Why are fans so hard on the “injury prone”?

[AvengerRam]

I’ve always found the term “injury prone” to be a bit odd. Anyone who steps on an NFL field is prone to injury. Perhaps a better description is “oft-injured.”

Whatever term is best used, it seems to me that fans are often quite harsh when referencing players who miss significant time due to injuries.

Why is that?

Is it just disappointment and frustration? Certainly, that’s a big part of it.

Are fans just heartless bastards who lack sympathy for players who, through no fault of their own, are unable to avoid getting hurt? Sometimes.

But I also think that fans believe, to some degree, that some oft-injured players miss time because they lack the toughness to play through pain and stay on the field despite the inevitable bumps and bruises that are inherent in the game. This is particularly true when the injuries (ie relatively soft tissue injuries).that others seem to play through.

Is that fair?

It’s tough to say. As fans, we can only guess whether guys like Darrell Henderson and Obo Okoronkwo are tough, but unlucky, or just unwilling to play though pain.

I try to give our guys the benefit of the doubt. It’s not always easy, though.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

For me it is team first. How can an oft injured player help the team? He can only help when he’s on the field. So if he’s off the field more than on the field is he really helping enough to be taking up a key roster spot? I guess it depends on how often he is healthy enough to play.

Then you can say if it’s a great player, some injury is worth the output. It’s a balance that varies from one player to another.

In the end it is not personal. It’s all about the team because above all we want to see our favorite team win it all.

It’s why many don’t get overly emotional about a player leaving in free agency or being traded. I liken it to thinking like a GM. Always thinking what is best for the team.

 

[Mackeyser]

Depends on so much.

We've seen lineman play through ankle stuff that skill position guys can't... same with broken hands/wrists.

You're not gonna see Deandre Hopkins playing with a cast on his right hand, for example.

There are injuries that are "sit down" injuries for some positions and not others, so it's hard to judge.

Also, people have different physiology.

Roger Saffold had a congenital defect in his shoulders and once he got them repaired, he was phenomenal. Bodies are different.

All it means is that while the very stark, "the best ability is availability", reigns supreme in sports, every injury is individual. The injury itself is unique, the player's body is unique including their ability to heal, the way bodies move is unique and that can help or hinder.

For me, just like I refuse to question the intestinal fortitude of anyone who's ever stepped into an octagon (doesn't mean they can't be total asses, but I'm not gonna criticize their willingness to step in the cage and take damage), I tend to give players the BoD.

Sure, some guys drag or simply don't have access to the penthouse when it comes to figuring it out and giving that 110% to their rehab. But I think with all the money out there, guys are incentivized to be right and stay right with their bodies. Most pros out there now have been getting the "get your body and your money right" speeches most of their lives now (as opposed to guys in the 70s who barely made enough to live on, let alone set oneself up for life).

 

[“Turbo set!”]

Not sure people criticize players for being injured. It is just like saying they are not good or can't play.