Mark Dayton has been pilloried for his response to a question about why so many NFL players run afoul of the law. The reason?

The governor mused that football is "basically slightly civilized war," then teased out the comparison, likening the off-season adjustment of athletes to civilian life to that of "soldiers returning from combat."

These observations were framed as an insult to "the troops." Because any perceived disrespect of the troops has become the new third rail of American politics, Dayton quickly apologized for his remarks.

But what, really, is so wrong with what Dayton said?

He made no claim of moral equivalency between NFL players (who are in the entertainment racket) and members of the armed services (who are in the national-security business). Rather, he suggested that psychological commonalities exist between two vocations. This is true.

Like the military, professional football is a macho, team-oriented activity which, by necessity, cultivates aggressive impulses that are not acceptable in regular society. Like the military, football is an exercise in choreographed violence. It's no accident that the language of the sport -- the blitz, the bomb and so fourth -- is larded with military connotations.

While Dayton did not suggest it, there are some deeper similarities, too. For the past few years, you haven't been able to pick up a newspaper without reading about the problems of traumatic brain injury among returning soldiers.

You also haven't been able to pick up a paper without reading about the problem of traumatic brain injuries among football players. In both cases, domestic violence, addiction and suicide are often the result of such injuries.

Does anyone really think Dayton does not recognize meaningful distinctions between the problems of military veterans and NFL players? Of course not. In his somewhat digressive rumination on the subject, he simply acknowledged similarities exist.

The umbrage over Dayton's remarks reflects one of the less appealing aspects of our loudmouth political culture -- the disingenuous use of outrage as a tactical instrument, followed by high-horse demands for apology. I take umbrage at this. And, yes, I am aware of the irony that I am voicing outrage over all the outrage.

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Mike Mosedale is from Minneapolis.