Andrew Sharp savages the conception of masculinity being pushed in-between downs:
It’s really, really hard to screw up boobs, unless you ask us to identify with a bunch of mouthbreathing douchebags staring at them. Masculinity’s not an illusion, but when it’s distorted like that, it feels like one. Likewise, when the NFL juxtaposes its macho culture by selling itself as the manliest man’s game in the history of men, all the rhetoric undermines the subtle moments in the game where football really is the coolest sport on earth. Where manhood’s real, and actually pretty badass. Where it becomes a chess match between brilliant men who’ve given their lives to the game, with the best athletes on earth, all battling like hell. Where opponents leave the field with either mutual respect or visceral loathing, either of which bonds them for life.
The Dish 