Chris Borland retires

[BOTT]

They better be concerned.

 

It's only one story, but its part of a larger mosaic that is refocusing people on the concussion issue for sure....and in the short term, the NFL will have to continue to adjust to a new medically-confirmed reality about concussions and injuries in general, along with a fairer level of medical compensation....or a second cascade of lawsuits if they don't.

 

And along those lines, can litigation against the almost equally successful NCAA be far behind? 

 

One early trickle down effect of all this is the "Heads Up" campaign in youth football which the NFL is promoting, but it still hasn't blunted a growing discussion out there of how a number parents maybe seriously begin to steer their kids away from football entirely.

 

And over the long-term I believe the NFL has another problem.

 

Because by 2042 the demographics in the U.S. will shift dramatically toward a population much more rooted in the sport of soccer....and strange or ridiculous as THIS may sound...the NFL could very well see the passing of its popularity as invincible.

 

This and a number of other stubbornly recurrent issues are not helping what I believe to be the larger, long-term demographic challenge to the NFL's popularity....one that NFL forays abroad have not only done little to inspire a great deal of confidence, but now carry this concussion/long-term health tag along.

 

The NFL has enjoyed the $$$$ mountaintop of sports popularity for a long time....and I believe we are seeing the apex of it now, but I think it will begin to wane a bit over time. This doesn't mean NFL football is doomed....it just means that over time it will settle along side other sports, namely soccer, in the quest for our interest and sports dollars.

 

It sounds absurd now....but there was also a time when I suspect MLB owners were snickering at something called the NFL.

How are the people now coming to the U.S. more rooted in soccer than their predecessors? I'm far from a soccer historian, in fact I loathe the game, but it's been the worlds most popular sport for quite some time.

[pacolts56]

How are the people now coming to the U.S. more rooted in soccer than their predecessors? I'm far from a soccer historian, in fact I loathe the game, but it's been the worlds most popular sport for quite some time.

They're not.....there's just going to be more folks as part of the population that are traditionally fans of soccer. It's a demographic reality that the U.S. will have a Latino/Hispanic majority by 2040....probably sooner.

 

Sponsors chase demographics and TV content is dictated by the same.

 

It simply means that the NFL will have competition in that area.

[BOTT]

They're not.....there's just going to be more folks as part of the population that are traditionally fans of soccer. It's a demographic reality that the U.S. will have a Latino/Hispanic majority by 2040....probably sooner.

 

Sponsors chase demographics and TV content is dictated by the same.

 

It simply means that the NFL will have competition in that area.

I'm not sure I buy the argument. Their kids will grow up and come to the obvious conclusion that American football is far more entertaining to watch and play than soccer lol

[Horse Shoe Heaven]

To bad I like Borland. Wanted the Colts to draft him, hum glad we didn't now. Wish him the best! To bad for the unraveling 49er nation.

[LordHelpOurColts]

Good for him. Good for all of them that they are realizing that the NFL does not care about them.

[LordHelpOurColts]

Horse Shoe Heaven, on 17 Mar 2015 - 5:07 PM, said:

To bad I like Borland. Wanted the Colts to draft him, hum glad we didn't now. Wish him the best! To bad for the unraveling 49er nation.

 

You're glad the Colts didn't draft someone with integrity?

[southwest1]

Can't say I blame him at all.

 

He's being smart. Concussions will end up being the death of the NFL cause a game that's bread and butter is violent hits, cannot be fixed. This will happen after someone gets paralyzed and possibly dies on the field (we're pretty close to getting there, especially with college level) 

 

There's better things to do in life that don't require athletic physical strength that put your brain at major risk with injury. we may love this game, but we can't hide the fact the consequences that happen to one's body that is being sacrificed for our entertainment. The older I get, I become more disturbed by the thought of it. Seeing Earl Campbell's state of condition and now recently Tony Dorsett's health problems are very disturbing. 

 

I'm glad players are retiring left and right at young ages, cause on the other hand people often blame the victim here "but they signed up for it and knew the risks". Don't care. As much money as the NFL makes, the least they could do to help players that use their brain and have second thoughts is simple; offer them a universal healthcare plan and pay their medical bills for them (considering the NFL is the capitalist here and is marketing and creating profit from these players, yes I suggest pay all their medical bills for them. That's the least they can do to show appreciation). This corporation makes billions of dollars, it's no excuse. The NFL don't even pay for Earl Campbell who is crippled and can't even walk after he sacrificed his body to them for entertainment purposes. If the NFL had a universal healthcare system and paid for players medical bills and really went out of their way to care about them, this issue would lighten up in the eyes of non-football fans that are always bringing up the health concerns. 

