Good Life Essay

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the rules were much looser regarding contact and had less protection in terms of headgear being nothing compared to today’s helmets. Mike Webster loved the game of football. This can be shown in his work ethic that amazed everyone around him and what propelled him through his college and NFL career. His determination and spirit drove him to become a great and important player. But it was also a rough childhood, marked by physical abuse from alcoholic parents, that also played a role in that motivation which spurred him on. His position on his teams and his abilities made him a leader whom his teammates could rely on and saw as a smart guy who could call out plays and ferociously attack the opposing team. He was captain of 3 of the 4 super bowl winning Steelers team and voted to nine Pro Bowls. He studied, practiced, lived and breathed football. He played in and started 177 consecutive games. Webster played through injuries that would result with most of his fingers broken, permanent damage to 5 vertebrae, ruined knees, a ruined shoulder and a ruined heel. He never once complained of concussion-like symptoms that he would have had to have concurred at some point in the countless games he played throughout his 17-year long career. It is these injuries that left Webster with debilitating headaches and oncoming dementia. He was constantly on pain medication, tasering himself to sleep, and forgetting to eat. This loss of brain function is what his family is suing the NFL for to make a change to acknowledge the brain trauma suffered by players in their league. Webster lost all the money made during his career with several terrible investments that result in the loss of his children’s college fund and what should have been easy living for himself and his wife became the reality of evictions, living in his car, and his wife taking on several low paying jobs to pay the bills. The problem is that he had the power to speak up about what was happening to his body and mind but chose to ignore it for the love of the game. He was surrounded by trained medical staff and football experts who at the time did not know a lot about his brain condition but would have surely seen signs of his debilitating medical condition and could have given him the care and advice that he needed which was that it was to stop. Multiple head traumas can’t be a natural thing our bodies can handle and certainly not the 35,000 he sustained during his career. He not only refused to pay attention to what his body told him but also when he went through the aftermath of his choices refused the help of friends and loved ones. His pride made him refuse help from former friends, teammates, and coaches. The only way he would receive food from his only companion later in life was by having him drop it off at his door so he wouldn’t have to look him in the eyes. Mike Webster was a great player and tried to give everything that he could back to his family and fans. He ultimately gave it all to the game he loved. But looking back on his life, he surely would have that he had given too much up in the pursuit of what he thought was a good life.

Letting pride cloud your judgments can make you stubborn enough to ignore the counsel of the wise and loved ones. It is important to consider the opinion of those around who can take a step back and give you an honest evaluation. It is important to look back at mistakes to learn not to repeat them. It is this way that we can learn to live