We Debate: Should Society Allow Special Teams Players To Have And Raise Children?

As we enter another voting day, there is no doubt our society, even the famously non-progressive NFL, has made huge strides towards inclusivity. But when it comes to Special Teams players, no matter how much we claim they can “do anything,” a question remains: is it responsible to allow them to raise children?

Make no mistake: Special Teams players are, without a doubt, the better angels of our humanity. By raising this question, we at Sports Riot do not want to give any idea that we have anything but admiration for those wide-eyed, innocent faces shouting in glee as they tack on one additional point. But even as we cheer them on, we know in the back of our minds there is good reason we only let them onto the field once every few minutes. And that same inescapable fact should give us pause, because a child cannot be cared for only after failed third-and-long conversions; it will require being looked after on every down.

This is not to say that Special Teams players don’t deserve love. Justin Tucker told us last week he has a girlfriend, and we think that’s fantastic! (Although we are hoping she is Special Teams too, otherwise it comes off as a little predatory…). But the love of a partner is different than the responsibility of a parent, just as Johnny Hekker might have an intense, furious love towards his football, but he requires an equipment manager to take proper care of it.

The harsh reality is this: If we don’t feel comfortable letting these brave little guys do standard offensive or defensive work, what hope will they have of filling out a preschool form, or maintaining a consistent breastfeeding schedule? It’s great that society is becoming more accepting of Special Teams players—we even saw a Bears fan wearing a Devin Hester jersey last week—but at a certain point, support can go too far. And just like the dynamic kick-line to let the kickoff team know where to stand, a line needs to be drawn.