Can we still like the NFL?

I know that it’s only week three, but emotionally speaking it’s already been a long season.

The league and the Ravens may have tried to cover up the Ray Rice saga.  Then we have the news about Adrian Peterson.  There’s also Jonathan Dwyer, Ray McDonald and Greg Hardy.  And worse yet – doesn’t it just feel like that’s only the tip of the iceberg?  Aren’t there likely many other lower profile cases that are probably just as bad?

I’ve read bad headlines describing crimes committed by NFL players and personnel plenty of times in the past.  It’s never kept me from spending my entire Sunday camped out on the couch watching every minute of every game I can.

But last Sunday was different.

My excitement level was way down.  I just wasn’t as interested in watching.  For the first time in quite a while, I found myself getting engrossed in different tasks on a Sunday instead of devoting my whole day to football.  I cooked a week of meals instead of being glued to Sunday Night Football.  I was at the Redskins game on Sunday to see them win for the first time in nine games.  Don’t get me wrong, I was thrilled to see a Redskins victory, but it was just difficult to feel good after everything that happened last week. 

Everyone has a different reason for why they watch.  For me, a major part of my enjoyment always comes from the thrill of watching players rise to stardom.  It always makes me feel like I’m a part of their victory.  Aside from Bears fans, who didn’t feel good about Aaron Rodgers finally stepping out of Brett Favre’s shadow with a Super Bowl 45 performance that earned him MVP honors?  Even if you’re tired of him now, didn’t you love seeing Tom Brady beat the odds and stun the Rams in Super Bowl 36?

It’s thrilling to watch the action unfold, and that thrill makes it easy to get caught up in cheering for players you really don’t know much anything about.  I want to be clear that I’m disgusted by domestic violence those who resort to it, but I honestly thought I’d be able to put my negative feelings aside and enjoy the games.  I didn’t think that the nonsense players get into off the field would affect how I felt about the game on the field.

I was totally wrong.

I spent a large chunk of my day today thinking about all of this.  I just wasn’t sure that I wanted to continue to be so invested in a league that has so much negativity surrounding it.  After all, who would want to keep sinking money and time into an organization that saw it fit to give Ray Rice a two game suspension after what he did?  I don’t care if they didn’t see the elevator video, he said he struck her and knocked her unconscious.  What did everyone expect had happened in the elevator?  Shouldn’t even the most sympathetic disciplinarian have handed down a stiffer punishment to begin with?

It took me quite a while to get a good grip on what I was feeling.  It was tough to be objective, and not let myself get caught up in the terrible headlines about all the guilty parties.  Roger Goodell called it like it is when he said they didn’t get it right with the Ray Rice punishment, but there’s lots else they haven’t gotten right. 

Do I want to continue watching football?  Can I feel good about it? 

It surprised me when I came to the conclusion that the answer for me is still a “yes”. 

I came to the realization that I have to remember that bad news is sensational.  It arrests our attention.  When there’s good news, you rarely hear about it.  The vast majority of players and personnel are actually decent people.  You can see it clearly in the charity work that most players and teams are committed to, as well as the other random acts of kindness and generosity they provide their communities with.  It’s so easy to paint with a broad brush and dismiss the league as indeed being the National Felons League.  But if you step back, put your feelings aside and think objectively, I think you’ll agree.  Ask yourself - aren’t a few truly awful offenders ruining it for everyone?

It’s important to not forget to scratch below the surface, make sure you don’t forget about all the positives that are going even as things appear the darkest.  I absolutely don’t think the NFL or society in general have done enough to put a stop to domestic violence and other pressing social issues.  But I want to stay involved and continue to encourage the league and society as a whole to keep working towards a solution.

If you’re an NFL fan, it’s time to ask the same question of yourself.  Should you keep watching?  Can you stomach supporting a franchise that’s made billions by having criminals play a sport for your entertainment?  The answer for me is still yes, but your own answer is up to you.