Osler's Razor

I am going to have a lot of writing to do about college football. I am struggling with the fact that I can no longer unambiguously support a sport that does damage--great damage, in many cases-- to the players, skews educational priorities, is the locus for scandal on many campuses, and has led the way in creating separate and unequal facilities on many campuses for athletes and non-athletes.

But, still, I can't help caring what happens. And when I saw the end of the Appalachian State/Penn State game on Saturday (Penn State won in overtime) I was swept right back into it.

The whole thing is a fantasy, I realize. Components of the fantasy include delusional beliefs that the players are normal students, that it isn't about money, that the players aren't being used by the system, and that there is no connection between the game and the physical maladies that players suffer decades later. Plus, the fantasy that Michigan will finally live up to its promise.

See, there I go again! My head tells me not to care, but my heart still does. Sigh.