Google ‘Little G’ GameDay NFL Schedule Doodle: Comment On Violence In Sports?


On the first Sunday NFL GameDay of the 2015 season, Google has marked the occasion with a Doodle that Time is describing as “adorable.” The Google Doodle features the character “Little g,” who is pictured lying on a bed in a room decorated with a pennant and a football poster that reads “Google High.”

The Google Little g child declares, “This year, I’m gonna be a football star!” and includes a cartoon thought bubble, showing the aspirations of Little g someday joining the NFL and scoring a touchdown. A click on the Doodle leads to a search for the 2015 NFL schedule on the search engine.

Google Doodle NFL schedule.

The Inquisitr has recently reported on high profile cases, including the death of Louisiana high school football player Tyrell Cameron and the vicious assault of an unnamed high school football referee in Texas by two unnamed players. NPR reports that the Texas incident has resulted in the players being suspended from school, and police considering criminal charges. The players have defended their actions, stating that the referee had used “racial epithets” before the game.

Would it be unreasonable to at least suspect that Google is making a statement about the effect viewing and listening to adults talk about such unfortunate incidents might have on an impressionable youngster? Is there any contradiction in adults who might mourn the senseless loss of a player who played by the rules like Tyrell Cameron, or lambaste the Texas John Jay students for shocking hits on a referee wearing no equipment, and then rally around professional NFL players when the Sunday GameDay schedule rolls around?

Almost unanimously, anyone involved in competitive sports, from NFL pros, to high school football players, to hockey players, to skateboarders, and to surfers, holds up their pastimes as something that should be fun, inclusive, and a positive experience that adds to, rather than detracts from, the lives of millions of people. And in theory, who could argue with that?

A Google search for “NFL injuries” yields thousands of results. Even in the off-season, a search for “NHL injuries” yields dozens of recent articles. YouTube is filled with videos of skateboarders breaking limbs and suffering concussions. Though seen as safe when compared with the NFL, NHL, or skateboarding, surfing is not without its share of serious injuries.

There is a group of players, fans, and even officials of the NFL, NHL, skateboarding, and surfing, who, for some reason, revel in exclusionary and retaliatory thinking. Locals warring with non-locals is something all too familiar with both skateboarders and surfers. Twenty years after the occurrence, NFL watchers were still remembering Charles Martin and his “hit list” written on his towel, as reported by the Chicago Tribune. The list of NHL “greatest hockey fights” on YouTube is almost endless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHuy1wdnptg

Perhaps, with its NFL GameDay schedule Doodle, Google is making this statement, and perhaps it isn’t. Besides hosting thousands of NFL news stories, Google and YouTube also see every violent and disturbing sports video that is uploaded. From Google’s perspective, would a “C’mon guys this is supposed to fun” stance with regard to the NFL, and sports in general, really be so hard to fathom?

[NFL Photo by Maddie Meyer / Getty Images – NFL GameDay Doodle Screenshot Courtesy Google]

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