From time to time, nearly all human beings are guilty of overreaction—overcorrection might be a better way of stating it—when we face a problem or an issue. Especially when a topic gets some airtime in the media, our way of fixing that problem often goes beyond what is truly needed.
I say this because of what I witnessed on social media this weekend while watching football. The outrage over penalties thrown was amazing to watch.
The same sports writers, analysts, and fans who spent the last three years condemning football over concussions and proclaiming boldly (but incorrectly) that the game is headed for a death on the field expressed outrage over penalties called this Saturday and Sunday. After screaming almost nonstop about how dangerous the game is and how it needed to change, they now believe those who run the game have overreacted or overcorrected their sport because of the criticism.
The rage was on full display during the Texas A&M-Alabama game. Several calls blew up my Twitter feed, noticeably the two times officials flagged an Aggies defender for illegal participation. Once, a Texas A&M defensive lineman lost his helmet and stayed in the play, even taking part in the tackle. This is now a penalty in the name of player safety.
If the same thing happens to an offensive player, the play is automatically whistled dead. But we get no whistle for a defensive player who loses his helmet, only a 15-yard penalty after the fact.
Many of the same folks that shouted about football's dangers are now crying that it's unnatural to stop yourself from making a tackle in the middle of play. Concussion be damned if you can make the tackle.
Alabama almost lost a key cornerback in the same game because officials called a bad penalty. Thankfully, they allowed the player to stay in the game after video review, but the fact he was flagged for a "football" hit caused many to complain that "they are turning this into flag football."
College football and the NFL overcorrected because of the way ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Talk, fans and other outlets did nothing but raise hell over concussions the last few years. Those in charge had to change the rules to prove they wanted player safety to be a priority.
Those outlets didn't want to point out that specific players were at fault, not the game. Rarely did the media pointed out that at no level of football are players taught to duck their heads, launch themselves or use their helmets as weapons.
But players keep doing these things, and coaches keep allowing it. In other words, the game wasn't bad, but people were teaching the fundamentals badly.
Fans and media complained so loudly and so long that the powers-that-be changed the game. Now, folks are complaining that we are heading toward "flag football."
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