Ok, let’s start by recognizing that what happened to Damar Hamlins is frightening and, thankfully, is a fluke. But let’s also be honest. Most fans watch football games because they like the violence of contact sport. This is especially true in hockey…the old joke “I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out” is realistic. How many people would watch the football game if it was a “flag” football sport–where simply pulling a flag from someone’s belt signaled the end of the play? Our guess is very few. So, what we’re saying is the same people who wore tee shirts saying “Love you Damar” are probably the same people who go to games to see the same vicious contact on every play. Said another way: If you really felt sad about the potential to kill a player or maim him or shorten his career or reduce the number of concussion protocols–you’d support a less violent form of football. While we probably won’t see another “Damar” situation for a while the amount of money tied into football will never let us even consider changes. Football–in season– is the top rated broadcast every week. Money keeps rolling in so players will continue to risk life-threatening injuries, shortened careers and reduced incomes. And most of us like it that way.

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