The saying goes that with age comes wisdom, but the older I get, the more the world perplexes me. For example, this last Super Bowl had a viewership of 123.4 million people. How is it thrilling to watch young men participate in a sport that results in their irreversible brain damage? It pains me to imagine how they will suffer once their professional careers are over. I would have thought Muhammed Ali’s cognitive decline would provoke changes, but maybe this dismissive attitude toward the players’ wellbeing is rooted in the fact that the majority are African American.
As a Spanish professor and amateur musician, I am aware of how learning a foreign language staves off cognitive decline and playing a musical instrument promotes brain health. Unfortunately, music and foreign languages tend to be cut or eliminated in school curriculums. At the same time, more funds get funneled into athletics, especially football. Football coaches at public universities tend to be the best paid public servants of their states.
My personal preferences aside, the moral question remains: how are you entertained by young people who are ruining their lives so that you can have a fun Sunday afternoon? Wouldn’t it be better to learn a language or how to play a musical instrument instead? Maybe 123 million jam sessions and another 123 million foreign language conversation get-togethers would be better for all of us. At least, you would be improving your brain without ruining anyone else’s.
I’m Frances Jaeger, and that is my Perspective.
