Quote Originally Posted by GeneralHankerchief
It looks like it's up to me to defend American football.

First of all, we don't give two hoots about beauty or elegance. We tune in to see power, awesomeness, and guts. Many of us look at American football as war. And our favorite team must win, or die. There's also something special about 250-pound men with at least 15 pounds of equipment on them running at ridiculous speeds.

We celebrate toughness and determination in athletes, and American football is home to people that demonstrate that. These people play hurt in almost every game of the season.
So why don't you discard the protective gear and play proper rugby instead?