Here is what I don't want to hear about bounties:
1) It's Football
2) Everybody Does It
3) Players will try to put other players out, money or no money.
4) As fans, our bloodlust is what brought this on.
That's ridiculous. Period.
Bounties are not an inherent part of football and if they are then I really have to re-evaluate whether or not I am interested in watching this game anymore. Football is voilent, no question, but it is supposed to be an honest violence. Boxing is violent. Boxers are out to hurt each other. But boxers know going in that is the goal. They line up to face each other in the ring and they know that they are getting ready to beat each others brains in. It is what they sign up for. Football players, professional or not, do not sign up to be the subject of cheap shots or overly aggressive hits because some 300 pound buck on the other side of the ball is trying to put a skin on his wall.
I don't care if it is an unspoken part of the game that everyone turns a blind eye to, wrong is wrong. There should still be a place for honor and sportsmanship in the game even if the stakes for winning and losing have risen to levels that only God can comprehend. Hit hard, yes. But hit clean.
I know my parents rolled their eyes at my grandparents when they said "the world is going to hell." I know I rolled my eyes at my parents when they said "the world is going to hell." I also know my kids will one day roll their eyes at me when I say "the world is going to hell." But you know what, I am going to say it anyway. You know why? Because THE WORLD IS GOING TO HELL! When we laugh off the idea of one man trying to end another mans career for the sake of an "atta boy" and say "that's football" or "boys will be boys" then I am sorry but I don't have a lot of hope for the future.
How much will we tolerate taking violence out of the game? I don't know. We seem to throw a fit everytime the NFL makes a rule that portends to protect any given player be it a quarterback or a kick returner. I know most fans love their big hits but I don't believe the popularity of the league would be any less by making sure that those who are doing the hitting are doing it the right way, and for the right reasons.
