Football’s Future in Question

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Recommended: The improvement of helmets in football

The number of sports-related concussions throughout the United States have increased dramatically in the past 10 years, which could lead to permanent brain damage or death for the athletes that suffer these concussions. Which is why football has not been sissified in America, the new precautions only make the game safer for those who play it. Football is an ever changing sport in which 300 pound athletes can now run the 40-yard dash in under 4.5 seconds, which would have been nearly impossible for any athlete to run when the sport was just created (Schottey). The NFL has set up safety precautions to help preserve the lives of its’ players, including new penalties added to the game, the teaching of brain trauma to young adults in high school, the long term effects that concussions can leave on people, and the addition of new systems inside of helmets that can track G-forces felt by a player after a large hit.
First, the NFL has created a list of penalties to help keep players safe and on the field. Three common penalties in today’s NFL are the Facemask penalty, the Spearing penalty, and the Horse-Collar penalty (Wikipedia). These three penalties were created to prevent defending players from tackling offensive players by the facemask or the back of their pads. All of these penalties result in a 15 yard bonus for the offense, plus an automatic first down (Wikipedia). Players who have been on the receiving end of these penalties are often left with lower neck and upper back injuries. Some of these injuries are severe, and can cost the player his career. Because of the new penalties added into the NFL, defenders are more likely to play closer attention to the way they are tackling their opponent, and to make sure they do not commit ...

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...ril Hoge went into cardiac arrest and almost died was from a concussion that he suffered while playing football. If one day technology could be so advanced that it prevented things like long term brain disorders and brain functions from happening, football would become one of the safest sports on the planet.

Works Cited
"Brain Injury; Studies suggest 10% of HS football players will suffer a concussion this season." Pain & Central Nervous System Week. 19 Sep. 2005: 41. eLibrary. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.
Dessart, Brian T. "The Daily Apple." Newsday. Newsday, 23 Oct. 2013. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.
"Penalty." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
Schottey, Michael. "NFL." Bleacher Report. Bleacher Report, 20 Dec. 2012. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
Shaw, Gina. "Football Concussion Controversy: Brain Damage, Tests, and More." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.

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