 

Good for him, and I am hoping the best for him in his life. 

Bogie, 

 

Your 4th paragraph is very well written & brilliant. The League is a multi-billion dollar business. If the Commissioner cared about safety as much as he claimed he does he would not be attempting to expand the NFL season, modify the eligibility playoff picture, or put more roadblocks ahead of former players who need help now meaning there should be no need to hire a lawyer to get the medical benefits a player is entitled to. Lastly, have the courage to admit that there is a correlation between constant collisions, concussions, CTE, dementia, flights of rage & suicide. 

 

I do feel bad for Borland in 1 regard though: There is no other legal job where he can earn so much money that fast--life changing money I mean that can provide you with financial security for your family in say 10-12 years. 

[pacolts56]

I'm not sure I buy the argument. Their kids will grow up and come to the obvious conclusion that American football is far more entertaining to watch and play than soccer lol

 

Time will tell....more soccer than ever on TV, and the fact that their kids play it almost universally are very different factors than during the time when NFL football, and TV itself, was still "growing up"....and demographic trends then were quite different than what they are now.

[southwest1]

They better be concerned.

 

It's only one story, but its part of a larger mosaic that is refocusing people on the concussion issue for sure....and in the short term, the NFL will have to continue to adjust to a new medically-confirmed reality about concussions and injuries in general, along with a fairer level of medical compensation....or a second cascade of lawsuits if they don't.

 

And along those lines, can litigation against the almost equally successful NCAA be far behind? 

 

One early trickle down effect of all this is the "Heads Up" campaign in youth football which the NFL is promoting, but it still hasn't blunted a growing discussion out there of how a number parents maybe seriously begin to steer their kids away from football entirely.

 

And over the long-term I believe the NFL has another problem.

 

Because by 2042 the demographics in the U.S. will shift dramatically toward a population much more rooted in the sport of soccer....and strange or ridiculous as THIS may sound...the NFL could very well see the passing of its popularity as invincible.

 

This and a number of other stubbornly recurrent issues are not helping what I believe to be the larger, long-term demographic challenge to the NFL's popularity....one that NFL forays abroad have not only done little to inspire a great deal of confidence, but now carry this concussion/long-term health tag along.

 

The NFL has enjoyed the $$$$ mountaintop of sports popularity for a long time....and I believe we are seeing the apex of it now, but I think it will begin to wane a bit over time. This doesn't mean NFL football is doomed....it just means that over time it will settle along side other sports, namely soccer, in the quest for our interest and sports dollars.

 

It sounds absurd now....but there was also a time when I suspect MLB owners were snickering at something called the NFL.

Well said PAC56! The NFL can't have it both ways. They can't claim that concussion lawsuits will make a billion dollar industry go broke especially when it is the most popular sport broadcast in America & perhaps the world now. I don't like in Europe so I can't say with certainty that soccer or futbol would surpass the popularity of American football. And if I being honest, I know baseball is quite popular in latin America & I suspect that  the NFL does not occupy a stronghold there. 

 

The NFL could be doing a hades of a lot more than they are to help former players get medical surgeries or psychological help they so desperately need. If they even made an attempt to help former players with ailments without having to be sued in order to do anything the League would go a long way to showing parents & the public that they view athletes as individuals to be looked at as more than a Sunday game meal ticket. If Roger Goodell would just show the public that safety means more than a new helmet or advanced shoulder pads to distribute the impact of a collision across the player's body & he focused more on that person's quality of life after retirement I would have more respect for him & the owners he actually works for. 

 

If parents & loved ones can see that the league cares about players welfare after they are done playing games professionally, more people would be willing to subject their bodies to such brutal punishment because they'd know afterwards that regardless of what happens to their bodies they will not be abandoned & let to rot & die alone. 

 

Nice post PAC56. 

[southwest1]

The other thing that makes me laugh is this: Without quality players, there is no product to sell to the public & owners get the biggest share of revenue dollars from TV broadcasting deals & advertising dollars. The players themselves never get a percentage of that money.

 

True, lucrative sponsorship partnerships between companies & owners allows premier athletes to get nicer contracts from this arrangement in select cases I will admit, but the slice of take home profit pie is much smaller for elite football players vs NFL owners on average. 

 

This just reinforces my point that owners in a billion dollar industry in the most popular professional sport can't claim they are strapped for cash. It's a ludicrous argument with no merit whatsoever. If owners made a good faith effort to deal with the concussion epidemic other than trying to give former players a lump sum to go away & get lost I'd back off a little bit. However, medical care means you are proactive, you don't run from empirical evidence, & you give a darn about people not equipment or the bottom line in the profit margin only. 

