On the TUNNEYSIDE of SPORTS
August 19, 2013 #450 Up next...Point of Emphasis.
After further review... The
National Football League is stressing safety as a major point of
emphasis for the 2013 season. The safety issue comprises several
dangerous techniques including "using the crown of the helmet to
deliver a forcible blow to an opponent," using "unnecessary
force on a defenseless player," and "low blocks that tend to
'blow-out' an opponent's knee". (Further delineation can be found in
the NFL rule book). The message to players and coaches is clear: Safety
is of major importance! This newfound emphasis is not intended to
eliminate the physicality of the game of football. Blocking and tackling
with developed skill and vigor is still the way to play the game.
There is another point of
emphasis this writer is compelled to point out: the use of derogatory and
racially-offensive language. Riley Cooper, a fourth year wide receiver
for the Philadelphia Eagles was recorded using the "n" word in
challenging backstage security personnel at a Kenny Chesney concert a
couple of months ago. When the footage was made public the Eagles fined
him for "detrimental conduct," and then excused him from
T*E*A*M activities for several days so that he could pursue counseling.
Cooper has since apologized to his teammates and rejoined the team.
Was that a strong enough
response? It is well known that the term (my sensitivity to its use
prevents me from spelling it out) is used frequently in African-American
culture as both an iconic and endearing jest; does such use constitute a
double standard? The opinion here that it does indeed! If it is
off-the-charts offensive in one direction, it should not be tolerated in
any other way. Comic use aside, the "n" word has such a ghastly
connotation that as long as anyone utters it, its poisonous will
remain. The controversy that the Cooper incident ignited is a
not-very-subtle reminder of that. Are fines and suspensions for
detrimental conduct in such cases ever going to be enough? Can we ever
reach a point where the word is virtually eliminated for use by everyone?
Yes, but only if we-all of
us-eliminate it from our thinking and speech. And that, like safe
blocking and tackling techniques, takes a lot of practice.
Will you practice a world view
free of racial slurs?
.
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