Blinded: How super-athletes have evolved into an idea of super-humans

It's natural to admire Olympic and professional athletes. The dedication, drive, jaw-dropping athleticism; they are all qualities to be revered and celebrated. But does our admiration for these talented individuals ever blind our opinions?

It was just a few weeks ago that South African sprinter, Oscar Pistorius,  allegedly murdered his girlfriend. I must admit that my initial thoughts rapidly went from denial of his actions to hoping that  some sort of fatal mistake was made - either on the sprinter's side or on that of the prosecution. Because Pistorius, the super-athlete, could not possibly have taken someone's life. I quickly realized that it was looking as if 'Blade Runner,' the Olympic athlete that I admired so much, was not in fact as admirable as I formerly thought.

My admiration for Pistorius as an athlete blinded my judgement of him as a person. The same delusion and outright denial happened to Penn State fans when the beloved JoePa's name was dragged into the mud next to Sandusky's. Other crises involving professional or Olympic athletes include Lance Armstrong and his denial of doping. Some fans still refuse to even consider for a second that Armstrong may have cheated.

Is this naivety or optimism? The athletes and coaches we dedicate our weekends to will ultimately disappoint us from time to time on the field, track or course, but a detrimental mistake or character flaw feels almost like a personal betrayal. Children and adults alike look up to these figures as role models, as something to aspire to be. We don't just proudly wear the jerseys and t-shirts on game day; we identify ourselves as that team's fan, as part of Steeler Nation or the Seahawks' 12th man. The "We Are" chant truly becomes a part of a Penn State fan's identity. Maybe this connection is why the devastating news of an athlete's mistakes off the field or away from the Olympic games hits us fans so hard. Sports aren't just our pastime anymore; the games we love have truly become a part of us.

Professional sports getting too personal?

In the wake of the confusion and turmoil sparked by the Manti Te'o media frenzy, one must ask himself, are sports getting too personal?  At what point does an athlete's actions off the field start negatively impacting their approval amongst sports fans? Te'o was listed second on ESPN's Heisman Watch Experts Poll in early December. According to The Daily Caller, his approval rating was an astounding 88% during the BCS National Championship game. After the news of the scandal broke, his approval dropped to 15%. Does a personal issue merit a 73% drop?

Reports say that Te'o's draft stock has luckily not taken such a drastic hit. When the 6'2" linebacker out of Notre Dame does inevitably get drafted, there will undoubtedly be fans saying he shouldn't have been drafted at all due to the recent scandal. Other athletes have also been pulled through this media frenzy to eventually escape with low approval ratings.

According to Forbes, America's least favorite athletes of exactly one year ago included Tiger Woods, Kris Humphries, Michael Vick and Plaxico Burress. Upon reading these names, any sports fan will most likely immediately recall a personal issue or conflict that made these athletes' approval ratings take a nosedive.

Then, of course, there's the unavoidable question if professional athletes are held to a different standard. A regular student's relationship (?) issues would not have received national media coverage. The Te'o scandal is a newsworthy story simply due to his status as a soon-to-be professional football player. How much criticism and ridicule are athletes exposing themselves to. Is it unfair? Or just part of the lifestyle they signed up for? An athlete may be a superhuman physically, but that doesn't mean they're infallible superheroes.

Is this focus on an athlete's personal issues and/or poor choices partially to blame on the media? It seems there is a constant focus on the negative aspects of a player's personal life. Rarely does one see the media promoting the good things professional athletes are doing on their own and off the field. For example, New York Giants' Hakeem Nicks has a program called Helping Hands that gave 150 poverty-stricken children backpacks full of food. Nicks, himself, even discussed the importance of a healthy, balanced diet. Steelers' Lamarr Woodley, and his foundation, helped promote a Pittsburgh based non-profit dedicated to reducing the city's crime. These efforts are something to be celebrated, yet the news is filled with whether or not Te'o's girlfriend does in fact exist.

Professional athletes are role models to youth all over the nation. Should athletes be weary of this role model status and behave accordingly? Or should the media simply let their personal life remain personal?

All athletes have the power and resources to do amazing things for their communities. If the media and fans are going to get personal about a should-be private life and seemingly glorify the mistakes or negatives, athletes' philanthropic efforts are even more newsworthy and should be treated as such. 