 

But Roger Goodell & the owners also know this: Poor kids trying to rise above poverty outnumber rich kids or upper middle kids who have other options besides football to become wealthy so therefore the league can turn a blind eye to concussions because they will always be more desperate people with no other way out than those individuals with access to other avenues to a better life. 

 

The league calls it opportunity. Others might call it exploitation. Sure, no one is forced to play football, but if a kid didn't come from money & can't go into the service for medical reasons, what other choice does he have? Answer none. 

[Horse Shoe Heaven]

You're glad the Colts didn't draft someone with integrity?

no love his integrity, would be disappointed if we drafted him & he played a year an retired!

[ruksak]

I'm just not the type that can understand passing up and opportunity like this. He could become quadriplegic from falling down the stairs, die in a car accident, or be diagnosed with terminal cancer at any moment. Such is life. 

 

Recoil into your turtle shell, oh frightened one. 

 

What's he gonna do now? A safe life of selling insurance, where he faces the peril of dying in a fiery cacophony of screeching tires and crashing metal while commuting?

 

Maybe I should quit my forklift operating job? I know a guy that used to drive a forklift, and then he dropped several bottles of Snapple on his head and he can't even perform in bed anymore. 

[ruksak]

You're glad the Colts didn't draft someone with integrity?

First off; When you enter the draft and sign your contract, you're promising to fulfill an obligation to a group that has an awful lot at stake. Walk away from them, and you screw the team and every fan of that team. Too bad he didn't have this epiphany before obliging himself in such a serious manner. 

 

Secondly; I'm not calling this "integrity". I'm calling it ......something else. 

[amfootball]

First off; When you enter the draft and sign your contract, you're promising to fulfill an obligation to a group that has an awful lot at stake. Walk away from them, and you screw the team and every fan of that team. Too bad he didn't have this epiphany before obliging himself in such a serious manner. 

 

Secondly; I'm not calling this "integrity". I'm calling it ......something else. 

I agree with your first paragraph. He has let his teammates down and the fans. I find it hard to believe that he just had this epiphany now? I mean he went through high school and college right? And a year of pro ball? The timing seems strange. The info about concussions has been out there for quite some time now so it is not like he just learned about the dangers this past season.

[Dustin]

Too bad he didn't have this epiphany before obliging himself in such a serious manner. 

 

Or at least before FA started. 

[ruksak]

I agree with your first paragraph. He has let his teammates down and the fans. I find it hard to believe that he just had this epiphany now? I mean he went through high school and college right? And a year of pro ball? The timing seems strange. The info about concussions has been out there for quite some time now so it is not like he just learned about the dangers this past season.

I would chew my own legs off to give my daughter the kind of life that career would've garnered. 

 

 

It's at this time that every damn person who's father or grandfather whom toiled away in a coalmine are just flabbergasted at this thinly veiled, self-righteous decision he made. I could understand walking away if the game isn't for you, if it doesn't make you happy. But to grandstand (yes, he's doing plenty of interviews) and PRETEND that he's quitting because he might receive permanent injury..........he can sell that crap to someone else. 

 

I gave myself 5 concussions.....free of charge, along with a multi-page litany of injury, some that still hobble me today 20 years later, because I was driven to pursue my passion of BMX freestyle. 

 

Borland has no passion, he has talent, and he used this concussion issue to skate out of the league as an excuse. That's his business, but don't lie to us about it. 

[pacolts56]

First off; When you enter the draft and sign your contract, you're promising to fulfill an obligation to a group that has an awful lot at stake. Walk away from them, and you screw the team and every fan of that team. Too bad he didn't have this epiphany before obliging himself in such a serious manner.

C'mon man.....you're making it sound like NFL owners are just loaded with honor and integrity, and they would never do things like cut all but a salary-guaranteed Top 20 drafted player in a heartbeat...or fight like hell in court against the very same crippled and concussed old men that they built their $10B+ juggernaut on the backs of.

I get that every walk of life carries risk....but as fans we rank light years behind players' families in decisions like these, and they're entitled to that in their lives like the rest of us are in our own.

Screwing the fans? Exactly who the hell do we think we are?

If Andrew Luck were to decide this morning he'd rather skip football and move on to an architecture career that may require....oh, a brain cell or two....then that's his business, isn't it?

Chris Borland has had two concussions already and decided the risk/reward of an NFL career doesn't work for his long term life plans. Think about it....one or two more concussions and his career falls on the mercy of THAT front office?

Football helped him acquire his college education and it sounds like he'll be able to actually use it.

