Baseball may be America’s past time, but football is America’s game. The crack of pads and the roar of the crowd in the crisp fall air is a part of America’s culture. The best of the best play professionally in the National Football League. Incredibly big, incredibly fast humans put their bodies on the line for gridiron glory. Football is a beautifully violent game, and the fame and glory are not without their perils. In the past few years, the high profile suicides of former players Junior Seau and Dave Duerson, as well as the murder/suicide of Jovan Belcher, have placed a target on the NFL, specifically as it relates to head trauma caused by concussions. The prevalence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, in the brains of many …show more content…
The stress theory examines the effects of stress and stressors on the individual. It is easy to examine a professional athlete and immediately conclude that they are under a tremendous amount of stress. There are millions of people watching their every move. They are on TV, and on display to the public while attempting to do their job. That is incredibly stressful. Additionally, there are only about 1,700 jobs in the NFL at a given time. Most NFL contracts are not guaranteed. And according to the NCAA, there are 15,588 seniors playing college football (NCAA Research, 2013). Not all of them want to continue playing but it’s easy to see that there are a lot of people ready to fill only a few coveted spots. Essentially every single day, every single practice, a player is fighting for his job. It is a well-paying job, as has previously been discussed. And many family members and friends are relying on that income. That is very real stress, the kind most people will never experience. Additionally, their coworkers, who for many people can act as mediators in the stress process, are oftentimes their competition for one of those coveted jobs. One mistake can cost a player his job and his …show more content…
The labeling theory states that people who are labeled mental ill and are treated as mentally ill will then assume the role of a mentally ill person (Thoits, 2010). Additionally, it looks at the effect of stigma on an individual. In professional football players, the label of being mentally ill can ruin one’s career. In a job with so much competition, with so much on the line, a diagnosis of mental illness may be the difference between one individual or another. Unless a player is one of the top at his position he is constantly at risk of being replaced. Also, a label of being mentally ill may prevent other teams from taking a chance on that player. This may be why players are reluctant to seek help for mental illness. The stigma that mental illness carries may also undermine the recovery process, and if players are reluctant in the first place to seek treatment it is no wonder that when they leave the structure of the NFL they struggle. According to the NCS, nearly 50% of the population reported some type of mental illness in their lifetime, while males report 51.5% (Kessler, 2010). In the macho culture of the NFL, where the label of mental illness can literally cost a player his job, it’s no wonder that players are reluctant to seek treatment. Another additional possible problem is that teams employ their own
A big part of the NFL’s hold on players is their contracts and money. Thousands of young men aspire to be on a professional team, just for the fame, money and title. They are not made aware of the lasting conditions that come with playing football and their everlasting effects. If anything, the NFL has gone out of their way to discredit the newer research that links playing football with CTE. CTE stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is a disease that has the same effects as dementia and Alzheimer’s, except that CTE leaves tau protein deposition in distinctive areas of the brain, which is what separates CTE from dementia and Alzheimer’s....
The average NFL player takes up to 1,000 blows to the head throughout their football career. Some of those blows can have the force of a sledgehammer (“RealNatural”). Based on a research study by Dr. Jesse David, there were 265 concussions reported in the 2012 season, during the 2011 season there were 266 concussions, and 270 concussions in 2010 season (Kacsmar). It has been known that repeated blows to the head can cause long-term brain damage since at least the 1950’s, long before most of the NFL players had begun their careers (“RealNatural”). Past infractions of the NFL have already resulted in over 4,500 forme...
What does Jovan Belcher, Ray Esterling and O.J. Murdock Have in common? They all were famous football players who commented suicide. Each player had something called chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE. This is a condition where sufferers have had repeated hits to the head that leads to concussions and ultimately head trauma. In this research paper, we will go over the data about the NFL to see could they have prevented CTE in these players if they had placed the player’s safety first.
