Major League Baseball

Football Is Rising, Baseball Is Fading Away, And America Is Dying

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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As we move into the Labor Day weekend, New York and all of America begins a cultural transition from baseball to football. And that’s because, while baseball will always be America’s Pastime, football rules the heart of America.

Football is marching in, but baseball will always be America’s Pastime. It’s the summer game played under the sun in the pastoral setting of a ballpark. It’s box scores to be read day after day 162 times a season along with those quick checks to see who’s pitching for your team today. It’s also a game built on failure where even the best hitters in the game walk back to the dugout seven of every ten times they step into the batter’s box.

But around this time every year, football emerges and begins its takeover of the heart and soul of America. The business (with a capital B) of both sports dictates that football is now played in 90-degree heat and baseball is played in damp 35-degree weather on late October nights.

Football: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports

For New York City, the transition is in its infancy because both the New York Mets and Yankees are still alive in the chase for the final wild-card spot in their respective leagues.

For now, both the New York Daily News and New York Post feature them on the back pages. But it’s also true that these back pages have more pages and print in order to accommodate fan interest in football.

Below, George Carlin’s masterpiece brilliantly parodied both baseball and football so there’s no need to go there, except to say that it is clear that football, more than baseball, accurately reflects American culture as it is today.

And for many reasons, that’s important. For one thing, the dominance of football over baseball is only a very recent phenomenon. Except for the most loyal of football fans, most New Yorkers rarely watched a game quarter backed by someone named Y.A. Tittle. And that remained so, until Joe Namath raised that victory finger in the air almost fifty years ago.

In the same way that fans secretly tune into a NASCAR race hoping to see a big pileup, with no one injured or so we are supposed to believe, it cannot be argued that the sheer violence of football isn’t the main reason why we tune in.

And it’s also the reason why we see replay after replay, including one in super-slow motion of a quarterback getting knocked senseless on SportsCenter. Look, those of you who have been reading my work (and thank you) know that my passion is for baseball. And I know that baseball is for sissies, and I’ll take my punishment for that. But, it’s not about that.

Football: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe it’s time for all of us to sit back, take a deep breath and realize that America is being dominated by violence. At a time when Dwyane Wade’s cousin can’t walk her child down a Chicago street without two paroled thugs shooting and killing her. Isn’t it about time we reckoned with the fact that we have a problem here?

Recognizing a problem is always the first step toward solving it. We’ll never have any real and effective gun control in this country, so let’s reckon with that too. And find other ways to mend the daily violence that corrupts everything we stand for as a nation.

Having said that, know that when December rolls around, I’ll be joining the rest of America in the weekly ritual of watching football. And I’ll certainly be there for the doubleheaders that come along when the playoffs begin.

Football: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

But maybe football, and specifically the NFL, can be in the vanguard of, shall we say, “a watch on violence,” by going further than it has in introducing better protective gear for reducing serious injuries that in many cases become long-term ailments and even suicide inducing for those with permanent injuries.

We can’t expect ESPN or FOX to speak out against these issues. Violence is their bread and butter. It’s called ratings. It’s up to fans like me and you. We have to let the NFL know that we will not desert football if it becomes less violent. Because lord knows, the NFL itself is a money-making machine because of the physicality.

So yes, let’s make way for football. But at the same time, let’s be aware and honest about these other things too.

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