The NFL is a protection racket

No, really. One of the league's stars admits as much, and an online commentator agrees with him.

For all the craziness that is associated with Ray Lewis, the man sure does seem to speak the truth on big issues. The latest one? How the lockout might affect our society as a whole, and what it might do to the nation's crime rate.

No, he isn't just talking about the players. Ray thinks if the lockout continues and there is no NFL season, crime will increase because people will be so distraught without one of their favorite past times.

...

The man has a point. Football fans will have to find other things to do without their favorite game being played if the NFL does decide to go with this lockout, and Lewis is just pointing out facts about this. If any sport or big event was dumped, it would force people to look for other things to do, and I think that's the point Lewis is making here.

Just add it to the growing list of reasons why the NFL lockout would be a bad thing.

(from Shane Bacon at Shutdown Corner)

Did you get that? Ray Lewis says that he and his buddies need to be paid to play or we will all suffer from increased crime. And Shane Bacon thinks the man's on to something!

Hey, football's great, but it ain't so great that it keeps career criminals in check, allowing us to live in a functioning society that otherwise wouldn't function. If that were the case, then the months of February through September would be lawless mayhem in the streets every year. But criminals don't really work that way. They strike when they will and when they feel they need to, and, though I'm sure they like sports, these same criminals really won't suffer too much if just the NFL loses its season. There's still baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer (I think), and even arena football and Canadian football. Wrestling, too. There are plenty of sports to watch (with overlapping seasons, even!), and it's the pinnacle of hubris for Ray Lewis to think that his own sport is the only one that saves us from things that go bump in the night.

Nice society you have there. Be a shame if anything were to happen to it.