At Height of Super Bowl Glamour, We Ignore the Real Cost of the Game

February 5, 2016   ·   Mike Freeman   ·   Jump to comments

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The news conference began with the scripted, woozy-eyed tone that's become the norm for Super Bowl week. Then, suddenly and seemingly inadvertently, Peyton Manning said something that should give us all pause when it comes to our crack cocaine-like obsession with football.
What he said was one of the more interesting things ever stated by a player during Super Bowl week. His words—along with other sobering news this week—reminded us of the conflict inherent in this sport, the contrast between the glossy, shiny, pompous Super Bowl and the guttural, raw violence of the sport.
We forget the toll it takes on these players to reach, or try to reach, this pinnacle. Then people like Manning and Ken Stabler remind us.
Manning was asked about the staggering news that Stabler, quarterback for the Raiders, had severe CTE. He expressed his shock at the news but then transitioned into something I'd never seen before. It was a glimpse of re...

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