The late esteemed columnist, Mary McGrory, once wrote: "Baseball is what we were. Football is what we have become." The notion that sports in general, and football in particular, represent a microcosm of our society is compelling indeed, as we conjour thoughts of an intensively competitive society, fast-paced, non-stop action and only barely controlled aggression. How are we to understand the role of football, American-style, with stadiums brimming...