NFL stadiums might be the closest thing in modern culture to the Roman Colosseum, but rule changes in recent years to make the game safer have aimed to change that. The resulting offensive explosion has led us to believe that the game has evolved—or devolved—into a game more reliant on choreography than physicality.
Things like the air pressure inside a football seem more significant now than they would have 20 years ago. Science has seemingly replaced the brutal art that used to be the NFL’s identity.
Except physical aggression still pays dividends between the white lines.