Instant Replay in The NFL
As Jerome Bettis walks toward the center of the field on Thanksgiving Day of 1998, he has no idea what is about to happen. This event will be the subject of controversy for days to follow. Bettis and his Pittsburgh Steelers have just finished regulation play against the Detroit Lions and are ready for the coin toss, which will precede the overtime period. Referee Phil Luckett tosses the coin up in the air as Bettis calls "Tails." The coin lands with tails up. The referee then tells the Lions' captains that they have won the toss and asks them what they elect to do. In total amazement, Bettis insists that he said, "Tails," and his Steelers won the toss! But Referee Phil Luckett disagrees with Bettis and allows the Lions to start out overtime with the ball. Detroit goes on to win the controversial overtime period. If instant replay had been implemented at this time, it would have shown that Bettis did indeed call "Tails," which would most likely have changed the outcome of the game. Instant replay should be permanently implemented into the National Football League (NFL).
First, instant replay allows a referee to review the previous play in an NFL game. It was in use from 1986-1991 and was experimented with in the recent 1999 season.
Tony Verna is credited with inducting instant replay into the NFL back in 1986 (Lopez 58). Instant replay was implemented to ensure the correct calls are made in crucial games. The Lions-Steelers game on Thanksgiving Day is a good example of what should not happen when instant replay is in use. After this bizarre incident, the NFL then changed its rule of 22 years that team captains call the flip in the air. Now captains call it before the flip. In addition, three officials will oversee the ceremony instead of one. According to Erik Brady: "Now we know the answer to a new spin on an old joke: How many NFL officials does it take to flip a coin" (2A)?
Next, more uproar erupted in the 1998 playoffs when an official missed wide receiver Jerry Rice's fumble, which would have ended what turned into the 49ers' game-winning drive against the Packers. Rick Reilly declares:
Look, officiating in the NFL during the 1990s isn't easy.
Frank Supovitz, who was Senior Vice President of Events for the National Football League. His department, event production must score touchdowns on a lengthy roster of events, including the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, NFL Experience, NFL Draft, and the NFL International Series.
Are you a fan of the National Football League? Have you ever been frustrated about the overtime rules? The NFL overtime rules are a flawed system that clearly gives the advantage to a certain team. After regulation time expires, the team with the most points wins. But, if two teams are tied, the game will go into overtime, an extra quarter to decide the winner. If a team scores a touchdown in overtime, they automatically win the game in sudden death. But, if a team kicks a field goal on their first possession, the other team has one possession to win the game with a touchdown or tie the game with a field goal. If both teams kick a field goal, or if neither teams score on their first possession, the next team to score any points will win the game. If both teams are tied at the end of overtime, during a regular season game, the game will end in a tie. During the playoffs, there would be a second overtime and the game wouldn’t be determined until a team won. This is a flawed system that needs to be changed for the better enjoyment of NFL fans, and to make it fairer for coaches and play...
Throughout history in the NFL, head injuries and fixing those problems have always been hidden from the athletes because of the NFL striving to make a large profit instead of caring for the players. With this being an ongoing problem between NFL players and the NFL itself, many past and current players are digging deeper to find the truth and statistics continue to show how serious this problem actually is. When the lawsuits first began to come known to the public, the NFL agreed to pay over seven hundred million dollars to compensate former players suffering neurological injuries. Many believe the NFL offered this so quickly, hoping to avoid a potential public relations nightmare. The NFL, a ten billion dollar annual business, couldn’t take any type of guilt, or legal discovery, which some inside and out of the industry expected could have caused a fatal blow to the game’s future (Thiel). The settlement may have prevented the public from learning much about the past, but the issue of head injuries is a danger to football and won’t just go away because NFL wants it to (Waldron).
Playing football comes with several risks factors that players’ acknowledge prior to playing the game starting a young age. Regardless, these players still chose to play the game, which they end up loving and cherishing despite all the risks accompanied with it. Football is one of the toughest sports in the world; it takes a certain amount of strength, speed, and aggressiveness to play 48 minutes of hard-nosed football. However, the National Football League (NFL) is in the midst of a controversial issue. Is the NFL getting soft? This has been a debatable issue for several years. While some believe that implementing all these rules in the NFL is progressively turning the game soft, others say that the NFL is not getting soft; it is just trying to make the game safer for its players.
