mekka okereke :verified:
I've told y'all I don't care much for #NFL football anymore. But I do care a lot about NFL players.
#DamarHamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field and the game would have continued if both teams hadn't protested.
Up until a few years ago the NFL used race norming, meaning that if both Brett Favre and I won brain damaged settlements my payout would be lower, because "Blacks have lower IQ anyways!"
You may be able to enjoy this sport. I can't.
Wishing Damar a speedy and complete recovery.
mekka okereke :verified:
Imagine believing that a 9 year old Black kid living in extreme poverty *can* learn what "Wing T Split Back Belly Right on 3!" means, but *can't* learn what "Binary Search on the sorted list of names!" means. It's nonsense.
When kids feel like they have a choice, they choose not to play football. Which is why football programs are dwindling across the country.
When labor has free movement, employers treat labor better. Which is why coaches are starting to treat college athletes better.
mekka okereke :verified:
Some of y'all know I was involved with the signing of the college sports Name, Image, and Likeness bills. Which seems contradictory, because I don't seem to like sports that much?
It's not about sports. It's about reducing the inequity that forces young Black kids to feel like sports is their only option. It's not.
Find a person that's never written code, and never played football. I can explain binary search quicker than I can explain even the simplest football play.🤷🏿♂️
mekka okereke :verified:
That's a lot of money to earn in 2 years! Slightly less over 5 years, but still a lot!
And much less when you consider that these are some young men's entire career earnings (40 years).
And over 95% of people that play these short NFL careers will have detectable amounts of CTE brain damage after their careers, many will have disabling injuries, and some will be addicted to pain killers.
And Damar is one of the successful ones! Most careers are under 1 year.
mekka okereke :verified:
I point out to folks that the 5 year median earnings for a Silicon Valley software engineer are *higher* than the 5 year median earnings for an NFL player.
Because NFL stands for Not For Long. And contracts are structured so the 1st contract doesn't pay much, and most players never make it to their second contract. And money is not guaranteed. You get injured and don't play? You don't get paid.
Damar Hamlin was paid ~800K last year, and ~800K the year before.
https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/damar-hamlin-72596/cash-earnings/
mekka okereke :verified:
Your heroes are not my heroes.
And I did it all substance free. Because I know that that these "strength and conditioning" coaches are quacks. Restrict water, give nonsense training regimens, let your athletes get injured, dehydrate them, and then pump them full of pain killers and steroids? And watch them die of neglect? Race horses are treated better.
If you want to get bigger and stronger? Talk to a powerlifting coach and a nutritionist.
Want to get faster? Talk to a track coach.
mekka okereke :verified:
I wasn't faster than most NFL players, but I was stronger than almost every person to ever play NFL football(still am!) because I know how to train.
I was a better tackler because I learned the *skill* of tackling by playing rugby my whole life and being captain of the college rugby team and a force on the undefeated Riverside Killer Bees semi-pro team.
I was a better fighter, because boxing and jiu-jitsu are *skills*.
The only time I ever had my water restricted was playing college football.
mekka okereke :verified:
The most common way to die as a football player, is to be a player in Spring football, doing a conditioning drill, and a coach restrict your access to water as a punishment, you overheat, get heatstroke, and your coach ignores your pleas and the pleas of your teammates, until it's far too late.
This doesn't make you stronger or faster. This doesn't make you better at football. This doesn't make you tougher. It's just sadistic. They only get away with it because of who plays college football.
mekka okereke :verified:
The issue isn't just that football is a violent sport. Many sports are violent.
The issue isn't just that there was an on-field cardiac arrest. Happens. More and more since Covid. People confuse "Omicron doesn't attack the lungs as much" with "Omicron is mild"
The issue is the callous indifference that the mostly Black players are handled with
The most dangerous form of football in terms of fatalities is college spring football. So called "strength and conditioning" coaches work kids to death
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