Why football is here to stay, despite CTE - the silent killer

President Barack Obama said he'd have to think long and hard before permitting a son to play football. Even the National Football League (NFL) Commissioner, Roger Goodell, has been known to deflect the question from time to time. Bernard Pollard, Baltimore Ravens' safety, is doubtful that the NFL will even exist in 30 years. And then there's Ann McKee, Co-director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE); a woman who has the heartbreaking job of working with the widows and family members of deceased athletes and military personnel. Some of these men and women, who decided to donate their body to this specific research, will be diagnosed via autopsy with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). McKee has also recently been framed as "the woman trying to destroy football."

In reality, McKee and her team at the CSTE are working to learn more about, and eventually destroy, tau, an abnormal and invasive protein which causes horrific symptoms such as depression and dementia. So far, the research center has accepted brain and spinal cord donations from two military personnel, eight hockey players, five boxers and wrestlers, one soccer player and two amateur athletes. The rest of the donations publicized by the CSTE  have come from football. A bevy of players from varying leagues and levels, including: one youth athlete; six high school; 11 student-athletes; and an astounding 37 professional football players.

As of the beginning of this year, 32 NFL players were diagnosed postmortem as victims of CTE at research centers across the country- and those were just the bodies that were donated for testing for the silent killer. This astounding number includes the beloved Tiania Baul "Junior" Seau. The death of this linebacker, a man renowned for his joyful nature, seemed to hit home for many players and fans. With more frequent discussion of concussions and their long-lasting side effects, as well as rule changes and fines for hard hits, some fans (or former fans) have been complaining of the loss of the sport's masculine nature. What is the future of football?

Some say fans will get fed up with the drastic change of the game. Others, like Pollard, are doubtful that the sport will continue at all. Then there are fans like myself; fans who feel that the sport isn't going anywhere. Too many people love the game and more importantly, the lifestyle, that football warrants. Beyond that, the positive effects that all levels of the sport have on their local economy is reason enough to rapidly curtail any efforts to stop Amerca's new favorite pastime.

According to Business Insider, the NFL's revenue reached over nine billion this past year. A $500 million increase from 2010-2011. This enormous number does not include the unfathomable amount of others ways football keeps the economy going.

Stadiums employ people, teams employ front office staff, doctors, trainers, cheerleaders, coaches, psychologists, etc. A team's entire home city benefits from a home football game. Then there's the lifestyle that makes football well, football. The beer and burgers of tailgating, jerseys and memorabilia, hotel rooms and bar tabs, the list never ends. NCAA teams are no different: D1 football teams are semi-relied on by their home universities. Some high school seniors base their college choice on the environment that their school provides them with on Saturdays during the fall and winter months. The sport of football simply generates too much revenue for it to just disappear.

CTE has been known to effect boxers since the 1920's, but boxing still exists. The United Rules of Mixed Martial Arts has strict rules forbidding kicking or kneeing the head of a grounded fighter, rules similar to the NFL's Unnecessary Roughness calls in the protection of a defenseless player.  Despite these rules, athletes of all sports are still suffering from symptoms of CTE.

Some critics of CTE's existence, say that the depression and suicide all too common among retired players is due to the sudden halt of the famed football lifestyle. When playing the sport, professional athletes have trainers and doctors at their beck and call. Diet and exercise plans are laid out for them and their days are filled with working out, reviewing plays and watching film with the coveted Super Bowl trophy not far from their minds.When retirement comes, that lifestyle and career that served as the building blocks of of self-identity disappear. Granted, some players will continue making appearances, writing books and contributing to talk shows as analysts. Others will never grace the cover of the sports section again.

The NFL has been working diligently to improve player protection and strengthen research efforts across the county. Just this past September, the NFL committed to a $30 million donation to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. It was the League's largest philanthropic donation and it all was specified to fund research on diseases and health issues deemed all too common amongst professional athletes, including CTE. The NFL's newest branch, NFL Evolution, is making strides in publicizing what the League is doing in order to save its players.

Between the NFL's dedication to funding research, the love of the football lifestyle and our nation's economic reliance on the game, we don't have to worry - football's here to stay.