Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Ben Rothlisberger

Motorcycle riders talk about the feeling of freedom they have when they ride without a helmet. There is nothing that can compare with this ultimate sense of liberation. The power of the wind on their faces, the myriad scents that fill their nostrils, the bugs that stick in their teeth.

Ask any testosterone poisoned rider about the rush that comes with helmet-free cruising at over a hundred miles an hour, weaving in and out of traffic.

Death seems like such a small price to pay for the thrill. 

Playing professional football, on the other hand, must make a guy feel like a big damn sissy by comparison. Players not only have to wear helmets, they're protected with faceguards and mouthgards. And the fastest they can go is a slow 20 some miles an hour for a measly hundred yards. Their "rush" only comes in four and five yard increments. And someone is always there trying to stop them. Not fun.

So is it any wonder that Big Ben, the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, risked his 14 millliion dollar paycheck to embrace a target rich opportunity to ride a crotch rocket without some damn helmet to get between him and his quest to feed his need for speed?

I hope he enjoyed it. 

Actually I just hope he can remember it.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

A handful of the new officers have street bikes. I guess carrying a gun and wearing body armor isn't scary enough.

Anonymous said...

On local sports radio this morning, a caller said it was ok for people not to where helmets.  He said it was "chlorine for the gene pool".

Anonymous said...

    If these people don't care about their own lives, then so be it.  But I feel sorry for the poor soul who accidentally collides with them, and then has to live with a death on their conscience ... one that could have been avoided, with the proper equipment.  Tina

Anonymous said...

bike riding without a helmet is a little like sex with a stranger without weariung a condom.

Anonymous said...

And coincidently, Bosox, both of them end with the phrase "Oh my GOD!"

Anonymous said...

I'm glad I'm not the overly-"macho" type.  Riding a motorcycle has no appeal for me whatsoever...never has.  I'm ALREADY convinced that the other morons on the road want to kill me, even when I'm in my car.  I can't imagine any fun or excitement to be had by making myself that much more convenient a target.

As for riding without a helmet...your line about bugs sticking in their teeth is the only thing I'd have to imagine to prevent that kind of risky behavior!

Patrick