This morning, a worker at my local YMCA told me that they were canceling their Pop Warner football program. I thought that was strange, but mostly because it was the very first thing he said to me. I mean, how about a “Good morning” or “Hello”? But maybe it was a bit early for that. Either that, or the guy figured he had to get right to the point because I usually don’t like to stand around and talk at the gym.
Lack of decorum aside, he responded to my puzzled look with a explanation about concern over concussions, how it’s all about safety for the kids, and all of the other stuff I think was understood and didn’t really need to be said. Yet the YMCA guy felt the need to say it to me. Because he knows I like football. We’ve actually talked about it when I wasn’t trying to walk away and do something else.
Actually, this is one time I probably should have stopped to have a conversation because now I have questions. Was this local Pop Warner program canceled purely out of concerns for safety or had participation dwindled to the point that there couldn’t be a league? Was YMCA guy telling me this as a way of saying, “Hey, that sport you like, the one I see you staring up at when you’re on the elliptical, it’s dangerous and maybe you shouldn’t watch it”?
Then I started thinking about Concussion, which is hitting theaters in just over a month. (YMCA guy also mentioned that “There’s some Will Smith movie about concussions coming out.” He really doesn’t know what I do for a living. Maybe I should stop to talk occasionally.)
I think people are generally aware of the dangers playing football presents, and that awareness grows — in terms of both fans and knowledge of the issue — every week. That’s led some to turn away from watching football, particularly the NFL. One very public example: Steve Almond wrote a book about this last year, and the league’s response to the concussion issue was one of the reasons for his change of heart.
I presume many of you know at least one fan who decided not to watch football anymore, whether because of the toll its violent collisions takes on players (and the NFL’s failure to address the problem for so long) or because of the many ugly off-the-field issues currently plaguing the sport.
So will those fans want to see a movie about the discovery of the degenerative brain disease (CTE) suffered by NFL players because of repeated head trauma? Yes, it could affirm their stance to no longer support football, and some people will likely see Concussion for that reasons. But will those don’t watch football anymore really want to see a film about what turned them off in the first place? Even with Will Smith in it?
But more importantly, what about those of us who remain football fans, continuing to devote our Saturdays and Sundays (and Thursdays) to the sport despite any misgivings about concussions and/or awful human beings like Greg Hardy? Will you really want to go to the theater and buy a ticket for a movie detailing how horrible a sport football can be, both on the field and in its executive offices? How many of us were relieved when Week 1 of the NFL season began because it meant we could watch actual games and not have to read and hear about the terrible things associated with the sport?
Personally, I plan on seeing the movie because that’s just what I do. I love movies. I’m not always a fan of sports movies because the simulated play on screen doesn’t always resemble the real thing I’m accustomed to watching. (This is a big problem I have with Any Given Sunday, for example.) But even if the baseball doesn’t look quite right in Major League or the football is goofy in The Replacements, those films gloss over their inauthentic action with humor or fun. I don’t know how much actual football action will be in Concussion, but I think it’s fair to say that it won’t be a funny movie.
I expect to be uncomfortable while watching Concussion. Whatever collisions and trauma the movie depicts will surely have much more impact on a big screen with stereo sound in a dark room. I don’t know if it will make me reassess my enjoyment of football, but I suppose that’s a possibility.
I’m actually more apprehensive about seeing what happened to Andre Waters and Dave Duerson depicted on screen. They were two NFL players I loved watching in my formative years as a fan, and their suicides shook me. I read as much as I could about CTE and Waters’ condition following news of his death. In his review, Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman said a scene between the two players is tough to watch, which has increased my anxiety.
Will that be enough to keep most football fans away? How many are willing to see a movie that takes a tough look at the sport they love and perhaps exposes its dark side even further? What if you’re one of those parents whose kids won’t be playing Pop Warner football because it was canceled due to safety concerns?
My guess is that a lot of football fans — or sports fans, in general — won’t see Concussion. They won’t want to question their fandom nor think about what damage the sport inflicts on its players. In addition, this movie won’t provide the escapism that so many of us seek in our entertainment choices. I hope I’m wrong because I think Concussion has the potential to be an important film, even if it’s not a popular one.
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