Blood or Tea? Why the #NFL should look in the mirror

-The Dip

The locker room culture in the NFL is a very hot topic right now.  From teammates bullying and hazing each other, right down to the verbiage that is used while speaking to each other.   This has been a problem that many have seen creeping into the society of the NFL and it’s players.  Yes, you may use inappropriate language and behavior when you are out with your “boys” but when these words and actions spill over into the workplace it becomes a major issue.

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Most have equated the culture in the NFL to the fact that it is a very violent and aggressive game, where your replacement is sitting next to you in the locker room and not hundreds of miles away on a farm team.  Many also liken football to war and that hazing and bullying get rid of the weak.  The only issue with that is to imagine for one second that the NFL is as noble a position as someone actually risking their lives for a sociological ideal, such as freedom makes you seem quite stupid.

The other of the 4 major sports where you can find violence and aggression is the NHL.  Walk into an NHL locker room you will not racial obscenities or teammates fighting each other. In fact it would not surprise me to see them serving afternoon tea.  

The NHL is the only sport that fighting is part of the game, a big part.  The difference is that after 2 combatants take care of the issue on the ice they most likely text each other saying that they think the other did a good job!  That’s not a joke!  Most “fighters” in the NHL have fought each other a number of times over the years and respect each other immensely. 

In hockey you may see a goon go after a smaller skilled player, after that you may see that goon get lit up by the other teams goon.  That is that.  NHL players police themselves, there are always bad apples.  In hockey bad apples get smashed.  In the NFL bad apples get contracts.