On Football and Violence, an Uphill Battle

As the National Football League faces ongoing and growing concerns over concussions and the violent nature of the sport, two incidents this October 13th weekend suggest it has plenty of work still ahead, a Duke professor says.

Orin Starn, chair of Duke's cultural anthropology department who studies sports culture, was struck by two poor displays of fan behavior during games on Sunday.

In Houston, fans of the hometown Texans expressed their displeasure with longtime quarterback Matt Schaub by cheering when Schaub was injured during the game. Schaub has not played well this year, but teammates quickly defended him and condemned the fan cheering, reportedly calling it "disgusting and barbaric."

In San Francisco, fans of the 49ers were chastised for performing The Wave -- a collective fan celebration of sorts -- while Calais Campbell, a member of the opposing Arizona Cardinals, lay motionless on the turf after an injury. Members of the 49ers even reportedly tried to shush their home fans.

"One would like to think that all the new reporting on the head injury crisis would have sensitized fans to the dangers and costs of the game," says Starn. "But these incidents suggest that, just the opposite, a certain segment of NFL fandom seems indifferent to player suffering, even enjoying it as part of the spectacle as in Roman gladiatorial days. It suggests we won't be seeing any public pressure for big changes in terms of football and violence anytime soon." -- Duke University