It is true that if it weren’t for Bob Costas (and other high-quality football sportscasters) the Kansas City Chiefs’ Jovan Belcher would not have killed himself and his girlfriend.
Why did Jovan kill himself?
A: He was having trouble.
Why?
A: Head injuries.
Why?
A. Football.
Why does football cause head injuries?
A. Players hit each other hard.
Why?
A. Because they need to to make the team.
Why do they want to make the team?
A. Because it pays a lot of money.
Why?
A. Because of all the people that enjoy watching it on TV.
Why do people enjoy watching football on TV?
A. Because the sportscasters compensate for loss of not actually being at the game live, and make it exciting. Without sportscasters, very few would watch.
So without sportscasters, there wouldn’t be enough money in football to get enough people to train hard enough to cause the number of head injuries that eventually led to these two tragic deaths. So why is Bob blaming the gun that only made the murder slightly louder than if Belcher had used a knife?
My original statement is true: Without sportscasters, this murder/suicide never would have taken place. Probably Belcher and his girlfriend never would have met. So should sportscasting be banned, or should people start learning that placing blame anywhere other than the critical decision maker (in this case Jovan) is counter to the interest of the society as a whole?
Mark Sexton
