Answering The Bell

Falcon Fan Should Care... Why?

This year, Atlanta Falcons star wide receiver Calvin Ridley opted out of much of the season, citing mental health issues. While there were occasional sparks of grumbling about this in various parts of the Internet, the plain and simple is that the Falcons were not really contenders, Atlanta isn’t a national television market, and Ridley wasn’t agitating for a new team (at least not publicly). His fantasy team owners were bent, but nerd betters being bent is not exactly a cause for concern. He’ll probably move on to some other team, and get snark on his social media channels if he shows himself doing, well, anything, but for the most part, this is a non-story. Football player does not play football. That happens all the time. No film at 11.

Last week, any number of Winter Olympians seemed to do badly and cite mental issues, and since no one really gives a flip about these sports, let alone with the backdrop of Let’s Celebrate Genocide… well, um, flip not given and I am not going to any more details about it. With a side point of maybe your sport has real issues when the best people in the world at doing it are freaking children. Seriously, the only people who should be watching children play sports are their parents. Impose an age limit already.

And, of course, the Sixers moved Ben Simmons on to Brooklyn and – spoiler alert! – no one in town misses him, let alone his ex-teammates. Who have, for the most part, overachieved despite a star-sized hole in their lineup, because chemistry and the like.

Ridley, the Olympians and Simmons should all, presumably, get the same level of sympathy and support. That's what we should give them if we are decent human beings.

And never, ever will.

Because here is the thing about mental injury issues… they kind of start to resemble physical injury issues. If your injuries are persistent and non-healing, you probably will have to find a line of business that is not sports. If there is someone who can do your role without injury issues, they will get the job, either now or later, because Game’s still going to Game. 

This is Not Nice, or human, or maybe even the best long-term use of an asset. It’s also reality. 

In your real life, there is nuance and trade offs and personal lives and long-term health. In your sports life, there are wins and losses and that’s about it.

So, if you feel some sort of relief that your team has moved on from an oft-injured player, even though that feels kind of not nice? Or start to demand that your team either improves the training staff or the coaching regime to not create or rely on oft-injured players?

Sports is not life. We’re here for Game. Not the people, with their baggage, who play it.

Talent isn’t just how fast and powerful you are, or skilled at studying your opponent, or whatever.

It’s also just plain answering the bell.

So do what you can to do that, make choices that help you do that, and don’t expect the audience to follow you down the rabbit hole of Not Game when you can’t.