By adding this rule, baseball’s fairness will be protected in a way it was not previously, but this set of rules is not without skepticism by people who believe there is nothing wrong with the game now. The official rule is that each team manager has the ability to challenge one play a game, and if the call is overturned then the manager may challenge a second play. If the manager is unsuccessful in his challenge, then he may not challenge for the rest of the game. All controversial plays after the seventh inning must go under review to ensure that the correct call is made. The only plays that can be reversed are ground rule doubles, fan interference, boundary calls, force plays except double plays, tag plays on base paths, fair/foul calls in the outfield, catch/trap calls in the outfield, whether a runner passed a preceding runner, timing plays, batter hit by pitch, and scorekeeping issues.
The targeting rule in college football could be the “most significant rule” change ever made in the game (Matter). According to Greg Johnson of the NCAA, the rule was passed by the Football Rules Committee of the NCAA in February of 2013 to be implemented with the 2013 fall football season and is consistent with the committees’ continued attempt to address player safety. The new rule now places a tougher penalty on the defensive player for dangerous contact with the offensive player, notably direct helmet-to-helmet hits, or hits aimed above the shoulders of the offensive player. This direct, helmet-to-helmet contact is known as targeting. Although the implementation of the new targeting rule is controversial, it will help to reduce the number of serious lifelong head injuries to football players and make college football a safer sport.
The rules that the NFL is changing is rules that deal with the head like targeting, and leading with the head. The rule change with a huge uproar as the kick off, moving the ball from the twenty to the thirty yard line.
First the rule in the NFL was that the play would be an automatic penalty, would result in player fine, and an additional fifteen yards would be added from where the foul was committed. The play is reviewable; however, if the call on the field does not stand the player is not fined, but it is still a fifteen yard penalty. A lot of coaches and other National Football League associates disagreed with that section of the rule and after debates and discussions the rule was changed. As of the season, if the play is reviewed and there is not an actual penalty then
With the three Super Bowl wins Jerry Rice was one of the best Wide Receivers in the world. In the 1988 season Jerry led the 49ers to the Super Bowl. He caught 11 passes in the game and was named Super Bowl MVP. Jerry also played with other teams such as the Oakland Raiders and the Seattle Seahawks. In 2010 Jerry Rice was inducted in the Pro Hall of Fame.
The National Football League (NFL) has come under fire for the long-lasting medical consequences of players’ game-related head injuries. The question that arises is; is the NFL to blame for the deaths of former players such as Junior Seau, Jovan Belcher, Ray Easterling, and/or O.J. Murdock? The medical and scientific factors in addition to legal liabilities in regards to brain injuries will be outlined in this paper.
Next, on November 12, 1892 came the first professional level game played between the Allegheny Athletic Association and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. Finally, in 1920, the American Professional Football Association became the country’s first organized football league. Back then, the game resembled rugby more than the current game of football. Over time, the rules have been constantly changing in order to boost the excitement level and increase the game’s safety. The first of safety rules came in 1938 when they established roughing the passer, which prevented the defense from hitting the passer after he threw the ball. This was directly to protect the quarterback. Next, in 1943, helmets became mandatory for all players on the field. This was the first step to helping protect the wellness of the players’ heads, even though they were unaware of the seriousness of hits to the head and any long term
He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1985 (Jerry Rice Biography). Though he started the season on a slow note, he soon gained momentum and finished the season with a record of 49 catches for 927 yards, averaging 18.9 yards per catch (Jerry Rice Biography). The following season brought forth a legacy that lasted for the next six seasons. He caught 86 passes for a league-leading 1,570 yards and 15 touchdowns, achieving the breakthrough that he deserved (Jerry Rice Biography). He led the 49ers to three Super Bowl rings and an AFC Championship with the Oakland Raiders (Jerry Rice). He went to 13 Pro Bowls in his lifetime (Jerry Rice). "I don't think I’m such a natural, I think what I'm doing is very hard work,” (Jerry Rice). In 2006, to honor his valuable contribution to the San Francisco 49ers, he signed a one day contract with the team to officially retire as a 49er (Jerry Rice Biography). Jerry retired as one of the greatest wide receivers of all
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.
In the modern day United States the sport American football has become not only entertainment but also a tradition whether it’s watching the BCS college championship or watching the super bowl with the family. The sport of American football is unique to the United States and has grown and became iconic over the years and has become a part of many Americans lives. American Football was made in 1869 and was modeled after the sport of rugby. They took the basics of rugby and changed it to make it fit better for them. The game has changed over the years but it also affected many Americans as the tradition of Monday Night football has begun. The game has had problems with the United States government as it was said to be too dangerous to play, this lead to an upgrade in the equipment and they tried very hard to make the equipment well ensuring player safety throughout the sport.
There are usually two referees, one at each end of the net. One of the referees stands on a special platform to get somewhat of a “bird’s eye view” (Sullivan). Morgan established that there would be nine innings in the game, much like baseball.... ... middle of paper ... ...