Modern-day gladiators

I thought he might be dead. So did millions of others who were watching live at home on their tv screens.

When NFL football player Damar Hamlin recently collapsed on the field immediately after a hard hit during a game on a live Monday night telecast, things looked bad. As in really, really bad.

Damar suffered a cardiac arrest on the field. He was revived by exemplary first-class medical first responders. Then his heart stopped again on the way to the hospital. Again, he was revived.

As of this writing the young man is miraculously improving, having gone from being in critical condition and fighting for his life to having now returned home to rehabilitate. Who knows if he’ll ever play NFL football again (something he’d still love to do). He might. He might not.

American football is a brutal game by nature. It is arguably America’s most violent team sport. By far.

No, the objective is not to “kill” an opponent, but each player does make a concerted effort to cause their opponents to experience considerably intense physical pain on virtually every play. If you are not sure my last statement is true, then try letting a real-life NFL linebacker tackle you. Just once. Then see if you can even stand up. You might. You might not.