Football is dead. Long live basketball.
It may seem unlikely, but American football’s reign as the nation’s premier sport is coming to an end. It has gone the way of the bullfight: a barbaric thrill ride that won’t survive. Evidence shows the longer you play the sport, the more likely you are to develop serious brain injuries.
More than two dozen high school players have died in recent years due to traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. As this trend continues, more parents refuse to allow their children to play the sport, fearing for their safety.
Beyond the injuries, the NFL just doesn’t have the same cultural impact in today’s society. Before social media, sports were almost always about the team. That rings true with the league's unofficial motto, “nobody is bigger than the Shield.” But in an era where people want to latch onto personalities, the rise of social activist athletes with cultural capital like Colin Kaepernick makes it clear the old model is unsustainable.
Maybe some people like the fact that they know very little about Tom Brady’s personal life besides his strange opinions about nutrition and belief that drinking gallons of water can prevent a sunburn (it can’t). The only reliable thing I can say about Aaron Rodgers is that he has some passable State Farm commercials.
In a digitized world that demands an almost cult of personality, the NBA provides. A game where individuals dominate is better built for it. This dates back to the 1960s, when Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson went against the grain with their never-ending march for civil rights and the rights of players, despite the potential negative effect it could have on their careers.
In recent years, however, the NBA as an organization has finally allowed those characters to flourish and given players the opportunity to be their honest selves.
