My Rant #1

I heard recently that there are people upset because offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden of the Baltimore Ravens is considering retiring. This I have a huge problem with, let me give you a couple of facts: Ogden is 32 years old and will be 33 when the season starts, is 6 foot 9, weighs anywhere from 345lbs (what he is listed at) to about 370lbs (what most people think he is playing at) and he has been in the league for 12 years, and let me remind you, people are upset at him thinking of retiring, most of them cause they argue that he is only 32 years old and most people can't think of retirement until they are 62.

So this is where these people are 100% wrong, first, he is not a regular person, hello - he is 6 foot 9 and 350 pounds (anybody else want to stand up and say they are that much of a physical gladiator)!!! Second, his job is probably one of the most physically enduring jobs in all the world. Third, and most importantly, studies have shown that the average life span of a football player is less then 62 years (oh yeah, studies on linemen show that they average about 55 years), that's over 10 (and for linemen almost 20) years less then an average person. So let me put it this way for all of you who are complaining, Ogden as a lineman might make it to the age of 55, so we have to translate his real age of 32 to NFL linemen age which would make him about 50 years old in regular person years. Yes that's right, his body is basically at a stage of what an average regular person's deteriation would be at 50 years old, and he is still thinking of playing next year. I applaud Ogden for his career and am encouraging him to retire now, not tomorrow, or the next day, now. Adding another year to his career could have even more permanent damage that will haunt him for the rest of his life. So to those people that think he is still young and can do it, drop it, football players don't sit behind a desk all day typing at a computer and passing gas, they drive their bodies into the ground at least 6 months out of the year and each play and each hit is gradually killing them faster.