2026 Football Season and Ben Sasse

I really doubt that the go remedy for boys these days is more football.

According to Ben Sasse whose last job was as President of the University of Florida and prior to that a United State Senator from Nebraska and now a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, I object.

According to Sasse:

"Football is a character-forming institution that channels strength. In a world of instant gratification, it teaches perseverance through early practices and aching muscles. In an era of isolation, football creates community. It forms brotherhood through both misery and joy. In a culture of passivity, football privileges action. In times of peace, football prepares us for war.

Unfortunately, work has also faded as a formative experience. When I was growing up in Nebraska, detasseling corn was a rite of passage. We woke at 4:30 a.m. to slog through fields from cold morning dew through to blazing midday heat. Today, that Cornhusker tradition has been rendered all but extinct by new technologies. Farm country isn’t the only place this is happening. Teenage work has been evaporating across the nation since the 1980s. Only 35% of teenagers had a summer job this year. Technology is on pace to eliminate many remaining starter jobs like flipping burgers and running checkouts. This is economic reality, and on the whole it leads to greater prosperity, but we should acknowledge the trade-off."

And the trade-off is more football?

I understand the concern about kids growing up today.  Title IX has given women opportunities to play sports, get scholarships, and has made huge changes as women have more opportunities in non-traditional fields of endeavor.

You would think a former college president would think outside of the box.

Not everyone is built to be a football player and while I agree that team sports can play a part in team play and sacrifice, there are other sports areas for boys to grow into men in environmentally related jobs and other areas of public service that don't directly or indirectly relate to CTE or suicides.

  


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