Sad reality is concussions part of what sells the NFL

	Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson claims he was forced to practice while recovering from a concussion. Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images

OK, so it hasn't been the proudest week for the space program. But the sensational tale of Lisa Nowak's diaper drive serves, by way of contrast, to remind us of how much astronauts were once revered in this country. They were what every little kid wanted to grow up to be. They had the Right Stuff.

People's fascination with astronauts had a dark undercurrent to it, though, as Tom Wolfe pointed out in The Right Stuff. It wasn't just what they got to fly up into space; it was the risk they took. Back in the early days, rockets exploded on launch pads all the time. To get in one was to tempt death. They astronauts were heroes because they still climbed in those rockets, knowing full well, as Wolfe memorably reminded readers, "Our rockets always blow up."

These days astronauts are no longer a hot stock on the heroes exchange -- who had heard of Lisa Nowak, who flew on the space shuttle in July, before she this tabloid affair? -- but football players are. And as recent news has made evident, NFL players have the same kind of risk woven into their everyday activities that the astronauts did. Last week former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson told several news outlets that repeated concussions have rendered him depressed, dizzy and suffering from memory loss -- and he's only 34 years old. A few months ago concussions were blamed for suicide of former Eagles safety Andre Waters.

This news has led to talk of new rules that will protect players by keeping them out longer after concussions. That change is clearly needed.

But here's the thing to remember: these concussions aren't just an unfortunate side effect of the game. They are part of its essence.

The NFL is popular for many reasons. The value of each regular season game. The chess match between the coaches. Action being concentrated on Sundays, making it easier to follow than baseball or basketball. But football's real selling point is the size, speed and strength of its athletes -- and the way they use that size, strength and speed on each other.

The physical nature of football is the soul of its appeal, and why the NFL has grown so much in popularity these last decades. As more and more of us make our living by talking and pressing buttons and operating machines, how can we help but be fascinated by these guys who still have a practical need to fast and strong, who get ahead in their world not by making presentations or sending e-mails, but by hitting each other?