…the game was on and “Rooster” was playing real loud and everybody was laughing and backslapping and, by God, who were we but fellow football fans? Steadfast friendships are formed from lesser stuff, at least it seemed to me that night.
— from “Why I Said Goodbye To the NFL” (originally published to Medium as “My Life Without You”) which has been picked up by The Cauldron, tastefully trimmed, and given a new name
andrew (g) forbes 
Thanks, Andrew. This is a really powerful article. I share many, if not all, of your concerns, and have felt a great deal of guilt watching this year. I have hope that the right people can bring the NFL into the 21st century with respect to player conduct and the underlying misogyny that permeates broadcasts. But I have less hope that it will address head injuries in a meaningful way. During my lifetime will the NFL will become what boxing was for my Father’s generation? A once admired and now mired sport; Mired in the tension that comes with a relatively new understanding that each big hit, and maybe each little hit, contributes to a shorter and less enjoyable life for the athlete’s we’re cheering on.
Whatever its fate, I appreciate your ability to coherently highlight the issues that many of us are considering this season.
I appreciate your comment, Steve. It’s hard to imagine there being a time when the league isn’t the dominant form of American sports entertainment, but who knows?