Ray Lewis Was Right

"Do this research. If we don't have a season - watch how much evil, which we call crime, watch how much crime picks up, if you take away our game."

Ray Lewis comments on the impending lockout.

On the surface the comments made by Ray Lewis sound like the delusional rantings of an old man that takes himself and his profession too seriously. The world will not come to an end if there's no football. Football fans don't make up the majority of the population in this country. It is naive to think the American public won't find something constructive to do with their time on Sundays in the fall instead of posting up on the couch in front of the TV. Is there any validity to Ray Lewis statements whatsoever?

Actually there is. Crime will increase if there's no NFL football this season. Not in the dramatic fashion Ray predicted, but crime will increase. Football is an outlet for millions of people. Fans live vicariously through the players and support their favorite team more than their own families sometimes. I guarantee without football domestic violence and aggravated assaults will increase around the country. Home Depot, Ikea, and Costco are not substitutes for watching the New England Patriots against the New York Jets. Without football the guy that usually paints his face yellow and green and tailgates for 4 hours will be reduced to picking out paint samples and smelly candles. How long can they do that before they snap?

In the Philippines you can hear a pin drop in the streets when Manny Pacquiao is fighting. No one gets their purse snatched while the World Cup is on in England. Sports has a way of occupying our time and attention and without football there's no telling what might happen. There won't be anarchy, but trust me we'll hear some strange bizarre stories of crime and mischief if there's no football games. There will be disputes over the remote that end in violence. There will be touch football games that turn into brawls. There will be players with too much time and money on their hands fighting at strip clubs and getting pulled over for DUI's. It won't be like the LA riots, but crime will increase without football. Ray was right.