Can a Football Addict Quit the NFL?

I’m Horrified By What The Sport Does to Its Players. But That Didn’t Make Severing Ties Any Easier.

Sunday’s national holiday has me feeling stressed out. The holiday, of course, is the Super Bowl, as likely to clear the streets and bring family together as Christmas. But this year it reminds me of all the insults I received when I wrote about my decision to boycott the NFL this season. One reader called me a “Nancy,” several called me a “nerd,” and someone even tweeted at me: “Hey @FuzzHogan, serious question: Do you have tits for hands?”

My kids and I mostly had fun with those insults—although we were taken …

The Enduring Steelers Empire

Once Upon a Time, Football Was Much More Than a Business

Swept up in the carnival of Super Bowl XLVIII, today’s Broncos and Seahawks can’t be blamed for their myopia. They will inhabit this celebrated moment, but they’ll never know the …

A Super Bowl of Guilt

Should We Feel Bad About Watching Football Players Concuss Their Brains?

Forty years ago, as pro football blew past baseball in popularity, NFL players were more relatable. Franco Harris, the 1972 Rookie of the Year, used to hitchhike to practice. The …

The Agony and the Lack of Ecstasy of Rooting for the Bills

What Did Buffalo Ever Do to Earn the Wrath of the Sporting Gods?

This coming weekend will be thrilling—and potentially heartbreaking—for fans of the Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, and Atlanta Falcons, the four teams vying to advance to Super …