The Superbowl

For my few non-Beth-Am readers, a little background: our congregation is selling programs at the Superbowl, something that we've had the chance to do (thanks to one of our wonderful members) for a number of years now. I'll be one of the sellers, and I'm incredibly excited about being able to go to The Big Game.

But, at the risk of sounding like a kill-joy, I have to admit that I'm finding myself a tiny bit conflicted. There's been a little flurry of articles of late (for example) about how many ex-football players have serious brain damage from repeated traumas. Many are dealing with serious, debilitating effects, and too many are dying young.

My friends know that I love sports, and I really love watching football (not nearly as much as baseball, but that's another posting). I could go on and on about how great the game is and all of that, and I mean it. And, it's also true that football players know what they're getting into, and are very well paid for what they do, which does count for something (this is not the same as throwing slaves into the gladiator arena). But, it's starting to bother me a bit that I get so much enjoyment out of watching people permanently maul each other, and that our congregation is benefiting from it.

As always, I'd be curious to hear your reactions - do you share in my concerns, or do you see this another way?

Shabbat Shalom, and I'll see you at the RayJay on Sunday!