Organized Chaos

One hundred years of professional football, and my how things have changed.
The goal posts are now at the back of the end zone. A pretty profound alteration considering the number of players who ran smack into the poles when they were on the goal line. Player safety has been, for the most part, improved since the days of "three yards and a cloud of dust." You can't hit a guy this way or that way. You have to wait until the guy catches the ball before you try and sever his spine. All that civility and modern politeness. Then they all line up again and throw their bodies at one another as fast and hard as they can one more time.
For one hundred years, the National Football League has been paying young men to sacrifice their bodies in some of the most spectacular ways imaginable. Modern day gladiators. Are you not entertained?
Which may be why the story of Antonio Brown continues to elucidate strong opinions on both sides of the argument: Should this man have a job in the NFL? For those unfamiliar, Mister Brown is a wide receiver, considered by many to be one of the best in the sport, who left his former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in a bit of a huff. He landed in Oakland, where the Raiders have a tradition of large personalities and have a tendency to be open to shenanigans as long as their players "just win, baby." In the weeks leading up to this centennial season, Antonio Brown found any number of ways to keep himself from having to work too hard or to play an actual game for his new team. The team that was going to pay him fifty million dollars over the course of three years. By the time he had frozen his feet, argued about his helmet, and avoided any of that previously mentioned contact, he had burned most of the bridges into and out of Oakland, of which there are several. After yet another flurry of social media, the Raiders organization bid Antonio Brown adieu.
A few hours later, the current world champion New England Patriots came calling and signed Mister Brown up to a one year, fifteen million dollar contract. Causing everyone who holds the Patriots in great disdain to beat their chests and cry foul. Happy coincidence? Conspiracy?
Who cares?
Seemingly everyone, which is fascinating considering all the things we all have to care about currently. And yet somehow, this young man will be awarded with millions of dollars for playing a game while another young man who sacrificed his career to stand by, or rather sit by, his ideals cannot find work in the NFL. Colin Kaepernick cannot find a team for whom he can play. Apparently, his actions are considered "too big a distraction." And now that he is a "Patriot," Antonio Brown has been accused of rape. Decorum prohibits me from making remarks such as "he should fit right in."
One hundred years of organized chaos.