This brings to mind "Still Life", the story of John McClamrock, a high school football star paralyzed during a game, and his mother subsequently devotes her life to taking care of him.
I somehow came across the article in April 2020, the peak covid lockdown, during which I lived alone in my small apartment.
I don't know what it was about the writing style, but I couldn't make it through than a few paragraphs before giving up. One thing that LLMs seem reasonably good at is summarizing things. So here's your 200 word summary:
Two high‑school quarterbacks, decades apart, met the same fate. Jay Kutner, 18, Holy Trinity (NY), suffered a broken neck during a scrimmage in 1972 on a routine play. He became paralyzed, eventually passing away months later. His teammates dedicated their season to him and won a game he’d always meant to play in. His memory endured through field dedications and the stories of classmates and family.
Caden Tellier, 16, Morgan Academy (AL), collapsed during a game in August 2024 after being tackled. He fell ill, was hospitalized, declared brain‑dead, and donated his organs per his wishes. His school and community held a revival and memorials. Coaches, teammates, and townspeople gathered in grief and reflection .
The article draws parallels across time and place: both boys were promising athletes, kind leaders, beloved in their schools. Each death sent ripples through their communities, triggering reflections on football’s dangers and the weight of memory. Their stories affirm that some lives, however brief, outlast time itself ([espn.com][2]).
Add in my cousin, who told his coach he was ready to go back in after a first-quarter neck injury. One play later he was on a stretcher, and dead by morning.
The opposing team bought the biggest damn floral display you ever saw for his funeral. I can't imagine what it felt like.
It wasn't the primary reason I have a visceral revulsion from American football, but it strengthened it.
I love long form articles but this is way too difficult to follow, which is unfortunate because it’s both topical and eerie (great mix), but you just can’t have that many simultaneous strands as you jump repeatedly across narrative time. Unreadable.
Tom Junod is a natural treasure. And for those who are complaining about the writing style; this is journalistic long-form non-fiction, not a technical article where you want the TL;DR executive summary up front. You read this stuff for the journey, not for the "I need to use this information now" approach. If you don't like the style, fine, but don't denigrate it. Much long-form non-fiction is written this way. He's weaving together three different strands of biography here - the two football players and his own connection to one of them -- with a meditative discussion on the acceptance of the risk of fatal injury in youth sports. And yes, you can have that many strands -- that's what braided essays do.
Legal approved it but only after suggesting they remove the section with gambling odds on the number of high school players to die this upcoming season
This brings to mind "Still Life", the story of John McClamrock, a high school football star paralyzed during a game, and his mother subsequently devotes her life to taking care of him.
I somehow came across the article in April 2020, the peak covid lockdown, during which I lived alone in my small apartment.
It was one of the most profound things I have ever read: https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/still-life/
It’s an incredible piece of writing.
I don't know what it was about the writing style, but I couldn't make it through than a few paragraphs before giving up. One thing that LLMs seem reasonably good at is summarizing things. So here's your 200 word summary:
Two high‑school quarterbacks, decades apart, met the same fate. Jay Kutner, 18, Holy Trinity (NY), suffered a broken neck during a scrimmage in 1972 on a routine play. He became paralyzed, eventually passing away months later. His teammates dedicated their season to him and won a game he’d always meant to play in. His memory endured through field dedications and the stories of classmates and family.
Caden Tellier, 16, Morgan Academy (AL), collapsed during a game in August 2024 after being tackled. He fell ill, was hospitalized, declared brain‑dead, and donated his organs per his wishes. His school and community held a revival and memorials. Coaches, teammates, and townspeople gathered in grief and reflection .
The article draws parallels across time and place: both boys were promising athletes, kind leaders, beloved in their schools. Each death sent ripples through their communities, triggering reflections on football’s dangers and the weight of memory. Their stories affirm that some lives, however brief, outlast time itself ([espn.com][2]).
Add in my cousin, who told his coach he was ready to go back in after a first-quarter neck injury. One play later he was on a stretcher, and dead by morning.
The opposing team bought the biggest damn floral display you ever saw for his funeral. I can't imagine what it felt like.
It wasn't the primary reason I have a visceral revulsion from American football, but it strengthened it.
I read a lot of it, and I liked the writing, but it really is a very long article and eventually I gave up.
It is very poorly written.
I love long form articles but this is way too difficult to follow, which is unfortunate because it’s both topical and eerie (great mix), but you just can’t have that many simultaneous strands as you jump repeatedly across narrative time. Unreadable.
This is the difference between knowing things and feeling things.
Tom Junod is a natural treasure. And for those who are complaining about the writing style; this is journalistic long-form non-fiction, not a technical article where you want the TL;DR executive summary up front. You read this stuff for the journey, not for the "I need to use this information now" approach. If you don't like the style, fine, but don't denigrate it. Much long-form non-fiction is written this way. He's weaving together three different strands of biography here - the two football players and his own connection to one of them -- with a meditative discussion on the acceptance of the risk of fatal injury in youth sports. And yes, you can have that many strands -- that's what braided essays do.
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Really great comment, thanks for that
Legal approved it but only after suggesting they remove the section with gambling odds on the number of high school players to die this upcoming season