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1. �Football is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me,� wrote Jonathan Chait in his sprawling defense of the sport (�What Liberals Get Wrong About Football,� October 6�19). The article left readers sharply divided. �This piece really spoke to me,� commented Weakcoder. �As a bookish kid, football was a godsend. I could prove I wasn’t weak, I could socialize within a pretext/context � My lived experience was incomprehensible aggression off the field, and comprehensible aggression on it. Give me the field version any day.� Commenter Symbot agreed: �I’m sympathetic to the need for rituals in youth. I had my ritual, my tribal experience � Warped Tours and punk shows � and those had their share of health risks, too � The feeling of confronting a world that had some dangers and stresses, that I couldn’t entirely control, but that I was being fully exposed to, outside the protective bubble provided by my parents � there was no substitute for that. I can see very well how football might serve that purpose for a lot of young men out there. Now we’ve just gotta face the bigger systemic problems: the corporatism, denial, and endemic violence that turns youth football�a great outlet for young people�into the entrenched, exploitative institution called the NFL.� Others, though, felt the piece missed the mark entirely. Dan Diamond from Forbes broke down what he called �the big problems with Chait’s argument. 1. Chait understates the brain-injury risk: Football concussions are a real concern. 2. Chait misinterprets the arrest numbers: Domestic violence is a huge problem in the NFL. 3. Chait claims that football has a mystical ability to make boys into men, and reduce the risk of violence � The author dismisses the facts and ignores several studies in favor of Chait’s personal anecdotes about why playing high school football 20 years ago was so awesome.� Commenter Sean.Bennett agreed: �Chait’s piece is full of argumentative fallacies and a bizarrely mindless traditionalism that isn’t present in much of his other work. Besides the weird appeal to �masculinity’ and his assertion that football is the only possible safe outlet for such, his entire argument is basically �I remember getting good feelings out of football and everything with MY team was fine.’ � Many, though, stuck to commenting on the writing itself. �I’m not sure how to recommend this Jonathan Chait football piece highly enough without diminishing it,� wrote @JonCoppage. �Exceptionally well done. One of those you file away as a writer for reference on the craft.�
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2. Gabriel Sherman’s story about CNN’s controversial CEO, Jeff Zucker, was praised by at least one commenter for its balanced approach (��I Did Something to Piss God Off a Long Time Ago,’� October 6�19). �Very interesting take on someone who is so obviously and firmly grounded on the other side of the aisle from the author,� wrote commenter Deadeye. �Amazing degree of compassion and plain old balance.� Despite this portrayal, plenty of readers used this opportunity to air their dissatisfaction with Zucker, for example: �The Zuck doesn’t turn things around,� wrote commenter BriteBlonde1. �He turns things to (insert your own favorite word here that won’t make it through the censors).� Erik Wemple from the Washington Post thought Sherman left out a key element of the story: �Cost is a big topic at CNN,� he wrote, �and one that the profile just grazes. Over the summer, Zucker made it clear to CNN staffers that they’d have to do �less with less’ at a network that will be losing staff in the coming months. That’ll make it harder for Zucker to push the network to its long-since-surrendered spot atop the cable news scramble. In June 2013, Zucker said �Ask me again in three years’ when he was asked about his timeline for preeminence. Now he’s telling Sherman, �It’s not a path to No. 1 here. What we talk about is making the network essential and better.’ �
3. �Each of these machines gives its human operator the same power: It allows us to project our intelligence into the air, and to exert our influence over vast expanses of space,� wrote Benjamin Wallace-�Wells in his exploration of the many uses of drones (�Drones and Everything After,� October 6�19). �Another outstanding piece,� wrote commenter Alyce�InWonderland. �Thank you.� Some were put off by the length of the feature. �This article isn’t an article,� wrote Danlewis. �It’s a BOOK.� Many approved of the web design and the writing: �Love the story design + cover art,� wrote @lainnafader. @nbj914 and other readers were impressed with the animated drones that illustrated the online version of the story. The Daily Beast’s @ericpape summed it up nicely. �Awesome article on drones,� he wrote, �with little drones all over the page.�
Corrections: In the �Approval Matrix� (October 6�19), a photograph purporting to be of Eric Bolling was of another Fox anchor, Greg Gutfeld. In � �I Did Something to Piss God Off a Long Time Ago’ � (October 6�19), we stated that Ben Silverman was fired. In fact, Silverman resigned.