Here's another hard to swallow topic, a departure from verbal battles and on
to the REAL thing! (-:
 
It's relevant because it has to do with HOCKEY. Many college players do go on
and play in professional leagues, all levels, where violent play is more
prevalent! Though I'm not comparing them, the college repertoire of
intimidating moves as well as massive hits or and illegal play does the deed!
 
Check out the ad for Sports Illustrated in People...
 
Top of page shows a hockey player's eye getting gauged by a stick, bottom part
of page shows one player high sticking another player in the face. That area
over the player's face is ripped to show typeface that reads...
 
"If you weren't playing with a metal plate screwed into your ankle, if your
nose hadn't been broken, if you weren't playing with a shiner or have sutures
in your face, well, dammit, you just weren't trying."
 
The ironic part is the boards feature an ad for US Healthcare. I'm not sure if
this was intentional!? Another irony is US Healthcare   (though this doesn't
appear to be there ad ) rakes it in, the cost of a new nose, etc.!
 
The ad itself is for Sports Illustrated. Underneath the magazine's name this
is printed: "GUTS OF THE GAME"! Anotherwards, if you want to read about hockey
you'll find the "guts of the game" in Sports Illustrated!
 
So, what do you think is this just advertising lingo (four letter words do
grab) to grab your attention or could you surmise from this ad that VIOLENT
PLAY or INTENT TO INJURE PLAY is something fans want to see, read about,
ect.!?
 
When I saw the picture of a player's eye targeted for injury, Jeff Libby came
to mind immediately. Although Jeff's incident may have been a fluke,
(according to many people) there are clearly too many occasions where sticks
are up and they shouldn't be---even in college. Course, college-wise face-
masks save face!
 
Is this aggressiveness a by product of a fan-actical consumption for
violence?! On a trip to Barnes and Noble yesterday, I picked up 3 hockey mags,
comic book size. One of them, called "TUFF GUYS" was dedicated to NHL
heavyweight titles, middleweight champ, pretty good goons and rating of all
enforcers (BTW, I bought this cause I'm working on an anti-violentcontact
comic strip!) THN's, Brian McKenzie wrote in a recent issue that violence was
inherent in the game and above the law...I'm paraphrasing! Do you agree!?
 
I'm not adverse to physical play! But, how can we find our limitations both in
amateur and professional ranks!!? What should they be!? An important factor
here is what ever the big guys do filters down to the youth ranks, where
aggressive, violent play is on an upswing! Where, skills don't make the play
happen... force does... kind of thing!
 
Vicki Price
violentcontact.net
Concussion Free Zone
 
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