And with the average NFL career being 3.2 years....I don't blame him in the least. jmo

[ruksak]

C'mon man.....you're making it sound like NFL owners are just loaded with honor and integrity, and they would never do things like cut all but a salary-guaranteed Top 20 drafted player in a heartbeat...or fight like hell in court against the very same crippled and concussed old men that they built their $10B+ juggernaut on the backs of.

I get that every walk of life carries risk....but as fans we rank light years behind players' families in decisions like these, and they're entitled to that in their lives like the rest of us are in our own.

Screwing the fans? Exactly who the hell do we think we are?

If Andrew Luck were to decide this morning he'd rather skip football and move on to an architecture career that may require....oh, a brain cell or two....then that's his business, isn't it?

Chris Borland has had two concussions already and decided the risk/reward of an NFL career doesn't work for his long term life plans. Think about it....one or two more concussions and his career falls on the mercy of THAT front office?

Football helped him acquire his college education and it sounds like he'll be able to actually use it.

And with the average NFL career being 3.2 years....I don't blame him in the least. jmo

He's a rich kid from a family of means that has no damn idea how hard, how dangerous, that blue collar jobs can be. 

 

 

"I hurt my arm boss, I quit. I didn't know working construction was dangerous"

 

 

"Coal dust? What? I had no idea. I quit. My family can eat cardboard I suppose".

 

 

"Nobody told me that some crackhead might rob me with an ax. I quit". 

[pacolts56]

He's a rich kid from a family of means that has no damn idea how hard, how dangerous, that blue collar jobs can be. 

Maybe you're right....I don't know the kid.

 

But if his parents built a good life for their family and he's playing his options...why the resentment?

 

Seriously, we're not talking about that treasoner Bergdahl here, who deserted his Army unit and caused a member of a search party to get his   shot off.

[amfootball]

Damien Woody said that most players are not in the same situation financially as Borland to make such a decision. Football affords them a way out of poverty and to provide for their families. I kind of wish Borland would position this better. He is coming off as very arrogant and "enlightend." He really needs to speak more about how he is unbelievably fortunate to be able to walk away from the game when many other players would give anything to be in his position but can't. This goes to the whole blue collar thing you are referencing rusak.

[amfootball]

Interesting quote from a Pittsburg doctor on CTE occurrence:

"I think the problem of CTE, although real, is it's being over exaggerated and being extrapolated to youth football and to high school football," Maroon said.

 

Maroon said he reviewed all known cases of CTE, a progressive degenerative brain disease related to head trauma and found in dozens of retired athletes in football and other sports, from 1954 to August 2013.

 

"We came up with 63 total cases of CTE [and] in the last two years a few more," he said. "But there have been 30-40 million kids who have played football during that period of time. It's a rare phenomena. We have no idea the incidence. There are ... more injuries to kids falling off bikes, scooters, falling in playgrounds than there are in youth football. I think again, it's never been safer. Can we improve? Yes. We have to do better all the time to make it safer."

 

On Borland's retirement, Maroon said: "When an athlete is fearful of any injury, it's time to get out. You can't play with apprehension in any sport and be as good as you can be. He obviously came to that conclusion himself. ... However, I really believe it's never been safer in terms of the sport. The rule changes, the safer tackling techniques, the medical management of concussions is so much better than it ever has been in the history of this sport."

 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12507025/cte-rare-phenomena-claims-dr-joseph-maroon-pittsburgh-steelers-neurosurgeon-nfl-medical-consultant

[southwest1]

I'm just not the type that can understand passing up and opportunity like this. He could become quadriplegic from falling down the stairs, die in a car accident, or be diagnosed with terminal cancer at any moment. Such is life. 

 

Recoil into your turtle shell, oh frightened one. 

 

What's he gonna do now? A safe life of selling insurance, where he faces the peril of dying in a fiery cacophony of screeching tires and crashing metal while commuting?

 

Maybe I should quit my forklift operating job? I know a guy that used to drive a forklift, and then he dropped several bottles of Snapple on his head and he can't even perform in bed anymore. 

I'm not gonna lie to you ruksak. I keep thinking about that too or going back & forth about it. If I could play football at the NFL level & be considered on the verge of elite at the LB level, I'd be willing to take the risk & subject myself to that punishment for 8-10 years. Look, I have no idea if Chris comes from an affluent family or not & yes, it's his body, his decision to make, not mine. 

 

But, you do make a compelling case that life changing injures or diseases can happen anywhere at any time whether a person plays football or not.

 

"Recoil into your turtle shell, oh frightened one. "      I can so picture you saying that line with such perfect regal sarcasm in your voice Ruksak. If that makes me a bad person. So be it. Thanks for the ROTF session though. SW1 needed that anyway. 

