Dear Athletic Support: I read your column last week on the Olympics. I never watch the Olympics, but I love football. Sadly, I don’t think I’ll ever watch the NFL again. I’ve had some problems with the NFL for a good while now, but I’m a huge Cowboys fan. I haven’t been able to bring myself to give up on “America’s Team.” This past Sunday did me in. There were too many issues to count, none bigger than that god awful halftime show. Lord have mercy. I can’t believe they’d put such garbage on national television. I wouldn’t let my kids listen to those rappers when they were growing up, and I sure as heck don’t want my grandchildren subjected to it now. That’s the part I just can’t get over. How these bigwig network executives are willing to put this trash out knowing good and well there will be kids watching the game and the halftime show. I love the Cowboys, but I’m giving up on the NFL. I’ll never watch another game again. Can’t tell you how much I miss the good old days. Shame to see it’s come to this. — America’s Team
Dear America’s Team: If I’m being straight up, I got a kick out of watching Dre, Snoop, Eminem and 50 do their thing.
Those dudes wrote the soundtrack to my playing days. I’ll never forget my junior high coach blasting Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” during halftime of our conference championship game.
Here’s a thought: What did your parents think of the music you listened to growing up? Probably the same thing I’ll think about my kids’ choice of music in a few years.
In the end, you get a choice regarding what you watch — or don’t watch — on television. Everybody in this country is entitled to their own opinion. Just remember that your opinion doesn’t account for the country as a whole.
Dear Athletic Support: I bought my son a weight rack for Christmas. It has a bench, a barbell, and two-hundred pounds worth of free weights. He’ll be starting seventh grade football in the fall, and I want to make sure he’s ready. What sort of lifts do you recommend? — Bigger, Faster, Stronger
Dear BFS: I’d be extra careful with a kid that age. I remember trying to teach seventh graders the ins and outs of power lifts, and it wasn’t easy.
Squats, cleans, bench press — those are the core lifts for most football programs. The Olympic lifts (squat and clean) are complicated. They can take years to master, and can do harm if taught wrong.
If you’re dead set on this, I’d do some serious research before you get started. Go talk to the seventh-grade coach. Let him explain how he teaches each lift.
Once you’ve been coached up, make sure you start light. Don’t put any weight on the bar. As a matter of fact, you’ll be better off teaching your son the proper technique using a broomstick.
Once he’s mastered the form, then you focus on getting bigger, faster, and stronger.
Eli Cranor is a former professional quarterback and coach turned award-winning author. His debut novel, Don’t Know Tough, is available for pre-order wherever books are sold. Send questions for “Athletic Support” in using the “Contact” page on elicranor.com.
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