Reaction to "Sacking the Super Bowl" by Steve Almond

                           I recently read the article "Sacking the Super Bowl" by Steve Almond, and I found it to be a well written  article that does an exceptional job of making the reader question the ethics of the most popular sport in America.  The beginning of the article is a spectacular attention grabber that appeals to the sympathy of the reader.  It is not about football at all, but rather a sad story about the writer's mother and her struggles with a form of dementia.  This opening works to grab the sympathy of the reader, and then apply it to football.  This is because the next thing the writer does is compare his mother's illness to the illnesses of retired players.  The writer then goes on to describe the lucrative nature of the NFL in terms of their mass wealth which comes from the public as a whole while the NFL remains tax-exempt.  The author then brings up the danger football poses to the players and asks the reader what the reward is for them.  Steve Almond encourages readers to ask ourselves if football is really safe.  This question also influences the reader to wonder how they can then support football.  At the end of the article, the writer leaves the decision in our hands about whether or not to watch football.  This article is extremely well written with the ending especially standing out.  Steve Almond knows that he has no chance convincing a large group of people to give up on football, so instead he leaves it to our conscience.  He hopes that this article will stick in the mind of people watching the game and that it might encourage them to come around to his way of thinking.  Ultimately, I will continue to watch football.  The truth is that the players are paid a lot for what they do and each one knows the risks.   Football players play football because they love it, and not even the risks involved could convince them to stop playing.  This is the reasoning I will use to clear my conscience every year when I sit down to watch the Super Bowl.