Authorized brutality History of violence in American football

American football has been a violent sport since its beginnings as a college game in the 1870s and 1880s, in part because learning how to deal with pain and violence, or what is known as “pain tolerance,” helps build the character of college students. Michael Oriard, former NFL linebacker and professor emeritus of English, shows us that this long-held belief persisted for more than a century, until signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) appeared inThe brain of Mike Webster, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback. Suddenly, the price of “pain tolerance” became high, as it could cause long-term damage not only to the body, but also to the brain. Unbeknownst to anyone, that risk had risen dramatically since the 1950s and 1960s, when the hard plastic helmet became the main weapon in blocking and tackling, as taught by a new generation of college coaches, led by Bear Bryant of the University of Alabama.In this cultural history of football at almost every level—from high school to college to the professional—Oryard traces the enduring tension between health and culture in relation to football, as reflected in what the public reads in newspapers, magazines, and on the Internet. By examining our past and present feelings about the game, Oriard invites us to reflect on the possibility that football can be excessively unbearably violent.