A Little Grace Goes A Long Way

Fire of Liberty

Not only does Max Boot know a lot about foreign policy and history but it seems he knows a thing our two about the NFL. In this wonderful piece over at the Wall Street Journal's Opinion Journal website (registration required), Boot takes on the loudmouth, rabble-rousing wide receivers who seem to complain way too much for the enormous paychecks they receive. Boot notes that the jobs of wide receiver requires a pompous "me-too," mentality but sometimes class and talent seem to be the qualities that make better players. I'd say that it's about time the talented retake the field from the "athletes" who look good making asses of themselves on TV because they're only making $7 million instead of $12 million a year ,that the QB isn't showing them the love or heaven forbid the coach told them to "shut up." Luckily, Boot reminds us that they're indeed is those gems that show up and play ball with no questions asked and love every minute of it. Just see for yourself:

This set of incentives can create players who make the average Hollywood star seem humble and down-to-earth by comparison. But not always. There are numerous honorable exceptions to these generalizations--none more notable than the redoubtable Jerry Rice. The man who holds all the major receiving records is known not for nuttiness but for durability and dedication. He's still at it: At age 42 he's still trying to play in the NFL even if it means being a fourth-stringer for the Denver Broncos. It is no coincidence that the soft-spoken former 49er sports three Super Bowl rings while the loud-mouthed combination of Messrs. Owens, Moss and Johnson has a grand total of one. If any member of this trio wants to ascend to the real Hall of Fame--and each has the talent to do so--he needs a healthy helping of Rice.

Just because its a rough sport it doesn't mean that the players have a right to be jerks on our TV screens. Even if you make all the money in the world, the players in the NFL should act like adults and handle things with more grace. I'd prefer a high quality football game every Sunday rather than hearing or watching some antics that are more familiar to the thuggish nature of the players in the NBA.

If you love football as much as I do, then check out Gregg Easterbrook's Tuesday Morning Quarterback column over at NFL.com. It's well worth the read.