Although the rules of the game today have taken a great deal of the aggression off the field, football remains a violent sport. The guys in the trenches, the gladiator, are bigger and stronger than those playing the skilled positions.
Inevitably, there are disagreements between the gladiators and the smaller offensive players. When they clash, the “root for the underdog” American ethos kicks in and comes to the aid of the skilled player over the so-called “brut.”