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Nancy Hardy's avatar

Thank you. The poor behavior is celebrated. Our culture feasts on the spectacle as though they are watching Roman gladiators. You are always so insightful and thoughtful in your pieces and they make me ponder. Just when will anything change?

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Adam Liss's avatar

Thank you, Christine for this post. It’s important to see this laid out so explicitly. It’s truly sad, and shows how much anger simmers below the surface, and that we so often aren’t taught the skills to deal with it. The fact that we often can’t separate the required aggressive behavior in play, especially sports like football, from anger, is truly dangerous. Phil Jackson makes a good distinction about that in his book Sacred Hoops, and the chapter “How to be aggressive without being angry”.

I’d not ever before been presented with the reality of what happens after the game, both to players and their families, and even TV spectators and their families too. It makes so much sense. I don’t doubt that the current state of affairs in our country with the increased polarization and stoked culture wars only exacerbate the problem.

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