NFL Player´s Safety

908 Words2 Pages

American football has been around since the early 1900's. The players tackle each other until one is on the ground. Football has always been a full-contact sport. Throughout the years injuries have stayed part of the game and the NFL has taken their time to increase player safety. The NFL should increase player safety because of the injuries have occurred. Some of the injuries may be lifetime injuries. Serious brain injuries have been linked to football as, well as heart issues and other permanent heath problems. In any sport there will be injuries, however with the NFL the risk of getting injured is higher than any other sport. Players in the NFL are likely to get a concussion. It could be the physicality of the sport. Football has a long history with physical contact. To avoid injuries, the NFL has been changing rules and modifying player equipment, for safety. When the NFL was introduced in the 1920's player safety was in the creator's mind; there were only 14 teams, the uniform was made of thick wool, and helmets were not mandatory. The head injuries were gruesome; concussions to cracked skulls were the injuries players would suffer. The injuries became serious enough for the NFL to increase player safety. In 1930's helmets became mandatory. Even though players were able to wear helmets, the helmets were leather, and had no facemask. By the 1950's the NFL was changed, the overtime quarter was born and players were wearing hard plastic helmets. It was not until the 1950's the NFL made the plastic helmets mandatory. Concussions have been a part of the NFL since the beginning of the sport. In August of 2013 the NFL agreed to pay $765 million to settle a lawsuit brought by more than 4,500 players and their families. New York Tim... ... middle of paper ... ...://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/30/sports/football/judge-announces- settlement-in-nfl-concussion-suit.html?ref=football/>. Cote, Rob. Therichest.com. 11 Oct. 2013. Sports money. 05 Dec. 2013 . Florio, Mike. Nbcsports.com. 08 July 2013. NBC Sports. 05 Dec. 2013 . Gunter, Tim. SportsRadioInterviews.com. 10 May 2010. Sports Media Booking. 05 Dec. 2013 . Stern, Robert. PBS.org. 08 Oct. 2013. Public Broadcasting Service. 05 Dec. 2013 .

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