[oldunclemark]

Chris Borland retiring is a small domino in the grand scheme of things within the NFL. We've seen guys retire early for many years. He was promising and a great young player but lets not pretend like we are the avg NFL fans here. We are informed etc....most don't even know who this guy is. It would take some big name players in their prime to walk away to grab peoples attention. The NFL has more to fear from high schools and states cutting football from their sponsored sports then a player or two retiring. Don't get me wrong...I fully understand the seriousness of concussions etc but I'm just being a realist. The NFL has never been more popular and making more money...even after the train wreck that was last off-season with domestic violence etc. I understand why he is retiring and respect it...but I'm not going to make it a bigger deal than it is. We've seen guys retire because they would rather play video games, they were unfullfilled, and yes because of fears of injuries. It isn't going unnoticed but its a passing story. The media may try to push an agenda and promote these stories down the road but this is the exception...a very rare one...and there are thousands wanting to replace him.

 

The NFL needs to be more worried about the high school game and protecting young athletes than a few guys here and there retiring out of fear of injuries. One school district stops playing football....than another...than another...and maybe then a whole state of public schools decide to not sponsor it anymore...that would be more damning and it isn't even close.

High schools probably will eventually stop playing football..

But the sport will eventually (in my opninon) go to 'club' status..like prep hockey in Indiana...

But there's never gong to be a lack of young men who want to be violent..its our nature..

The NFL should be (and they probablyu are) looking for a way to reduce head trauma..

It seems impossible to find that ../but things like the intercept and artificial limbs seemed impossible a half century ago..

[oldunclemark]

Things like the internet and artificial limbs seemed impossible a half century ago..

I can see a type of full body suit that will act as a shock absorber with a helmet that emits a force that would neutralize a

collision the violent brain movement in a collision.

Crazy..maybe..but so was the internet in 1958

[ruksak]

 

 

But if his parents built a good life for their family and he's playing his options...why the resentment?

 

Because I don't feel he's being entirely honest. I feel there is likely a multiplicity of reasons why he quit, namely, he doesn't have to play football to be rich. It's a lot of work and commitment, you can be traded at any time and have to move etc etc. I think he's using this recent media frenzy over CTE as a convenient excuse. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm right, but I got a good gut for reading phonies. 

 

I guarantee a kid from the ghetto certainly wouldn't make such a choice. Such a young man might make bad decisions and get himself thrown out of the league, but to walk away like a self-righteous cork-sniffing rich kid.......never. 

[Superman]

Wow.

 

A player contract is a promise to perform in exchange for payment and other benefits. It's not a blood contract. If you choose not to perform, you don't get paid. That's any player's right. 

 

The converse of that is that the Niners could have terminated his contract at any point this offseason, for whatever reason. 

 

Neither side was obligated to the other. If he doesn't want to play anymore, that's his right. He doesn't owe anything to the team, the league, the fans, etc. 

 

It sucks for the Niners. I'm sure they wouldn't have drafted him if they had any idea that he wasn't fully committed to being an NFL player long term. I'm sure they asked the typical "how much do you love this game" questions in interviews and whatnot, and he gave the typical "this is my dream job" answers. They might feel misled. They might wish they had known he'd be retiring a few weeks ago (not that there were any ILBs in free agency, but whatever). But the fact is that he has the right to change his mind, to be influenced by new motivations, etc. To resent him for doing so is shallow and hypocritical. 

[Qwiz]

9ers need to have a really, really good draft.

[ruksak]

Wow.

 

A player contract is a promise to perform in exchange for payment and other benefits. It's not a blood contract. If you choose not to perform, you don't get paid. That's any player's right. 

 

The converse of that is that the Niners could have terminated his contract at any point this offseason, for whatever reason. 

 

Neither side was obligated to the other. If he doesn't want to play anymore, that's his right. He doesn't owe anything to the team, the league, the fans, etc. 

 

It sucks for the Niners. I'm sure they wouldn't have drafted him if they had any idea that he wasn't fully committed to being an NFL player long term. I'm sure they asked the typical "how much do you love this game" questions in interviews and whatnot, and he gave the typical "this is my dream job" answers. They might feel misled. They might wish they had known he'd be retiring a few weeks ago (not that there were any ILBs in free agency, but whatever). But the fact is that he has the right to change his mind, to be influenced by new motivations, etc. To resent him for doing so is shallow and hypocritical. 

I admired Sticky Ricky because he was honest about it. I do not admire Quits Borland .....because I feel he's not being honest about it. 

 

He has no passion for the game, and that is what I will question. 

