There are SO many things I would recommend the NFL does - but the first is simply to acknowledge that if they surveyed their players and did a "thought experiment" on the nature of cheering vs. jeering.....that every player would readily admit being booed over long periods of time for their performance would be devastating to them personally and professionally.....because .every player believes (AS THEY SHOULD) the old addage that "on any given Sunday" their team - no matter the record, no matter the field, no matter the weather, no matter the score......can still win!
Now, ask these professional players how long they would want to play if the only play they could ever run simply failed miserably.....and there was no capacity to change the final outcome of the game - EVER.....and that the only fans over time that kept showing up were by all appearances there only to boo the losing team on to an entirely predictable failure......
How many games, seasons, and decades would these professionals want to endure under such conditions?
1 game?
2 seasons?
a decade?
an entire career?
a lifetime?
And yet....aren't we asking so many of our youth to do JUST THAT? Like Martin Seligman's German Shepard shocked into submission, our youth have drawn a drastic conclusion that no matter the effort they muster or the play they run, there simply is no way to change the final outcome or score of the "game".....so why even TRY to run a different play today?
I live in the Seattle area where we are enjoying a historical moment for a very otherwise maligned franchise. We are now Super Bowl Champions that had struggled with mediocrity both on and off the field for decades. I recently remarked to an educational colleague that perhaps the greatest advantage the Seattle Seahawks have is not in their personnel (as good as these players are), and it is not in their coaching (though likely to be in the Hall of Fame for Coaching), and it is not found in the incredibly cool surroundings of the stadium they play in.(though it is impressive)...the "secret sauce" is simply what we call "the 12's."
The Fans.
The loudest fans in the country, and arguably anywhere in the world. But as loud as these fans are, it is not merely their volume that makes their contribution important. It is that they are (very) loudly loyal and in support of one team no matter the weather, no matter the play, no matter the score, and no matter the outcome.
My colleague didn't disagree at all - because we both know that under the intense support of such fans virtually any other team in the league could flourish.
As we concluded our conversation on "football" I asked my colleague,
"Don't you think every child deserves his own "12's"?"
If we could ask anything of the NFL, or of any celebrity or any accomplished individual, would it not be that we simply find a way to ensure that every infant, toddler, adolescent, young adult, and individual have their own "12's" rooting them on to victory in the presence of adversity? Would it not be that every child experience a "home field advantage"? Would it not be that the "coaching" they receive listen to their perspective and help develop new ways of running new plays that yield different outcomes or "scores"? Would it not be that even if a truly "level playing field" could not be provided that compassionate individuals would come alongside that individual to ensure that forward progress - despite the slanted field - was always possible? And would it not also be that on any given day that ends in "y" that there was acknowledgement for effort and cheering for simply getting back up again after being tripped up, falling down, or even "fumbling"?
The NFL's challenge is a microcosm of society's challenge and the same challenges in my state, region, town, neighborhood, block, and home. We should stay focused on getting "12's" for each 1's needs.
Now THAT would be something to cheer about!