John, that was a good piece, and the concept of modern vs. post-modern sport is an interesting one. Nevertheless, where would football fit in that? All of the would-be baseball players, it would seem, choose football because it’s a contact sport. Yet football is a team sport. True, it does have personalities and superstars, but they cannot do much on their own without the rest of the team. The wideouts won’t get the ball if the QB cannot throw or the O-line can’t hold long enough for the pass to be made. Similarly, the QB can’t shine without good O-line or wide receivers who make the catch. The RBs can’t do well without good blocking. And a good offense isn’t enough if the defense isn’t solid. The D-line must be strong enough to pressure the QB, or the D-backs will struggle, etc.
Football allows for a vast array of specialization. Some players are professionals solely because of their superior skills on special teams ? accuracy in kicking is the most obvious one, but others include punt blocking, returning kicks, “good hands” or speed to get down the field on kick coverage.
A team can succeed with superiority in one of the three “teams”: offense, defense and special teams. Often, however, a liability in the others spells defeat in the “long run” of a 60-minute game. In football, I see where analogies could be made to business or battle. But I’m not sure whether it would count as modern or post-modern.