 

I had passion for my BMX sport. NOTHING......nothing would get me off that bike. Not an ankle that was swollen to the size of a cantaloupe (I have to wear a compression fitting at work now, almost 20 years after the fact), not spitting my own teeth into my hand (twice, I have to wear a partial upper denture now), not laying on the hot pavement with ringing in my ears and blood dripping down my face (12 stitches and a 2nd degree burn from passing out and laying motionless on blacktop for too long), I could list my injuries all day. 

 

And I did it for free.....because I had passion for the sport. Nobody was paying me. I quit when my daughter was born, but if I was being paid for it? Hell no, that's money for my daughter. I ain't no cork-sniffing rich boy, I have to work for a living. 

[Superman]

I admired Sticky Ricky because he was honest about it. I do not admire Quits Borland .....because I feel he's not being honest about it.

He has no passion for the game, and that is what I will question.

I had passion for my BMX sport. NOTHING......nothing would get me off that bike. Not an ankle that was swollen to the size of a cantaloupe (I have to wear a compression fitting at work now, almost 20 years after the fact), not spitting my own teeth into my hand (twice, I have to wear a partial upper denture now), not laying on the hot pavement with ringing in my ears and blood dripping down my face (12 stitches and a 2nd degree burn from passing out and laying motionless on blacktop for too long), I could list my injuries all day.

And I did it for free.....because I had passion for the sport. Nobody was paying me. I quit when my daughter was born, but if I was being paid for it? Hell no, that's money for my daughter. I ain't no cork-sniffing rich boy, I have to work for a living.

So should he keep playing even though he has no passion for the game?

Or do you just resent him because he has other options?

[southwest1]

Because I don't feel he's being entirely honest. I feel there is likely a multiplicity of reasons why he quit, namely, he doesn't have to play football to be rich. It's a lot of work and commitment, you can be traded at any time and have to move etc etc. I think he's using this recent media frenzy over CTE as a convenient excuse. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm right, but I got a good gut for reading phonies. 

 

I guarantee a kid from the ghetto certainly wouldn't make such a choice. Such a young man might make bad decisions and get himself thrown out of the league, but to walk away like a self-righteous cork-sniffing rich kid.......never. 

It's hard to dissect an athlete's motivation for walking away from the game based off of 1 ESPN Outside The Lines interview. I watched a Rich Eisen Show TV episode yesterday on the Direct TV Network where he asked a really intriguing question: Why would someone so gifted with a nose for the football & always in the middle of the action just walk away so abruptly? Usually, gifted athletes love the intensity of the game so much like a drug of excitement that they can't be pulled away from the game barring a life threatening injury. Rich went on to later say that he wants to pursue a career in sports medicine back at UW-Madison so perhaps there is something to the fact that Mr. Borland's heart wasn't in football 100% 24/7. 

 

Yes, I do agree that a poor kid with tremendous talent & a high football IQ would never walk away from football if it's his only way out of poverty, gangs, a life of crime, incarceration, & death Then, you get into the question of whose sacrifice does the public appreciate more? The one with options who takes the easy way out or the one with the back against his wall who can't afford to fail making the final roster cut? A valid question on your part ruksak.  

[southwest1]

So should he keep playing even though he has no passion for the game?

Or do you just resent him because he has other options?

If I was in ruksak's shoes, here is how I would counter that argument [Forgive me, for speaking on your behalf.] A lot of people work at jobs they hate because it provides them or their families a comfortable standard of living & we stay at that job to give others a better shot at a better life down the road. An argument could be made that Mr. Borland is being selfish because of the amount of money he could make so quickly to benefit his family & place them into another income bracket for life & 49ers football & the salary he made in CA allowed the opportunity to get his sports science degree paid for through graduate school back at UW-Madison. 

 

A lot of rookies would love to have the skill set Borland has & they wouldn't walk away from all the money & influence that this god given talent would furnish them with for the rest of their lives either. Is he wasting his athletic talents? Many would say yes, he absolutely is. 

 

It's Chris's final decision to make yes, but I completely understand the other side of the he's a fool argument for closing that chapter of his life. Usually, if someone is incredibly gifted at something football, music, drawing, mathematical equations etc & they walk away from their innate talents we question why they squandered or deferred their dreams of a better life. It's human nature because many of us don't possess a talent that can transform our lives for the better which builds confusion, resentment, & anger among many overall. 

