America is infatuated with football. Sure it's a pastime that provides a relief from troubles and the mundane aspects of life, but does it justify a passion that blurs the lines of reason?
Modern day culture has chiseled heroes from the AstroTurf of fumbles and touchdowns, relishing strength and macho madness. Millions of adoring fans prop up demigods borne from their own fantastic need for escape.
Beer and chips line the couches of frazzled fans who feed the frenzy with adoration and awe. Cheering from the stands, like Romans in the coliseum, they rant for dangerous chases and brutal tackles, vying for victory at any cost.
Fathers dream of boys with fast legs and strong arms; fairy tales of fortunes and fame flaming their fantasies. It's as if American aspirations lie within the domes of "first and ten; do it again."
How many young boys' faces have burned with tears of shame that they cannot live up to their fathers' image of towering quarterbacks or agile defensive ends?
How many young men feel forsworn because they lack the athletic prowess that warrants cheering girls in short skirts to chant with giddy glee?
Celebrity, diamond earrings and Porsches set the bar for achievement and success in today's society. Herein lies the struggle for the future for America's economic, essential survival.
The loud roar of revelry does not reverberate in the halls of the academics. Losers and loners are considered the nerdy brains who shift through the shadows of silence.
No cheerleaders make signs for them that say, "Go Wildcat Science Team! Win, win, win!" No pat on the back and "'atta boys" for the passionate political science major who seeks to carry the torch of liberty. Parades are not thrown for math wizards and engineering majors.
Such a lack of luster for anything other than shoulder pads and shiny helmets leaves a dearth of motivation for diversity of learning. An athletic vacuum has sucked the life out of a once-promising and prosperous American ingenuity.
A deficiency of incentive and misplaced values has diminished American competitiveness in the marketplace. Now, companies seek accomplished students from India to fill jobs that American schools have failed to provide.
They don't have football in India.
At what cost does America immerse herself in an unbalanced quest for sports mania? A level playing field needs to be the foundation upon which America rebuilds her aspirations and subsequent destiny.
Media, academia and families all carry the burden to lighten the weight from athletes' shoulders and shine a light on other venues of accomplishment.
The Penn State tragedy affects the nation as a whole and begs to check the myth. Lives are devastated by the need to make superheroes out of mere humans.
Idolatry for any other than the true God leads to a bitter awakening. Earthquakes of reality are destined for those who misplace loyalties.
Reason slows the fervor that threatens stability. Society has the responsibility to reassess where it places focus, fame and undo pressures.
Janine Turner, a longtime television and movie actress, is a talk radio host on KLIF Radio in Dallas.
Janine Turner, a longtime television and movie actress, is a talk radio host on KLIF Radio in Dallas.
