Growing
up a White Sox fan in the 1960s, for sanity’s sake I took to following
mirror-opposite teams like the Red Sox and Braves; if only we had Tony
Conigliaro and Mack Jones, or even Gene Oliver, I was certain we could win a
pennant. It was the same in
football. The Bears back then lived and
mostly died pounding the ball into the line, so I liked to follow teams with an
honest-to-goodness passing game. Naturally,
Sonny Jurgensen became one of my favorite players. Oh, how that man could throw passes long and on
target.
So,
when critics talk about violence being a major part of football’s appeal, I
disagree. What makes the game special is
a Jurgensen or Johnny Unitas or Aaron Rodgers doing the hitting, be it short,
middle or long. Because I watched Dick
Butkus so much, I also enjoy seeing a running back break tackles or in the case
of an otherworldly talent like Gayle Sayers, avoid tackles altogether in a
50-yeard dance to the end zone. At least
in my version of the game, a good offense lessens the chances of a concussion.
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