The NFL is cracking down on simulated bow-and-arrow violence. It’s about time.

A specter is haunting professional football. The specter of simulated violence.

For too long, we’ve sat idly by while giant, hulking men simulated potentially violent acts during stoppages in play. That’s not funny, and it’s not right. No one goes to a sporting event to see violence — simulated or otherwise.

I’m writing this now, of course, because Redskins cornerback Josh Norman was penalized last week for simulating bow-and-arrow violence, and some barbaric enthusiasts and/or archery cultists disagreed with that call. They are under the mistaken impression that violence is okay. It is not.

Look, I’ve seen my 9-year-old daughter and her fourth-grade friends play with bow and arrows. They even teach archery in her D.C. elementary school, blinded to the real-world possibilities of these devil tools. Merchants, if you can believe this, sell bow-and-arrow sets in toy stores — and right in the very front, too. Kids read popular young adult novels that feature bows and arrows. So you don’t need to tell me how much violence is implied by a bow-and-arrow motion. You know how much happier I would be if my kid would stop with the bow-and-arrow business and instead go out and play some sports, maybe take a few head shots from someone running at full speed? A lot happier, that’s how much.

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