The Very Last Thing I'll Say About the NFL (For Tonight, at Least)

My last post was interrupted by real life work stuff, so rather than let my anger subside and post nothing at the time, which would have likely resulted in me not posting anything at all, I decided to continue what I was going on about at a later point. That later point happens to be now.

Now that I've calmed down a bit, I have to ask the question: is the NFL worthy of my interest and support at this point? I received a few comments on my last post to this respect, so I thought I'd address them here:

• Night Owl: "The criminal behavior with a lot of the players is just too much to take. And the league is so hyped." I have to agree here with the hype thing. It drives me crazy to hear NFL talk 365 days a year, though I certainly enjoy Sundays during the season. I used to enjoy Mondays as well, but that was before I started having to work nights. As far as the criminal behavior goes, I feel that the same things drove my interest in the NBA down a bit, but I think things have gotten better in the past few years (or perhaps I'm just thinking about the Blazers alone.)
• Sooz: "i am not done with the NFL. I feel like, as a baseball fan, it's being hypocritical, in a sense. [...] Ok, steroids and dog fighting are not the same, but the premise of breaking rules and doing illegal things are still the same. " I can't say I agree with much of what Sooz says. One involves breaking rules in a sport in an attempt to gain an advantage, which is something that is, for better or for worse, a part of every sport imaginable. The other was disgusting and depraved off-the-field criminal behavior. The two don't really compare, but I have to think that I have a lot more of an issue with a team willing to have someone like Vick represent their organization than someone who cheated - took drugs - and was caught. I'm not thrilled by either, mind you, but I don't think my continued interest in baseball and lack thereof in pro football is hypocritical.
• kevincrumbs probably puts it best, however: "It was a deliberate choice, not an 'Oops, I accidentally ran over my dog' once incident." Whenever I hear blowhard talk show hosts and their less-than-stellar call-in participants try to compare this issue with - yes - former Eagle Donte' Stallworth's DUI manslaughter, I think the argument is incredibly short sighted. No one should get involved with comparing these two incidents in the first place, but if you have to make the awful comparison, you should at least consider that Stallworth and others who can truly look someone in the eyes and claim that they made a life-changing mistake that they'll have to live with for the rest of their lives are going to do so with the knowledge that they were participating in an ongoing pattern of criminal behavior. Someone like Vick only admits that he made the "mistake" when he is caught and learns what the consequences may be.

All of this leads me to more indecision. It would be hard to totally ignore the NFL once the regular season comes around. (The preseason has always been forgettable.) It will also be hard to turn my back on the Eagles, unless Vick is running out on the field. I feel bad for Donovan McNabb, who has been the QB of the team for 11 seasons now. He has taken the team to 5 NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl and has posted Hall of Fame caliber numbers, yet has had so many detractors over the years (ignorant racists and otherwise) and is likely desperate for success. Desperate enough, that is, to endorse Michael Vick and apparently be the one who led him to Philadelphia in the first place.

I could support the Seattle Seahawks, who have some young former Oregon Ducks trying to break through with the team like Nick Reed, Max Unger and Jordan Kent. I think it would be tremendously difficult for me to fully support another NFC team, however. There's always the New York Jersey Jets, where former Duck Kellen Clemens is trying to win the starting QB job which should have been rightfully his last season before that guy from There's Something About Mary showed up and took it from him.

Right now, though, I'm ready for the start of college football and the final six weeks of the MLB season. I will return this blog to its usual light-hearted baseball tone with my next post, I promise.