The Moral Complexity

In 2005, neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu published a paper describing Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy — CTE — in the brain of former NFL center Mike Webster.

Webster had died in poverty, in pain, mentally deteriorated at 50 years old. A man who had been one of the best players of his generation.

The paper described what happened to a brain that absorbed thousands of subconcussive hits over a career. What those hits did, slowly, invisibly, to the tissue that made a person who they were.

The NFL initially fought the science. Then couldn't anymore.

And yet — 100 million people watch the Super Bowl every year. The stadiums fill. The jerseys sell. The ratings grow.

What does it mean to love a sport and know this?

There's no clean answer. Some fans change channels during big hits. Some advocate for rule changes — and the rules have changed, meaningfully. Some decide the players are adults making informed choices with enormous compensation.

Some just feel the contradiction and sit in it, because the alternative is to stop watching something that has given their lives real joy.

Loving football in the modern era requires holding something complicated. The game is beautiful. The game costs people their futures. Both are true. What you do with that is up to you.