Sports world already has moved on from past concern for athletes’ health

The “Never Forget” vow is tossed around quite a bit. But the shelf life of “never” depends on how long it takes to forget to remember. It can take decades, years, months and weeks to fade then vanish. 

In sports, however, it takes minutes — until the next pitch, punt or power play. 

Late last week there was great solemn national attention devoted to Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa after he left Thursday’s game with his third on-the-job concussion. Calls for him to quit lest he suffer lifelong neurological impairment — if it isn’t too late — were shouted from mountaintops and echoed in the valleys. 

Say it with me: “This puts everything into perspective!” Yeah, sure. 

Sunday, during the Jets and Giants games, no fewer than six head-hits were seen — only one flagged — to the silence of CBS and Fox broadcasters and studio commentators. 

But what else is new? Don’t want to upset Roger Goodell, whose concern for the mental and physical health and welfare of NFL players can be found in his persistent advocacy of playing more regular season games for more TV money and partnered, bad-odds gambling operators. 

So, what we missed — couldn’t miss without thinking of Tagovailoa’s plight, three days prior — was, at best, ignored. Next! 

Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Center continues to report the suicides of NHL pugilists who became invalids after taking too many league-approved shots to the head, yet this past season local media and fans quickly adopted the Rangers’ one-trick Matt Rempe as their BFFN — best friend, for now. 

At the same time Rempe was being embraced and celebrated as a pug, ex-Ranger Chris Simon, cheered for his professional eagerness to take and land punches to the head, committed suicide at age 52, his last act, having suffered the inability to live with brain damage, CTE. 

So never forget! Just don’t bring it up if you happen to remember. 

TV voices avoid something to talk about nothing

The mindless prattle from the NFL’s joined-at-the-payroll TV cronies trudges on. Beyond a mute button, there’s no escaping. 

From CBS’ studio, Nate Burleson reported that career misanthrope Tyreek Hill had “a pregame incident” then returned to providing hollow filler. Here’s a show that’s easily ignored due to empty content, but when it had a real story to report — Jaguars-Dolphins was a CBS game, thus its crew was in place — we got zip. 

Sunday, Fox’s Mark Schlereth talked so much yet again he missed the game-long absence of Giants 2022 first-round pick Kayvon “The Snow Angel” Thibodeaux — no longer an every down defensive player, often on the bench, as if he couldn’t play because he had his school clothes on. 

At the close of that telecast, Fox’s Chris Myers told us the Giants lost despite “a career day” from WR Malik Nabers, who was playing the second game of his NFL career. 

College football, you should excuse the bogus expression, is at least as bad. 

With 4:05 left in the first quarter, Kansas up 14-6, on ESPN, play-by-player Anish Shroff declared, “It has been a low-possession game.” 

Did he think we hadn’t been watching? Or did he not know what he was watching? The game had included four clock-ticking drives — two for touchdowns, two for field goals. It was a long-possessions game. 

Hey Roger Goodell, you pandering phony, what do you want me to do with all these emails — at least 150 of them — suggesting that P. Diddy makes a perfect fit for what you’ve allowed to become Super Bowl halftime family entertainment? 

You want me to send them along or enter them into the annals of “It’s All About Our Fans” and your “gambling on NFL games is bad for society” testimonies? 

And, hey, Rob “Kids Are Our Top Priority” Manfred and Steve Cohen, want to buy some discounted tickets — no added fees! — to Sunday night’s Mets Fan Appreciation/Depreciation Day, the home finale switched from 1 p.m. to nighttime for ESPN dough? 

As of Thursday, I’d heard from seven readers, all parents, representing roughly 60 ticket-purchases for Sunday’s game. With school and work the next day, they’re now worthless. 

Saints RB Alvin Kamara scored three times against the Cowboys on Sunday. Hooray for Alvin! Made all the highlights. 

Some viewers, however, might have wondered how Kamara, after a brief suspension in 2023 for a financial settlement and plea bargain after nearly stomping an innocent man to death, is still allowed to make millions in Goodell’s “Stop the Hate” NFL. 

Vols fans get to pay ‘talent fee’ 

The University of Tennessee will now add a 10 percent “talent fee” to the price of football tickets to better bribe football players to attend — practice, not college. 

That’s right, now UT fans can join wealthy yahoos in helping to rent players! 

Add that to the two must-buy, pay-to-slay games — this season by a combined 140-3 over Chattanooga then Kent State — as it has never been more essential for season-ticket buyers to serve the Volunteers as volunteer dopes. 

Surprised, sort of, that the Mets TV crew continues to indulge that ridiculous, impressionable, childish and wasteful “latest tradition” of the Mets tearing off the jerseys of teammates who produce game-ending at-bats? Does the same apply after the game-ender scores on an error? 

Why the Mets seem to find ways to adopt obnoxious in-game and post-game demonstrations makes me, well, Grimace. 

And SNY’s predilection to show jerks, many apparently wasted, in the stands might be replaced with the worthwhile, such as outfield alignment shots. 

While we’re at it, after SNY pitch graphics and Gary Cohen claim that the last pitch was a “96 mph sinker,” perhaps Ron Darling can explain how one throws a 96 mph breaking ball. 

Life ain’t fair. I’ve known Ed Cohen since he was 16 and hard at work to become a polished sportscaster eager for action and advice. Having done his time in the minors, he earned his way to become the Knicks radio-play-by-player. 

This past season, six-plus years at the Garden, his vocal cords began to betray him. At 41, married with two kids and formerly a great set of pipes, he’s done — at least for now, as he continues to seek a cure. 

Based on what was seen Sunday night on NBC, Texans QB C.J. Stroud is special. He made completing thread-the-needle sideline throws on the short run appear easy. 

Also noteworthy was that Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth let the game breathe. 

Collinsworth, normally given to telling us that he could see what was coming after it arrived, brought back his good old days by highlighting pertinent blocks by tight ends. Superb and useful show-and-tells. 

I continue to be mystified by those chosen to be TV and advertising heroes. 

Bill Belichick, a miserable wretch as the Patriots coach, has joined Deion Sanders, a proven scam artist and self-entitled God-certified braggart, in being portrayed and further enriched as sportsmen Americans absolutely love.