Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning means you’re willing to go longer, work harder and give more than anyone else.” Football players of all ages push themselves harder than any other athlete. Kids dream of playing in the pros, and they select their favorite player as a role model. Middle school and high school provide aspiring kids their first stepping stone to achieve this dream. As time passes on, their level of play increases due to the guidance of coaches. Unknown to these growing children are the consequences of play that catch up with these former role models when they retire. Football players have long been considered the epitome of athletic character as players push themselves to the max in an attempt to reach the pros while building …show more content…
Jeff Miller, the vice president of health and safety of the NFL, accepted that football shares a connection with injuries like CTE. Until this day, to prevent responsibility in court, the NFL has never admitted to this connection (Andrews). How can the NFL help prevent injuries if it has only acknowledged the link between football and CTE now? Due to cowardliness of the NFL, youth will follow the belief that concussions have no effect on their playing ability. Unfortunately, even though the NFL has started to consider the health of the players, it is too late as “eighty-seven of 91 former NFL players who donated their brains to science after death tested positive for… CTE… a degenerative disease that's linked with repeated head trauma and concussions”(Kounang). Many players currently suffer and will continue to suffer due to the NFL’s carelessness. Minors shouldn’t have to play under a negligent organization that treats its players safety without any concern. It may seem concussions have little to no effect on youth, yet constant blows to the brain build on each other leading to amnesia, depression and senility (Ask). While youth may not show signs of brain trauma at first, the build up of injuries will impact them negatively in the long term. For football to maintain its reputation as a dream sport, the issue of concussions needs greater recognition. Minors should compete with increased prudence and not risk their health with potentially harmful
In the article “Should Kids Play Football” from the Scholastic Scope on February 2015, writer Jennifer Shotz discusses both issues of the benefits and dangers of playing American football. For example, Jennifer Shots mentioned that tens of thousands of young football players get concussions every year. She states that most players return to the game after they are healed but some never return because their concussion was too severe to their health. On the other hand, the writer also discusses how football isn't the only sport that encounters concussions. The rules of football are always changing and each new rule provides a safer way to play the game. For example, the writer notes that Pop Warner has reduced the amount of practice time dedicated
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...
Football is a very violent sport. There is a lot of concern over the risks posed by hits that injure the head and potentially the brain. The players say they have suffered one or more brain injuries. They want the NFL and helmet maker, Riddell, to set up and pay for medical monitoring and treatment programs for all former, current and future NFL players. Liberals are big supporters of the respect for human dignity. In that case, the NFL tentatively agreed to pay $765 million to past players with health problems that can be caused by concussions. Although research and progress within the scientific and medical communities is understandably slow, the same could be said about the NFL's response to concussions and the dangers they pose to new research reveals new findings. However, some liberals believe that it has taken to long for the NFL to respond to the perceived crisis and its attempt to regulate the concussion treatments which could eventually lead to players ...
In Daniel Flynn’s essay “Football Does a Body Good,” he states his point of view on football and the way people should see it. Football is a dangerous sport that has caused many types of head injuries concussions and other health problems throughout the years. This popular sport has caused many players to develop diseases later on in life, such as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE, Alzheimer 's, and Dementia. One of the NFL’s most pressing issues is concussions, which can have life-changing health effects on the football players.
“Concussion rates for children under the age of 19 who play football have doubled in the last decade, even though the overall sports participation has declined” (Youth Football Concussion Statistics). Football is extremely popular in American culture. Children all across the world love watching and playing the sport. However, many studies have shown numerous possible long term effects of starting the beloved sport when young. Undeveloped brains have a harder time recovering from bumps and blows that occur during playing time. After examining the long term effects of children playing football, it is clear that the tradition of tackle football in youth should be held off until the brain is more fully developed,
A big part of NFL’s hold on players is their contract 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 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 for CTE leaves tau protein deposition in distinctive areas of the brain, which is what separates C...
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.
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...
Concussions have become arguably the #1 most prevalent issue in football today. The number of concussions throughout football has been rising for the past 20-30 years and there seems no way of stopping them. However, the NFL and many private researchers are set on finding a way to conquer this issue. They want to stop these concussions from happening and prevent the diseases resulting from them that have ruined so many football families’ lives. In order to solve this problem, I think that these researchers need to combine all of their knowledge to solve an issue that so many want solved. As soon as we conquer this “illness” we can return to enjoying the game that we love.
Not many sports are as physically demanding on the human body as football. The physical toll that football players pay is almost impossible to comprehend unless one has actually played the sport for a significant amount of time. However, until recently any connection between the hits taken by football players and their health down the road was largely ignored. A common, yet difficult injury to detect in football is a concussion, the most common traumatic brain injury (Pearce). A concussion is defined as “a brain injury that is caused by a sudden blow to the head or the body. The blow shakes the brain inside the skull, which temporarily prevents the brain from working normally” (Heiner pa.5). Reports and studies have surfaced shedding light on just how much damage is inflicted upon the brain due to crippling hits. These studies suggest that NFL athletes who received concussions suffered lasting damage to the brain, which opens the gate to a multitude of other health issues such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and clinical depression (Pearce). This is an aspect of the game that not many are aware of and it is a serous issue that needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later. There have been too many heartbreaking stories such as that of Justin Strzelcyk who heard voices and died in a crash while fleeing police or that of Andre Waters who shot himself in the head after struggles with depression (Zarda pa.1). Many current and former players are suffering in silence; this shouldn’t be the case. The National Football League needs to extend a hand to former players debilitated by head injuries. The problem of concussions and other head injuries in the NFL is one that needs to be tackled head on.
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 America’s favorite sport. It is a fast-paced, hard-hitting game. Every week thousands of men and boys all across the country take part in football and every week these men and boys receive violent hits during the game. Frequently, as a result of these violent hits, the player receives a concussion. However, the long-term effects of concussions on players are not fully understood. New research shows that even a slight concussion in a football game can have lasting effects on a player. As a result of this research, children under the age of fourteen should not play tackle football.
These men will push themselves in the off-season and summer in ways that do not seem humanly possible. They will sacrifice their time that could be spent with family, friends, or studying in order to practice for each game. They will live and die by the results of their efforts on the field every Friday night, with a win creating an exhilarating feeling of invincibility, and a loss leaving behind the feeling of letting down your closest family member.
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
If my son puts In so much effort on the field and practices hard he can become really big and go far. This quote says It all “The true competitors are the ones who always play to win.” (Tom Brady) That quote doesn't really speak about his career but It is just perfect to use because It can stand for anything that you want. If I put my son in little league and train him to become a very perfect football player he will become noticed when he hits high school “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”(Vince Lombardi). When my son plays football It’s not just the training that can make him better It’s how he practices. The way you practice Is the way you’ll play at games so he should never be lazy tired or scared to hit a single person because that’s how the sport Is. But during the games that’s when it can become very dangerous because you won’t know the other team's plays because in practice you’ll know the offensive plays because If my son plays defense he’s going to be practicing against his own team but when it comes close to there gameday they run the other team's plays just for the players can know what’s going