football and how societies encourage bad behavior in males just by rooting for one's team!.That's right Asshole! You...football-absorbing-moron with the remote in one hand and a bag of Cheetos in the other are the problem!
Psychologists, surgeons, lawyers and academics are invited on talk shows to 'shed some light' on a perceived problem always seemingly rooted in America culture. Last year a Kansas City Chiefs player shot and killed his girlfriend then drove to the practice facility and shot himself in front of the coach. The firestorm of media sensationalism gave rise to editorials that blamed either our 'gun crazed culture' or the destruction of the brain due to the collision nature of the sport. Bob Costas did a little editorializing on NBC about gun-culture generally and its effect on athletes specifically. He and everyone else are entitled to their opinion but usually the truth is not easily explained and can't be seen under the piling on.
One fact to come out about the killer was his drug and alcohol habit. The police report noted his blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit and his girlfriend had (apparently) threatened to leave him. If nothing else, this makes the murder more of a traditional crime of passion type killing rather than a deranged man with PTSD on a rampage. I don't think anyone really knows why he did it, but substituting political and social biases into the vacuum of unknowns is dishonest and misleading. Other examples have come up this season, two on domestic abuse, one concerning murder and another drinking and driving episode. These men should be held to account and face the same court system and laws the rest of us face. Using NFL player domestic problems as a backdrop to criticize American culture and machismo in football is dishonest and ESPN and other news networks should discourage it.  

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/october/eugene-cho-leads-quest-for-reconciled-church.html