DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Congratulations to Montclair High’s undefeated football team — which has had a GREAT season and will play in a championship game tomorrow, Dec. 1, at MetLife Stadium. So…can you discuss how much you dislike football?

Sincerely,
Jeremy Gridirons

Hey! Asking questions like that will get me in trouble! Stop…halt…cease…desist…don’t go there — unless “there” is Synonyms R Us.


DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
But YOU ask the questions in this column each week. You’re telling YOURSELF to stop! Can you explain that?

Sincerely,
Doppelgangers R Us

I played football as a kid and got my head whacked more than a few times.

DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Oh, I see — you hate football, even on the high school level in Montclair, because of all the head trauma and other serious injuries that players suffer?

Sincerely,
Concussed on Crestmont

Exactly. If students want competition and team camaraderie, there’s always basketball, soccer, softball, and other sports — including Toss Trump Out of the White House With a Frisbee-Like Fling.

DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
But, as you know with your soccer- and softball-playing daughter, any sport carries some risks!

Sincerely,
“Duh” on Douglas

Sure, but not as many risks as football does. Think of the battered brains and broken bodies of many retired National Football League players who competed since high school. Is that what we want for our kids in Montclair?

DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
And the NFL has right-wing billionaire owners who price-gouge fans, too many players guilty of violence against women, etc. But, to respond to your question, most high school athletes never reach the NFL — or even play college football.

Sincerely,
Minna Sotavikings

Still, it’s too violent a sport. I know football isn’t going away, but I don’t have to support it — even as I hope the Mounties win their game tomorrow at MetDeath…um…MetLife.


DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Do you support NFL players who, inspired by colluded-out-of-the-league QB Colin Kaepernick, respectfully kneel for the national anthem to protest police killings of black citizens and other forms of racism?

Sincerely,
QB Means Quarterback and Quite Brave

Darn right I do, like many people in Montclair. Those players are NOT disrespecting the flag, as Trump falsely claims. I’m sick of the NFL draping itself in bogus patriotism when all it cares about are huge profits and…and…profits that are huge.


DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
We know, we know — you played football as a kid and got your head whacked more than a few times. Meanwhile, today’s column is not as local as usual. Your defense?

Sincerely,
Bill, Bella Chikk

I drove past Woodman Field recently. That’s gotta count for something.

DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Were the Mounties practicing?

Sincerely,
Essie on Essex

Practicing violin in uniforms, helmets, and pads? Not sure. My car windows were closed, like my mind now is to football.

 

Dave Astor, author, is the MontClairVoyant. His opinions about politics and local events are strictly his own and do not represent or reflect the views of Baristanet.