[Superman]

If I was in ruksak's shoes, here is how I would counter that argument [Forgive me, for speaking on your behalf.] A lot of people work at jobs they hate because it provides them or their families a comfortable standard of living & we stay at that job to give others a better shot at a better life down the road. An argument could be made that Mr. Borland is being selfish because of the amount of money he could make so quickly to benefit his family & place them into another income bracket for life & 49ers football & the salary he made in CA allowed the opportunity to get his sports science degree paid for through graduate school back at UW-Madison. 

 

A lot of rookies would love to have the skill set Borland has & they wouldn't walk away from all the money & influence that this god given would furnish them with for the rest of their lives either. Is he wasting his athletic talents? Many would say yes, he absolutely is. 

 

Yeah, I don't agree. I see where you're coming from, but I feel you're ignoring some important aspects.

 

For me, the best thing for my family is for me to be there for them. Both of my parents grew up without their fathers, for various reasons. That influenced how they raised me, and it's influencing how I'm raising my daughter. It's the reason I'm not on a fishing boat in the Bering Strait, or on an oil rig off the Gulf Coast.

 

If Chris Borland looked around and said "I don't want to be like Dave Duerson and Junior Seau, I want to be there for my family," then that's his right. It's far from selfish.

 

And in reality, he doesn't have to play football to push his family into another tax bracket; he already has a greater platform than most people his age. He made over $1m gross in 2014, which is what the average American household makes in 20 years. And he doesn't have to push his family into another tax bracket to take care of them. It's a false premise to begin with.

 

If he's wasting his athletic talents, well, that's his choice. I don't see why he should be resented for it. 

[ruksak]

So should he keep playing even though he has no passion for the game?

Or do you just resent him because he has other options?

He should be straight up about it. If anyone believes this nonsense about him fearing head injury, they're a sucker. I'll say that right up front. 

[ruksak]

If I was in ruksak's shoes, here is how I would counter that argument [Forgive me, for speaking on your behalf.] A lot of people work at jobs they hate because it provides them or their families a comfortable standard of living & we stay at that job to give others a better shot at a better life down the road. An argument could be made that Mr. Borland is being selfish because of the amount of money he could make so quickly to benefit his family & place them into another income bracket for life & 49ers football & the salary he made in CA allowed the opportunity to get his sports science degree paid for through graduate school back at UW-Madison. 

 

A lot of rookies would love to have the skill set Borland has & they wouldn't walk away from all the money & influence that this god given talent would furnish them with for the rest of their lives either. Is he wasting his athletic talents? Many would say yes, he absolutely is. 

 

It's Chris's final decision to make yes, but I completely understand the other side of the he's a fool argument for closing that chapter of his life. Usually, if someone is incredibly gifted at something football, music, drawing, mathematical equations etc & they walk away from their innate talents we question why they squandered or deferred their dreams of a better life. It's human nature because many of us don't possess a talent that can transform our lives for the better which builds confusion, resentment, & anger among many overall. 

I'm not going to call him a "fool", but I will say he just doesn't want to be a football player and he didn't have the testicular fortitude to just say it. 

 

Personally, I find it insulting that he quit on the grounds that the NFL is a dangerous occupation. Millions of Americans go to work everyday to perform far more dangerous tasks, and at the end of the day, there is no mansion to return home to, no sailboat docked at the local marina, no Ferrari's in the driveway. They do it to provide, and Borland simply doesn't need to. If he included that bit in his soapbox ranting about the sport, I'd take him seriously. 

 

Yes, there's more to life than Ferrari's, sailboats and mansions, but Chris already has all that, doesn't he? Always has.  

[Superman]

He should be straight up about it. If anyone believes this nonsense about him fearing head injury, they're a sucker. I'll say that right up front. 

 

Right, because it's a totally bogus concern for an NFL linebacker to have...

[southwest1]

Yeah, I don't agree. I see where you're coming from, but I feel you're ignoring some important aspects.

 

For me, the best thing for my family is for me to be there for them. Both of my parents grew up without their fathers, for various reasons. That influenced how they raised me, and it's influencing how I'm raising my daughter. It's the reason I'm not on a fishing boat in the Bering Strait, or on an oil rig off the Gulf Coast.

 

If Chris Borland looked around and said "I don't want to be like Dave Duerson and Junior Seau, I want to be there for my family," then that's his right. It's far from selfish.

 

And in reality, he doesn't have to play football to push his family into another tax bracket; he already has a greater platform than most people his age. He made over $1m gross in 2014, which is what the average American household makes in 20 years. And he doesn't have to push his family into another tax bracket to take care of them. It's a false premise to begin with.

 

If he's wasting his athletic talents, well, that's his choice. I don't see why he should be resented for it. 

