Rethinking Sports: What Bounties Tell Youth

The recent news of bounty programs (informal arrangements where players get paid cash for injuring opposing players) in the National Football League have certainly been unsettling for a host of moral, legal, and humane reasons, but it is certainly not a surprise to parties inside or outside the league. Our national underdog demeanor, combined with our entrepreneurial mindset have enabled bounty programs like this to exist without a check, aside from an occasional suspension or fine being levied.

As terrifying as the hits we see NFL players take on Sundays are, the broader impact that bounty programs have on our country’s youth is what frightens so many. When our children watch professional sports, and they see the hardest hitters be rewarded with Pro-Bowl Selections, and now learning of their monetary benefits, it is not hard to imagine the pressure they feel to perform with the same kind of intensity. Unfortunately, we don’t have to look very far to see young people’s lives being irreparably damaged by physical injuries, and by overly aggressive behavioral problems in their personal lives. We know there is an inherent danger in contact sports (and that it is a part of the appeal of the sport), but as parents, coaches, athletes, and fans, we must be thoughtful in drawing the line between healthy aggression and physical danger.

We are at a point in the history of our country where there is enough negative attention mounting against the physical detriments of contact sports to justify action against programs that would encourage more damage. We can choose to continue to allow these types of bounty programs to exist in the name of “manliness,” or we can do some pragmatic soul-searching within our culture to see what sort of values we want to bring out of sport. In the arena of sport, how can we bring out the American underdog spirit, but also bring out the ideals of justice, camaraderie, and health?

Play Like a Champion, as always, believes that people need to be educated on these issues. First and foremost, these bounty programs need to be stopped, and awareness of their existence needs to be heightened and exposed. More thoughtfully though, we need to explore the values that we are trying to promote in sports, both at the youth and professional level. Are we trying to promote personal growth, teamwork, fairness, and fun, or are we trying to merely put on a show, where the strongest, fastest, and toughest are rewarded for their barbaric acts in the name of high entertainment value?