Football and uh, dogfighting

Malcolm Gladwell breaks it down in the latest New Yorker. Playing football, even on a high school level, leads to measurable brain damage. He makes an extremely uncomfortable comparison between dogs’ desire to please their masters leading them to suicidal behavior in the ring, and football players’ drive to play the game through all injuries to please their fans and coaches. We owe the players big for their devotion, according to Gladwell, and we have failed them. I’m afraid I agree. The game is untenable. And still fascinating.