If you have the brains when you start, you are aware that banging your head into people is not the best thing for your body,” stated Chris Cooley, tight end and a 2 time Pro Bowler with the Washington Redskins (Do No Harm, 2). Research over the years has gathered extensive data on the mental and physical illnesses of retired NFL football players. It has proved that players who accumulate numerous concussions are at a higher risk of health problems after their football career than players who’ve sustained fewer. This data is proven by various studies that have caused worry for many retired NFL football families. The examples of deaths resulting from past concussions are astonishing, and the stats that show high risks for the possible problems can prove why they possibly died. Countless retired players are now frightened by the potential hazard of destructive health problems.
“Football’s Endgame: What would happen if America’s Pastime just...died” is the title that had heads turning when it made its way onto Sports Illustrated. Football is the United State’s favorite sport so an article like this one was sure to shock fans. The article was written to be set ten years from now when the game of football met its death. Giving the ongoing issues surrounding the game in 2016, the author Austin Murphy dated the article September 7,2036. In this article Murphy talks about the factors that led to the end of one of the U.S’s beloved sports. Factors like the AIG not protecting athletes against head injuries in the NFL, Pop Warner settling a death with the family of a former football player who committed suicide at the age of 25 from CTE caused by hits to the head, and the 10% rise in football concussions. A woman whose son had passed away from a motorcycle accident noticed changes in her boy. Playing football for almost a decade he was bound to get hurt, but it was after his death that doctors found he had CTE. CTE is a topic of discussion in this article. Sports Illustrated works to inform everyone about CTE and its effects on the mind. This disease targets the way a person thinks and changes their moods, “He had all these [football-related] problems with his knees and back, but his brain was
A. Background In recent years, there has been an increase in research investigating the long-term effects of repeated head trauma on the brain, especially in athletes. Following his discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Dr. Bennet Omalu inspired a movement of research aimed at establishing better safety standards and protocols in football. It was not until 2002 that the initial connection between repetitive head trauma, such as concussions, and brain injury was suspected (Ott, 2015). As common as concussions were during the late 1970s and 1980s, they were often swept under the rug, as they were seen as insignificant injuries.
Athletes are one of the most highly paid professions, and with that comes a great responsibility to everyone but themselves, even it means putting their lives, and others around them at risk. A football player’s goal is to entertain the fans that tune in to watch them, however their only job is to win their games, and untimely a Super Bowl Championship, but not for themselves, for the franchise that owns them and their bodies. As long as they can run a play and take a hit foot players are gold to their employers, or if you will their owners. “Toughing it out, turns out, can kill people.” (Diaz Truman, M 2013), and cause irreversible brain damage to football players. Continuing to ignore evidence that supports the growing concern of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and how it relates to the NFL players is troubling because of the long term affects it has on a player’s mental s...
However, what this argument does not take into account is that athletes have an abundance of pressure put on them that most non-athletes don’t ever experience. Hence, the saying, “go hard or go home”. A recent study emphasizes this fact as McClatchy notes, ”The researchers monitored mood levels of 465 collegiate athletes over three years and found 6.3 percent of the athletes met the criteria for clinically significant depression and 24 percent were considered ‘clinically relevant’ “ (2016). Studies like these prove that athletes are not blind to the idea of depression, but rather experience this disorder themselves. Anxiety has a huge role in depression. As sportsperson, there is constant effort to become an awe-inspiring player. As the stakes of the game raise, so does the anxiety. Some want a scholarship, some want to show off what they offer to a team that got a scholarship, and some are professionals. Regardless of whether it's grade school sport or a professional sport, failing at personal goals one set is down right depressing. Kearns and Hwang state that, ”While it’s not clear whether the source of challenges to a student-athlete's mental well-being is the same as those non-athletes, collegiate athletes are known to encounter unique stressor that the general population doesn’t have to deal with, such as the demands, relationships with coaches and missed scheduled classes” (2014). Pressure is something everyone experiences. However, athletes experience some of the same pressure that of non-athletes and then some. Being on a sports team is demanding to time and the idea of being “superior”. In athletics, coaches are everything. For example, If a coach likes how a person attributes as a team player, then that person will get a chance to shine. However, if the coach is not very fond of one, then the chances of opportunities are not very
Everyone has heard it all of their life: “Get Sleep” or “You need to get eight hours of sleep everyday” but does anyone really listen to it? Much research has been done and it is common knowledge that everyone, especially athletes, needs sleep. Last March, Kevin Ware’s traumatic leg injury caught the nation’s attention because of its gruesome appearance and relevance to current issues in NCAA policies. While much research was done into how he could develop such a horrible injury, not once did anyone ask or wonder about how much sleep he got the night before or the entire week before. However, this lack of sleep could actually be one of the leading factors for injury. College athletes are put under a lot of stress to be successful both academically and athletically; this increased pressure from both sectors can cause many college athletes to sacrifice critical sleep. However, this lack of sleep can cause decreased performance levels and a decreased ability to focus which lead to an increased rate of injury in college athletes. Educating athletes about sleep deprivation and its consequences could alleviate the issue.
