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Burfict-WIlliams: Sports Entertainment at Its Finest

By Matthew Pedroza

Jan 9, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals outside linebacker Vontaze Burfict (55) against the Pittsburgh Steelers during a AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals outside linebacker Vontaze Burfict (55) against the Pittsburgh Steelers during a AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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DeAngelo Williams and Vontaze Burfict are providing some off the field theatrics in a Twitter spat. Some people find this immature and unprofessional, I find it as a breath of fresh air. It’s ok not to like the guys that line up across from you on the football field. For every nice guy like Andy Dalton, you need a Vontaze Burfict to keep your grit.

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If you missed the feud, here it is:

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I do admit this isn’t role model material here, but, I don’t look to the NFL, or any athlete, to search for a role model. When you can fully separate yourself from the sports and realize that we’re watching grown men play a game, this stuff is fun.

This is the kind of stuff that gets me excited for the NFL season to begin and will keep me hooked on Sundays. This is the stuff that makes the agonizing boredom that the NFL offseason brings somewhat tolerable. This is what a rivalry looks like and this one is going to be here for a long time.

Many people may disagree, but this is good for the sport. In an NFL where we have players committing heinous crimes, this is a good change of pace. Williams has never had any legal trouble, but protests the NFL. We all the issues of Burfict, but it’s never carried over to anything off of the field. This is simply two guys that don’t like the jersey that each wears, and I’m 100% OK with that.

As much as I tune in to watch spectacular plays, knowing that there are two teams that want nothing more than to beat the other team makes it that much better. With an NFL that is moving away from a hard-hitting sport with the penalties and fine, we need to embrace this genuine rivalry in other ways. This is it. This is sports entertainment.

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