The Code
By: Ross Bernstein
Sunday Night Football is the most watched sport on television. There are people around the world following the NFL. Fans delight in seeing hits that cause a fumble. They love seeing a long touchdown pass to a wide open receiver sprinting down field. People enjoy watching football. Some fans argue the officiating is not the greatest. Every NFL official is given a little book, so small it will fit in your pocket. This book is updated every year. It contains all the rules of NFL football. While officials try to enforce all these rules, there are unwritten rules known only by the players. The Code by Ross Bernstein, details these unofficial rules. If a player breaks one of these rules, he probably won’t get a flag thrown, or get fined by the league office, but he might face consequences enforced by his fellow players. This book contains the point of view of the players and coaches about the “Code Of Honor.”
The point of view presented in this book is not one typical of the average NFL fan watching at home. This unique perspective is a large reason why I thought this was a great book. Overall I would give it 5 of 5 stars. I enjoyed the book because of the insightful opinions of NFL greats, past and present, coaches, and NFL officials that were included in it. Reading this book has changed the way I watch football. The Code is an indispensable guide to the inner workings of football’s internal system of justice and sportsmanship, as described by the players who enforce it.
I connected with this book in several different ways. Perhaps an obvious first, is because I consider myself to be a football player with hopes of playing at a higher level some day. I know that when you lace up your cleats and buckle up your chinstrap the referee isn’t the only rule enforcer you have to worry about. Some people think football players are thugs and only play football to get away with things that would put them in jail if they were on the streets. On the field, things can get heated. In a close game against the cross town rival, a little trash talking, some cheap shots, and things are bound to get out of control. The officials try to keep things calm by throwing flags, but at the end of the day an old man is not going to be able to stop a six foot two hundred and twenty pound linebacker. In a game, it’s really the players that decide what happens and what doesn’t. Another connection would be the feeling expressed by the players. In the book there are chapters written by the players describing how they feel about referees. Sometimes the referees are helpful, but there are times where they just get in the way. There are situations where the game should be run by the ins and outs of “The Code”. As a football player I think the game should be run on an honor system.
The game of football is a lot like politics. Football players have to overcome the politics of playing the game. Athletes have several stereotypes attached to them, that they need to overcome. Most of the general public assume that all football players are the traditional dumb jock. Football players are punks, the football teams consist of criminals that play football because they can’t do anything deeming acceptable and productive by society. While some of this is accurate, the conclusion is made without all the facts. When one player gets arrested or acts out in public they label the whole team and eventually the sport as a whole. The Code, talks about the repercussions of decisions made on the field. Reading this book has made me more conscious of what happens on the field, in the scrums, and confrontations throughout the game. I believe that there are officials that make correct calls based on what actually happens on the field. Also, the assumptions and preconceptions that referees come into the game with can really effect the way the game turns out.
Some of the NFL officials think they can utilize their power to control the game. While the referees can make an impact, it is the players who play and the coaches who coach. Today some players are trying to enforce the unwritten law off the field by sending thugs after rule-breakers or personally beating up opponents. This way they can enforce the rules they think need to be enforced. This book described what could happen off the football field. I enjoyed this book due to the fact that it connects to me personally. Overall The Code by Ross Bernstein was an amazing sports book that gives an inside scoop of the NFL rulebook, written and unwritten.
