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Post by jgordon1 on Feb 1, 2009 9:32:03 GMT -6
There is an excellent article in the Washington Post today discussing war and the comparisons people make with the sport of football. I know we have discussed this in other threads but we actually have some commanding officers give their point of view here. There are also a couple of little history lessons comparing the advancement of offensive football and offensive warfare....very interesting. My favorite part was about teamwork. While some of our approaches and methods have changed in combat, the basics never change, dedication, professionalism, physical and mental toughness, courage and teamwork," Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the U.S. commander in Iraq who played football at Army, said in an e-mail. "These hold true today as much as they did in World War II and throughout our history. Operations are conducted by teams -- and teams within teams. In that sense the link to team sports holds. Everyone on the team matters and all must contribute to their mission and each other." www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/31/AR2009013100163_3.html?sid=ST2009013101859&s_pos=if the link doesn't work. go to the washington post website.. Les Carpenter wrote the article and it is in the Sunday paper |
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coachbigelow
Junior Member
Coach at Southern Virginia University
Posts: 261
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Post by coachbigelow on Feb 1, 2009 12:45:04 GMT -6
Just so you know, your link went to the last page of the article. But I do like the article. Having done ROTC in college and having good friends deployed in combat zones, I just knew for myself I couldn't use the term war when talking about the game.
It is interesting that the NFL has worked on avoiding the metaphor.
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Post by jgordon1 on Feb 1, 2009 13:05:31 GMT -6
Just so you know, your link went to the last page of the article. But I do like the article. Having done ROTC in college and having good friends deployed in combat zones, I just knew for myself I couldn't use the term war when talking about the game. It is interesting that the NFL has worked on avoiding the metaphor. Sorry Try This www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/31/AR2009013100163.html |
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filmjunkie
Sophomore Member
[F4:@AlexJKirby]
Posts: 160
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Post by filmjunkie on Feb 2, 2009 0:34:40 GMT -6
What a shame...
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Post by airman on Feb 2, 2009 0:55:44 GMT -6
interesting topic. Clearly the NFL does not understand how warfare is similar to football. this does not surprise me however. I know a baseball player who was in the majors in the 1960s and 1970s. he does not like what he call girly talk which players engage in before Adan during the game. guy gets a hit and her is is talking to the enemy he once told me.
Players understand the NFL is a business and this is why rbs now run out of bounce instead of taking on a defender to get more yards on a play.
The wing T offense is clearly based on offensive warfare techniques.
buck sweep is set up to out flank your opponent. the buck trap or gut play is most successful when our enemy moves troops from the center of the battle field to contend with the flank maneuvers of the buck sweep. the waggle bootleg which attacks the enemies other flank when they move troops to strengthen the middle of the battle field. this leaves the offense with a excellent chance to out flank the enemy on the other flank thus creating a two front war.
the term divide and conquer is the formation for what the wing t is all about. force the defense to defend the flank and then hit them up the middle thus dividing and conquering your enemy.
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tedseay
Sophomore Member
Posts: 164
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Post by tedseay on Feb 2, 2009 6:54:40 GMT -6
Yet more PC madness. American football is a tactical war game, period. Macarthur understood that, as did Ike, as did Neyland...or as a British military theoretician once wrote:
"The game of American Football has more of the elements of actual combat than any activity I have ever seen in my life. It definitely should be an integral part of every military training program."
(Tom Wintringham, New Ways of War) |
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Post by bulldogoption on Feb 2, 2009 7:42:55 GMT -6
Good Article.....
I agree.
I DON'T appreciate war cliches because I think what we are asking kids to do isn't even remotely the same as asking someone to put their life at risk. There are some parallels as folks have stated above, but I personally don't see the need to make the comparison as it belittles the job our servicemen/women do for real.
I've never been in the military and feel as I do out of respect, fwiw.
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Post by spreadattack on Feb 2, 2009 9:05:44 GMT -6
I don't feel particularly strongly, but I think I'm fine with less war jargon in football games. Football might represent war, making some analogies appropriate, but war does not resemble football, making the overuse of this stuff hyperbole and too much.
So tactics, strategy, heroics, battle, etc. These are appropriate. But sometimes they go too far; war is about the reality of death. Sadly, football is beginning to approach that too, but the gravity strikes me as a bit different.
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Post by thunder17 on Feb 2, 2009 9:19:40 GMT -6
I really don't see the point of comparing football to war. There is no comparison. To me that is idiotic. The difinition of WAR? I remind our kids all the time that young men and women die every day to give us the freedoms we live with. One of which is coaching and playing the great game of football. I guess this view comes from the son of a career military man and vietnam vet.
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Post by red2slam on Feb 2, 2009 9:25:20 GMT -6
The NFL is closer to war than what the military is doing. The Idea of an NFL is victory....The Military and others are more worried about what others think about them.
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Post by jgordon1 on Feb 2, 2009 9:31:55 GMT -6
While some of our approaches and methods have changed in combat, the basics never change, dedication, professionalism, physical and mental toughness, courage and teamwork," Gen. Raymond T. Odierno,
Couldn't the same thing be said about football?
I don't know if this is an urban legend but....A great general (Patton?) once said: "I need a man for a dangerous mission, get me an Army football player"
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tedseay
Sophomore Member
Posts: 164
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Post by tedseay on Feb 2, 2009 9:49:30 GMT -6
I don't know if this is an urban legend but....A great general (Patton?) once said: "I need a man for a dangerous mission, get me an Army football player" That was supposedly George Marshall. I'll check on that, but his three-volume biography will take some time to digest...  Update: The Marshall quote is well-enough substantiated to appear on a plaque at Michie Stadium, West Point... |
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