I don't know the year, month, day, hour or minute it exactly happened, but it's clear to me now as a sports society, we've gone soft. In the last 8-months alone, we've had fundamental rule changes that take the teeth out of tackling in the NFL. We've had athletes tweet what are considered strong or controversial opinions, only to backtrack faster than Chris Johnson's 40-time. And we've had more than a few suggestions that MLB should eliminate the runner's ability to run over the catcher on plays at the plate.
When did everyone get so politically correct? One Buster Posey season ending injury means the game of baseball has gotten too dangerous? Now I guess the catcher must be covered in bubble wrap, and any physical contact by a runner warrants an automatic ejection. Had Scott Cousins not wiped out Posey to score the game winning run, you know what he would've been labeled as? SOFT!
You can't have it both ways. We all want these athletes to play 100% all the time, but then ask them in the heat of the moment to instantaneously think of what might physically happen when they do. Posey knew what he was getting into when he strapped on that catching gear. Just like NFL players are well aware of what they're signing up for when they put on a helmet and shoulder pads. I find it amusing that the same league preaching to these guys about brutal hits, wants them to play two more regular season games.
As for expressing an unpopular opinion, forget it. I and many others ripped Scott Pippen for his tweet claiming that Michael Jordan was the greatest scorer of all-time, but LeBron James is the best all around player. That doesn't mean Pippen had to run for cover. I hadn't seen him that scared since he was being guarded by Xavier McDaniel. I'd have far more respect for Pippen, or the Steelers Rashard Mendenhall for that matter, if they'd had the stones to actually stand by their comments.
In the end, I believe the knee jerk reactions, emphasis on being PC, and lack of backbone comes down to money. The Giants and MLB to a lesser extent view Posey as not just an up and coming player, but an investment. The reason the NFL has gone into over protection mode, especially with quarterbacks, is that's the glamour position. They don't care about Ray Lewis nearly as much as they do about Tom Brady. And even a guy like Pippen goes into damage control, because Jordan can always be a meal ticket. So maybe I don't know when all of this started, but I know where it started...Didn't you hear? Cash is king.
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