Flesh and Bone

With no NHL hockey in the near future I have been sitting around wondering what to write about. As a writer you bounce ideas around all the time and hope that it translates well to a blog, a book, any means of getting it out. I have troubles all the time with ideas about pieces I want to write. So I sit there....stuck. And that's where I was until I saw this video today:

That is Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Eric Winston coming to the defence of his quarterback, Matt Cassel. After being tackled and suffering what is being called a "head injury" (just call it what it is, a concussion) Cassel was booed as he laid on the ground. And it was completely unacceptable. Now I don't follow the Chiefs very much, but a 1-4 record (0-3 at home) is bound to upset a few fans, and I know that Cassel has not put up great numbers in his first 5 weeks (58.5 COMP% 5 TD's and 9 INT's), but at any point a player is lying on the ground in pain, all that simply goes out the window.

I won't be able to say it as eloquently as Winston did above, but these athletes are still HUMAN. Flesh and bone. These men go out there every week to represent the team and city they belong too. With that territory comes expectations and the subsequent response from fans. Fans have every right to cheer/boo/sit idly while the game is going on,  but as fans we need to remember these guys put their safety on the line for our ENTERTAINMENT.

One point that I think got lost in Winston's rant is that these guys sacrifice their quality of life for us. Most of these players do not go on to live as long a life as the average office employee. Most leave the profession with sore joints and lingering injuries that they knew was a possibility getting into the industry. Yet they still show up and do their job. So when a player like Matt Cassel, or ANY athlete of any level goes down, the spectators have the obligation to show some respect. They choose to sacrifice their bodies so that we are amused. They know what they are getting in to, and they accept that. Underneath the padding is still a human being.

You wouldn't boo a co-worker who fell of a ladder, so why would you boo a man who is sacrificing himself for YOUR city. It doesn't matter how bad of a job he did. When he throws that interception, boo away. When he leaves the field after a devastating loss, let him have it. When he has to be helped off the field you applaud the man for putting his quality on life on the line for you to have something to watch on a Sunday afternoon.

Winston spoke from the heart and you could tell he was upset. He didn't have to raise his voice and start a back and forth of words with the fans to get his point across and he didn't throw any sharp jabs, he simply offered to answer the tough questions after offering his opinion. They were the words of a man who felt general concern for a teammate and friend who works hard every day to play the game he loves and was disrespected for trying. 

As fans we forget that we are cheering on other human beings who have chose to play the sport they do. Like any human they make mistakes. They are also breakable. If they can be willing to put themselves on the line so we can be entertained, the least we can do as fans is respect them as people. There is a time and place to boo athletes, there is also a time and place to applaud their efforts. We as fans need to know the difference.