by Jenny Hansen

I’m kind of conflicted about the current controversy happening between Miami Dolphin players Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin.

I grew up with guys. And guys razz each other to show love and friendship. I’m not a fan of bullying by any means but in my family, if you’re not giving each other a ration of crap, it’s because you’re mad or you don’t like each other.

I’ve been watching the Miami Dolphins’ scandal unfold and I’m eager to find out whether this is just a bunch of high testosterone guys giving each other a ration of crap or bullying. I honestly don’t know yet. A few different takes on the situation:

~ Dolphins coaches asked Incognito to toughen up Martin.

~ Dolphins fire back at Martin, defend Incognito.

~ What defines a ‘Real Man’ in Sports?

I’m a baseball and basketball fan much more than I am a football fan. Yes, yes…there’s pathos and drama and talent in football, but at its heart it is a brutal sport.

Tons of people see football like this:

Athletes being paid tons of money to go out and assault other athletes in front of millions.

Like any group, some of the NFL athletes are despicable and some are honorable. Unfortunately, the despicable will always get more coverage.

My Hubby played twelve years of football, some of them on Division 1 teams, and his take is that “football players razz and harass each other to get fired up to go hit the other team.” My uncle’s view: “Arresting football players for harassing each other is like giving a speeding ticket at the Indy 500.”

But what if Incognito actually hazed Martin? That is SO un-cool. In a time where bullying is approaching epidemic proportions in our schools, we all need to be vigilant in preventing it. Before social media, you could run home and hide in your house. Now bullying follows our kids home via texting and Facebook. It’s hideous.

So, as I do with many issues, I’m turning this over to my readers for their view.

Is this hazing or over-testosteroned males giving each other a ration of crap? Is it fair to hire people to tear each other’s heads off on the field and then expect them to behave differently off the field? Do you think, in the midst of so many controversies, that football will remain the most popular sport in America? Continue the discussion or !

~ Jenny

 

About Jenny Hansen

By day, Jenny provides training and social media marketing for an accounting firm. By night she writes humor, memoir, women’s fiction and short stories. After 15 years as a corporate software trainer, she’s delighted to sit down while she works.

When she’s not at her personal blog, More Cowbell, Jenny can be found on Twitter at or at Writers In The Storm. Jenny also writes the Risky Baby Business posts at More Cowbell, a series that focuses on babies, new parents and high-risk pregnancy.

© 2013 Jenny Hansen. All content on this page is protected by copyright. If you would like to use any part of this, please contact me at the above links to request permission.