Ethical Dilemma

Is It Wrong to Watch Pro Football?

Eric Seals/USA Today Sports/Reuters

September 4, 2017

By Chuck Klosterman

I’ve recently begun to question my support for the N.F.L. Is it unethical to support a league that seems to know it’s detrimental to the health of its participants? —Darren Williams, Dallas

Any adult is aware of the risks associated with playing a collision sport. Football is brutal, but this is an accepted reality. Professional athletes accept this risk in exchange for the large financial reward. If you think it’s to watch, I’m not going to try to convince you otherwise. But you’re not ethically required to stop watching or going to games.

—Adapted from ‘The Ethicist’ in The New York Times

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