“I do not understand what it is I’ve done wrong. Full of holes, check the pulse. Blink your eyes one for yes two for no. I’ve no idea what I’m talking about. I’m trapped in this body and can’t get out.”
Lyric from: Bodysnatchers from the In Rainbows
Written By: Colin Greenwood, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O’Brien, Philip Selway and Thom Yorke
Performed by: Radiohead
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| Photo courtesy of jasonwitten82.com |
A little while ago during a chat with one of my absolute favorite people in the world, I learned that he almost never takes any time off from work-rarely a vacation day and absolutely no sick days at all.
I knew instantly that his perfect attendance could only be driven by one of two very opposite motivating forces, love for the job or fear of losing it.
Apparently, he had been trained to deny himself these little breaks from the workplace in a retail position he held a few years back where a day off often necessitated a new job search.
And there was my answer.
I thought of my friend and his fear inspired decision making last night when Jason Witten took the field for the Dallas Cowboys in their season opener against the New York Giants.
Witten, who suffered a lacerated spleen in a preseason game was initially listed as a game time decision and depending on who you ask, in his haste to make that decision a little easier for team officials, was willing to sign a waiver relieving the Cowboys of any liability if he re-aggravated the injury or maybe worse yet, died, as a result of his play. ESPN's Chris Mortensen first reported the story yesterday morning but the Cowboys have since said that they were unaware of any waiver.
All that said, at game time Witten took the field.
Thankfully he finished the game unharmed with two receptions for 10 yards as the Cowboys defeated the Giants 24-17.
It’s hard to imagine an NFL player being afraid of anything. In fact, most of us would describe what they do week to week as the exact opposite of fear.
Listen, any 200-300 plus-pound specimen that runs full speed into another 200-300 plus-pound specimen to finance their livelihood is definitely a tough guy in my book. But in matters of injury, there’s often a thin line between tough and foolish.
Our favorite quotes about fear advise us that we should always do what we are afraid to do and that fear is an impetus to stand up and strike. But the lesser referenced passages regarding the condition warn us that our fear of loss is nothing more than our attachment to the present and our foolish aversion to change.
After an offseason filled with talk of Bountygate and concussion lawsuits, one is left to conclude that the National Football League is a workplace that flourishes best with a culture of fear.
A coach gives what is now considered an insensitive and dangerous pregame speech in which he inspires his players to make a name for themselves by sending their opponent off the field on a cart. Guys get their bells rung and lie to go back into the game even though each concussion brings them closer to a serious brain injury and a lifetime of foggy memories and the haze of depression.
But the risk/reward calculations of those examples can more easily be waved off as consequences to be faced down the line.
Jason Whitten was willing to endure a very immediate risk last night.
Whatever the consequence, our dearly loved NFL players usually highlight their camaraderie and blue-collar approach to teamwork as the driving force behind their willingness to take the field at all cost.
There are other incentives at play here, however. The details of which can be found in any NFL contract or in the biological clock that seems to wind down so expeditiously on every respective NFL career.
In spite of everything there seems to be no greater motivation for these NFL players than the fear of losing it all right now-their starting spot, their money, their fame and maybe even their relevance.
Otherwise guys might think a little less about holding on for dear life to the present and more about their quality of life down the line.
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