So any talent a person chooses to walk away from is a personal choice. Yes & no. If we are talking playing LB for the 49ers sure, but if I possess a brilliant scientific mind with the capability through stem cell research to cure say Parkinson's Disease & I say forget this formula nonsense I'm gonna become a lounge singer & those who shake uncontrollably on their own can fend for themselves is kind of selfish is it not? 

 

It's not just the tax bracket itself; it's the access to influential people the sport of football puts you into contact with much quicker in your life for the benefit of your relatives, your children, & your friends career path wise that can't compare to a lowly sports medicine position at a state or private college. 

 

It's very admirable that you want your daughter to grow up with a loving father who is always there for her. I respect you immensely for making that decision. It speaks to your character. 

 

It's ironic you mention resentment Superman. I do not resent Mr. Borland myself. I just don't want him to regret walking away from football too quickly. Once he does this, there is no rewind button. A lot of athletes will express anguish over retiring from football too soon & what locker room chemistry & the thrill of game day meant to them. I don't want Chris to go "Crap, I made a huge mistake leaving San Francisco 8-10 months later. " Just ask soon to be HOF TE Tony Gonzales if you don't believe me. 

[ruksak]

Right, because it's a totally bogus concern for an NFL linebacker to have...

It's not a bogus concern. I'm concerned about getting involved in a terrible auto accident, but I'm not going to quit driving. I'm going to keep living without fear, picking the tree of life bare of it's fruit. Apparently some people (Borland) have a whole bunch of fruit shoved up their rich behinds with a silver shovel. He doesn't need a physical job. He needs a desk and a pen, maybe a copy machine or some other clerical implement.

 

Where I come from we call that being a coward. He's afraid, his own words (paraphrasing slightly). Go be scared Chris, ya rich cakeboy. 

 

I did worse to my body for free, for fun. Ain't gettin' no sympathy from me, for my heart doth bleed nary a drop for him. 

[Superman]

If he included that bit in his soapbox ranting about the sport, I'd take him seriously. 

 

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/12501655/how-san-francisco-49ers-chris-borland-made-decision-retire-safety-concerns

 

Borland said he understood that because he comes from a stable family and has a college degree, the decision might be easier for him than others.

 

"I've got the luxury of choice just with the way I've been raised and the good fortune of growing up in a middle-class family and having my college degree. I've got a bachelor's degree in history, so employers aren't exactly drooling over my credentials, but no, I think there's guys who don't have that choice, but that's not a reason to shirk the issue or avoid addressing things."

 

Also, I'm not sure where we're getting this idea that his family is rich, lives in a mansion and drives Ferraris. Or why it's any of our business.

[Superman]

It's not a bogus concern. I'm concerned about getting involved in a terrible auto accident, but I'm not going to quit driving. I'm going to keep living without fear, picking the tree of life bare of it's fruit. Apparently some people (Borland) have a whole bunch of fruit shoved up their rich behinds with a silver shovel. He doesn't need a physical job. He needs a desk and a pen, maybe a copy machine or some other clerical implement.

 

Where I come from we call that being a coward. He's afraid, his own words (paraphrasing slightly). Go be scared Chris, ya rich ". 

 

Goodness.

 

I'm sorry you have such a cynical, bitter and resentful outlook on someone else's personal decision making process. It's really sad.

[Superman]

So any talent a person chooses to walk away from is a personal choice. Yes & no. If we are talking playing LB for the 49ers sure, but if I possess a brilliant scientific mind with the capability through stem cell research to cure say Parkinson's Disease & I say forget this formula nonsense I'm gonna become a lounge singer & those who shake uncontrollably on their own can fend for themselves is kind of selfish is it not? 

 

It's not just the tax bracket itself; it's the access to influential people the sport of football puts you into contact with much quicker in your life for the benefit of your relatives, your children, & your friends career path wise that can't compare to a lowly sports medicine position at a state or private college. 

 

It's very admirable that you want your daughter to grow up with a loving father who is always there for her. I respect you immensely for making that decision. It speaks to your character. 

 

It's ironic you mention resentment Superman. I do not resent Mr. Borland myself. I just don't want him to regret walking away from football so quickly. Once he does this, there is no rewind button. 

 

Borland choosing not to play football isn't similar to someone choosing not to better the world.

 

Even if it was, every person has the right to choose how they're going to live their life. If a parent says "I would rather have a normal work week and go home to my kids at a reasonable hour than work 14 hours a day trying to cure Parkinson's," that's their choice. And I can't fathom how it could be called selfish to put your own family ahead of others.

 

Borland has access to lots of influential people. Probably more, now that he's retired abruptly.

 

Some are clearly resentful of him. Not you. But I'm not worried about whether he regrets his decision in the future. That's his issue.