NFL in death throes

Professional football is well past its best-before date. Its legitimacy is rapidly eroding on two fronts, each of which is bigger than the NFL.

Colin Kaepernick kicked off something that’s starting to snowball and have repercussions. The politicisation of sports isn’t a fad that’s just going to go away. I’m of two minds on that. On the one hand, it’s a shame. I’m not a serious fan, but I can appreciate the athleticism of a great pass or an exceptional touch-down run.

On the other hand, the NFL and pro sport in general have for too long prostituted themselves as cheerleaders for a militaristic faux patriotism, which effectively politicised sports long before Kaepernick took a knee.

The other front is the rapidly growing public awareness of the CTE scandal. When a guy like Ed Cunningham walks away from his dream job, he’s making a statement every bit as courageous and important as Kaepernick’s. The NFL money guys might have thought they put the brain injury thing to bed with that billion dollar payout last year, but that was just the beginning.

There is no end in sight… other than the end of the NFL itself.

The NFL is toast.