1) The central message or thesis of this essay is that pro football players suffer a lot of injuries playing the sport. These injuries are a result of war like sportsmanship, the attitude of coaches, and the cheer of the crowd.
2) When McMurty says organized football is like war he is referring to things such as language, principles or practices, and the imperatives used by the caches and fans. Some of the language used in football is also used by the military such as "Field General", Good Hit", "Take a Shot", and "Front Line". Even the principles and practices of football are related to the military things such as "Mass Hysteria", "The Art of Intimidation", "Absolute Command" and Territorial Aggression". The imperatives use by the coaches and fans are also used by soldiers and their commanders' phrases such as "Hurt'em", "Level'em", "kill'em" or "Take'em Apart" are used in war all the time. You can even find similarities between the two during the game. Look at the players while they are line up at the start of a play before the ball is hiked and you cam find a resemblance to a war, not a conventional battle field but that of the Civil War, you have two groups of people in different color uniforms standing in a formation with the goal of defeating the other group and getting past them for a goal.
3) Authorities ruined football for Mr. McMurty by regulating and institutionalizing the sport of pro football.
4) I consider Mr. McMurty an expert on the field of football because he played as a child and went on to play pro ball in the late fifties and early sixties. He also has an understanding of how the effect of the crowd and coaches impacts the game and how it is played.
5) Mr. McMurty view of men wanting to fight each other ...