I have been in a couple of fights in my life---and all were with bullies.

[radicalliberal]

36. But we are in agreement. :-)

Last edited Sun May 13, 2012, 11:04 PM - Edit history (1)

Even though I never had an interest in any sport, I never viewed football as if it were some kind of Neanderthal activity. (Hey, I think being big and strong is neat. That's why I work out at a health club now.) I always respected anyone's participation in a sport. I just assumed that many of the football players at my high school viewed me as being some kind of a wimp just because I wasn't an athlete.

I repeat, we're in agreement. Two of my closest friends played football in high school. One of them played football at the university where he earned his degree in sociology. What's interesting is that even though their religious beliefs differ sharply, they're both gentle men who detest bullying. By the way, one of the leading liberal Democratic politicians in the state of Texas was a former university football player named Bob Gammage (who is now retired from politics).

As for me, even though I've never been an athlete, I'm still not sedentary (at least not at this point in my life). In my late fifties I hired a personal trainer at a local health club to start working with me on a bodybuilding program; and I love working out! At the age of 61, I have muscular development I never had before in my life! It's quite a change from the mandatory P.E. of my boyhood.

As a father myself (in this case, the father of two daughters), I commend you for the love you have shown towards all your sons, including the nonathletic one.

This is just a theory of mine concerning at least some of the guys who put down football, and I don't mean to whine. Young nonathletic boys frequently grow up in a culture that defines masculinity in terms of sport. At least that was my experience. They may experience profound alienation in traditional mandatory P.E., as opposed to classes that provide genuine fitness programs. Emotional pain is involved that may not be completely understood at the time. My own experience was that hardly any instruction was provided in any of the P.E. classes about the sports themselves, and exercise programs were not provided for those who needed them the most. Such boys may be bullied simply for having no interest in sports. I suspect that many of the guys who badmouth football have had this experience. They may use the snobbish argument to make themselves feel better. I do admit, though, that some of the people who put down football are snobbish and really believe the "bread and circuses" line.

If I had a teenage son who wanted to play football in high school, I would support him.

I've just about blathered enough. Board messaging is not the best way to communicate. There's always the potential for misunderstanding. Thank you very much for clarifying your own position so I would no longer continue to misunderstand you. This topic has made me very happy!

P.S. I wasn't clear, trumad. What I was trying to say was that I misjudged you, for which I am ashamed. You didn't need to clarify anything.