As the Super Bowl approaches, I am seriously torn between my desire to see the game and the realization that a third of the football players I will be watching for entertainment will suffer brain damage and disability, possibly resulting in suicide, over the next few decades. I try to rationalize my desire in all sorts of ways but keep coming back to “chai b’hem”, the Torah’s nod to the saving of life and limb as its greatest value. Still, I persist and tell myself that I’m not the one bashing in the heads. I’m physically doing nothing. I’m just watching. Of course, I wouldn’t accept this from someone who stood by and watched a person get his head bashed in on the side of the road without at least calling for helpt. Is it so different to watch the slow motion event taking place via tv from the comfort of my home? Is there a “Jewish lesson” to be learned here that transcends the ones we usually teach about Jewish-sports connections?
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 23:17:29 +0000
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