An NFL preseason game got stopped last night in the middle of the fourth quarter.

Not delayed. Stopped. Ended, with time still on the clock.

Why?

Because a player got hit and was lying motionless on the field for some time. He had to be carted off and taken to a hospital.

You may read the title of this article, and the above intro, and deem me insensitive. I’m some meathead “bro” who played 3 snaps of high school varsity and is still living out my (imaginary) glory days of “when men were men”.

Wrong.

I’ve never played a single game of football. I don't have a dog in the football race. I doubt I could even name 25 current NFL players.

What I do care about: Masculinity, principles and standards.

I’ll explain.

Football is a violent sport. Men sign up to smash into each other as hard as possible with the intention of hurting the opponent. Similar to boxing or MMA, if you put on a football helmet and pads, you are risking your health. You don't sign up for these sports with the goal of keeping your body intact. It may happen, but that’s not the goal. This is not news to any player.

There used to be a show called NFL Films that would celebrate and highlight the hardest hits and most violent collisions in the game as accomplishments. They used to sell VHS tapes (millennials: ask your parents) with an endless loop of the best hits from the games that did the most damage to the recipients. ESPN used to have segments of their pregame shows making light of these same hard hits.

But that was back in the day, you say. Times have changed!

You're right. Times have changed. Principles have not.

Football is STILL violent.
It’s STILL about imposing your will physically.
The goal is STILL to knock the other guys head off with no remorse.

But something has changed.

They brought women into the room.

Now there are women coaches.
Know-nothing Women hosting roundtable shows about football.
Women holding DIE-mandated front office positions.
Women sharing estrogen-laced opinions about the game.

Here's what happens when you add women to any situation that was previously male-dominated: The room grows softer.

More sensitive.
Nicer.
More concerned about feelings and who might be offended than with stating what’s true.

This is not a knock on women. I love women. If I have a choice, I’d rather be in a room full of women than a room full of men, most of the time.

But women have their places.
And men have theirs.

There are conversations I have when the room is 100% male that wouldn't happen with even ONE female present in that same room. There are things I say when talking to men that I would never say to any woman, regardless of our relationship. I’m sure women who read this can say the same from their end.

Too much female influence has watered down the masculinity of sports.

Football – and sports in general – is masculine.

In any sport, one entity looks to impose its will on the other for the purpose of proving its superiority via physicality. That in and of itself is a masculine pursuit, and masculine mindset. This is what we men naturally do.

When I face a challenge, I default to how I can or could address it physically. That’s my natural male, masculine instinct talking to me. My logic reminds me to engage my brain. Yeah, intelligence and strategy are involved in sports as well. But sports at its core is about physical performance. That’s why most athletes are done by age 35. Your brain works until you're 80. Your body does not.

As more women have gained influence in and over sports, it's gotten softer.

I’ve heard of soccer leagues canceling games because the fans – THE FANS – were shouting insensitive insults at opposing players.

The NFL stops games because a player got hurt and carted off and everyone is too traumatized to keep playing.

Males are declaring themselves to be women and ALLOWED to play female sports, and no one can question it.

None of this would be happening if men were completely in charge.

This is not to say that women cannot participate in sports, even male sports.

There are many great female journalists and sideline reporters who I've read and liked for decades. I don't even mind a woman coaching in sports, provided she starts at the bottom just like the men, and earns her way up just like the men.

I engaged with some people over Twitter/X this morning about the NFL game-stoppage issue. Even some males are calling it “insensitive” to keep playing after a player gets carted off the field.

Would it be insensitive if a fighter got carted out of the ring on the undercard of a boxing match, to still have the main event fight?

No. it’d be business as usual. Because boxing is a violent sport. As is football.

Boxing is not as popular as the NFL. So the women haven't gotten to it yet.

When you put on boxing gloves or football pads, you accept the trade-off that you might get your head knocked off that day. That’s the game you're playing. If you want to prioritize your health or safety, you're in the wrong game for doing so.

I’m interested to see what the NFL does when this happens in a regular season game. Because it will happen. Someone will be lying motionless on the field. The emergency cart will come out. And there will still be time on the clock, in a game that matters.

Some say it’s the players’ fault; that they have grown soft. I disagree. The players probably agree with my perspective. But few can articulate their thoughts this way AND stand up to the inevitable blowback that would come as a result. And, all for what? So they can issue an apology on Instagram the next day? It’s not worth the hassle.

Plus, today’s players don't care as much about the future of the league after they're gone. We live in the gotta-get-mine era. Get your money and move on.

If you're not a football or sports fan, here’s why this matters: It starts with sports and entertainment. They are mass-consumed by the everyday person, and the easiest way to get a message or idea to spread. Once it works there, it moves to the next level.

It’s coming. Don't say you weren't warned.

Here’s the fix: Men need to step up and be men again. NFL players need to speak up and say that injuries are part of the game; when someone's carted off we clean up the blood and keep playing. That’s what we signed up for. That’s what the fans want to see.

That’s the masculine game of football.

The harsh, not-so-friendly parts of your industry? They're coming for that next.

Speaking of what we signed up for, if you haven't read my book The Third Day, it’s all about how you show up and give your best effort when you least feel like it – a requirement of every professional. Get a FREE copy here: http://ThirdDayBook.com