The brute force of the game is what draws millions of people around to the world to come and watch. However, what millions of Americans don't see if the consequences of what makes the game how great it is today, the hits. With players getting bigger faster and stronger it only leaves players in more danger of getting injured. Concussions are one of the most common injuries among NFL players mainly because of the constant contact, and how the design of the helmet is to protect against major head injuries, not concussions. CTE is common in many NFL players, and most former NFL players. A study by the national institute for Occupational safety and health found that, “the brain tissue of 59 of 62 deceased former NFL players tested positive for CTE” also when studying, “the causes of death of 3,439 former NFL players concluded they were three times as likely as the general population to die from degenerative brain diseases,such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's”(Karaim). However there has been remarkable facts on how CTE has been found in NFL players more commonly than any other sport the NFL refuses to acknowledge that there is any correlation between player who played professional football and CTE. Because of this direct correlation of football and CTE many players are unable to work of fully function after their career as a professional
Many memories are made in football, but sadly some of the greatest players cannot recall them. The National Football League has been associated with concussions and brain traumas throughout the years, but lately it has been exposed by media and NFL veterans. The league recently “reached a $765 million preliminary settlement with thousands of former players who were suing the league over its treatment of concussions…” (Waldron). Many former players are experiencing the effects of taking hard hits over and over again; they were not properly treated, which makes the injury worse and long term. The concussion issue in the NFL is more prevalent today, because it affects not only the players, but the league as a whole.
Football is a game of adversity and emotion. People who have not played a sport or follow one closely don’t understand the emotion behind game. They think that football is just a game, but for those who are involved with the team don’t think so. All those horrendous hours of countless preparation are for something players and coaches love. About a few years ago, a football player at the collegiate level was told that he wouldn’t be able to play another down of football again due to his banged up h...
When I begin my career as an athletic trainer , I would like to primarly focus on young adults to adults in the world of sports from the ages of eighteen to thirty . Stress reduction is important for all different types of individuals. We all go through stress but how we cope with it can be the biggest factor for one's mental wellness. For young adults around the college age of eighteen, stress can play a big part in their success through college. College athletes will generally be put through the ringer when it comes to stress more so then their peers. It can be pretty difficult balancing personal life , school work and practice while trying to remain mentally/physically healthy. That balancing act can lead to a major stressful break down
Playing a sport whether its basketball, soccer, football or any other of your interest can be thrilling, and accelerating. Not only can it be fun yet physical exercise is good for the mind, body, and spirit. Therefore, as an athlete one must keep in mind that playing any sport, injury is part of life and inevitable. Research has proven from time to time that severe injuries in sports can trigger psychological mental health issues, affecting them in their athletic performance.
Actors, athletes and students all have something in common. They all perform their tasks with varying stress levels. What is this stress that we all talk about? Stress can be defined as a physical, mental or emotional demand, which tends to disturb the homeostasis of the body. Used rather loosely, the term may relate to any kind of pressure, be it due to one's job, schoolwork, marriage, illness or death of a loved one. The common denominator in all of these is change. Loss of familiarity breeds this anxiety with any change being viewed as a "threat".