A Common Enemy

As even hardcore political junkies like myself are getting sick of talking about the election, I decided to switch topics entirely.

Two NFL stars have been in the news recently for battles with infection. Kellen Winslow II was suspended for talking about his staph infection and making negative comments about his organization. Tom Brady, the reigning superstar of the NFL, has had to have multiple surgeries to clean infection out of his reconstructed knee. Mr. Brady's infection has not been clarified as staph or not, though it is hardly unlikely that staph is the culprit.

The infection of two NFL players reminded me of the danger that staph poses. These should be among the least likely people in the world to get an infection, as they have quite literally the best health care money can buy. They are also in peak condition, and are resilient human beings. In fact, I believe resiliency and toughness separate out the good from the great in the NFL, as it often comes down to who can survive or endure long enough to have a great career, more so than who has the peak talent.

Staph should not be underestimated, it kills more people in the US than AIDS. Yet it is rare to hear about it on the news, unless there is a local outbreak, usually at a high school.

This election season, it is easy to get wrapped up in differences of opinion and politics, and lose sight of the fact that any way you view it, we have common enemies. I am guilty of it myself. Let us not be completely blinded by these differences that we ignore the things that threaten us all.