Super Libertarian Ideals at Work in Super Bowl

I was listening to a post Super Bowl program on a sports talk radio station this morning, and was struck by a comment made by a caller. Jim from (insert name of rural town in middle Tennessee here) informed the show's listeners that "In America, success is spelled N-F-L." Indeed, the National Football League is perhaps the paragon of a successful American institution, now rivaling church as Sunday's most important event. Maybe this tremendous success can be attributed to an exemption from oppressive antitrust laws, but more likely it is the simple allure of the spectacle of capitalism, pure competition untainted by external interventions, that draws Americans to the television. Because, unfortunately, a glance out the window exposes one to the horrors of these interventions.

Most viewers would identify Steelers' linebacker James Harrison's record setting 100 yard interception return TD as the games most exhilarating play. Harrison, a 242 pound Hulk intercepted a pass from Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner in the end zone, and then chugged the entire length of the field before collapsing breathless in the opposite end zone as the first half expired. Clearly the free market was at work in this Herculean effort. Would Harrison have the incentive to perform with such tenacity if the six points awarded the Steelers for the touchdown had been distributed evenly between the two teams? What if a few of the 100 yards on his stat sheet were awarded to bench warmers who, through lack of ability or work ethic, had not earned playing time?

However, the presence of competent referees ensured that the release of the players' energy be only productive, and that its application to negative ends be punished. Following his epic return, Harrison pinned down Arizona defensive back Aaron Fransisco and repeatedly punched him in the back. When Fransisco attempted to rise to his knees, well after the two had ceased to be relevant to the play's action, Harrison flattened him like a pancake with an abundance of strawberry syrup. This blatant use of excessive personal force earned Harrison and the Steelers a personal foul and the corresponding penalization.

Through the rules of the NFL, and the roles of the referees in the game's action, we can see the proper function of government. Isabel Paterson correctly identifies the institution as "an instrument or mechanism of appropriation, prohibition, compulsion, and extinction." And how right she is. The NFL abstains from attempts to redirect the energy of the game, and only uses its power to inhibit the inappropriate use of energy. Consequently, it has captivated the country and now offers a three letter abbreviation for "success".