A paper discussing how “competitive, organized injury” is integral to our way of life, using football as an intelligible mirror to the whole process.
The following paper examines how violence is a driving force for society. It is of the opinion of the writer that we have learned to accept it and have lowered the value of the human life, as a result. The writer makes reference to John McMurtry’s essay entitled Kill ‘Em! Crush ‘Em! Eat ‘Em Raw! written in the early 1970’s where he compared the game of football to war; in which the hidden object of the game at that time wasn’t to win by scoring the most touchdowns through skill and athletics, but instead to win by being the first team to disable its opponent. This paper discusses how football today is no longer played tough in the pros because team pride is no longer eminent. The author argues that money is the driving force of the game and is the only incentive seen by the players.
The average American who has sat in front of the TV has experienced this dilemma: We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news. In my personal experience the second I see a guy standing in front of a microphone talking about the latest corporate scandal I change the channel, but if the image on my television displays a bird’s eye view of a car chase or better yet a bank heist, I watch patiently no matter how actionless and boring the breaking news is. In fact, if I happen to suddenly need to use the restroom or make a phone call, I’ll press the record button on my VCR just in case I miss a gun battle or a car fire while I’m away. Myself and the majority of Americans, especially males, thrive on other people’s adrenaline and demolition. It has indeed become an integral part of our lives: Competitive, organized injury can be seen almost everywhere; especially in sporting events and other entertainment such as movies. It has even made it’s way into children’s video games.