The Poetry of Violence

You may not have noticed this, but I really like football. Something about this sport, more than any other thrills me to no end. I've titled this post "The Poetry of Violence" because I think more than anything else, this is what makes football great.

The picture above is of Packer great Jim Taylor. Look at that picture. The man is covered head to toe in mud. The 49er's want to bring him down with the maximum of violence. There is no question that the footing in all that mud is at best precarious, yet there is power in his stride and determination in his eyes. It's all a fine balance that in a single shot defines one of the greats. Do you have any doubt, that Mr. Taylor picked up some substantial yardage on this play? I don't. In fact my guess is that when the 49er's finally caught him, he gave as good as he got.

Its tempting to say that the game isn't what it used to be, hell I've said it myself. To some degree I suppose this is true. The trash talking combined with the Foxification of the production values have indeed played to a lower common denominator. When the ball is finally snapped though, the guys out there today are just as tough and determined as the players of our youth. In fact, the game is more demanding now that it has ever been and today's players continue to raise the bar every Sunday. I wonder if it ever occurs to them that the trash talking and loutish behavior stands as the greatest insult imaginable to their talent.

Ah, there I go, sounding like a geezer that glorifies yesteryear. For all the Randy Mosses and Romanowskis, we have many more Thomas Joneses, and Peyton Mannings. I found the above link earlier today and the pictures there stand as testimony to why we should just let the game be the game. Truly inspiring, go check them out.

I really like football.