TouchdownTouchups 
Sara Malinow
Feature
Draft 5
Touchdown Touchups
Gladiator [glad-ee-ey-ter]: a person, often a slave or captive, who was armed with a sword or other weapon and compelled to fight to the death in a public arena against another person or a wild animal, for the entertainment of the spectators. Now consider the description of a football player [fo͝otbôl plāər]; a person, often a male, who is armed with large muscles as weapons and compelled to fight brutally until victorious in a public arena against another team, for the entertainment of the spectators. Football is essentially a modern form of gladiator sportsmanship, pinning two teams against each other without constraints or restrictions about contact and injury for the mere entertainment of the audience. The effects of this game are both physical and mental, impacting the lives of the men who have bravely sacrificed their longevity for their fans.
Despite innumerable measures from the NFL to increase safety guidelines for the game, concussions remain the most prevalent and, often times, the most fatal injury of NFL players. Take, for instance, Mike “Iron Mike” Webster, who plays center for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs, who died of a heart attack at the age of fifty. After numerous post-mortem autopsies, doctors concluded that Webster had suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative disease. His doctors estimated the damage to his brain was equivalent to 25,000 automobile crashes. According to neuropsychologist at Boston University Robert Stern, “In football, one has to expect that almost every play of every game and every practice, they’re going to be hitting their heads against each other. That’s the nature of the game.” Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is the most common disease found in NFL players. In fact, a study by the Boston University School of Medicine shows that, out of every thirty-four deceased NFL players, thirty-three were victims of CTE. However, this
Feature
Draft 5
Touchdown Touchups
Gladiator [glad-ee-ey-ter]: a person, often a slave or captive, who was armed with a sword or other weapon and compelled to fight to the death in a public arena against another person or a wild animal, for the entertainment of the spectators. Now consider the description of a football player [fo͝otbôl plāər]; a person, often a male, who is armed with large muscles as weapons and compelled to fight brutally until victorious in a public arena against another team, for the entertainment of the spectators. Football is essentially a modern form of gladiator sportsmanship, pinning two teams against each other without constraints or restrictions about contact and injury for the mere entertainment of the audience. The effects of this game are both physical and mental, impacting the lives of the men who have bravely sacrificed their longevity for their fans.
Despite innumerable measures from the NFL to increase safety guidelines for the game, concussions remain the most prevalent and, often times, the most fatal injury of NFL players. Take, for instance, Mike “Iron Mike” Webster, who plays center for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs, who died of a heart attack at the age of fifty. After numerous post-mortem autopsies, doctors concluded that Webster had suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative disease. His doctors estimated the damage to his brain was equivalent to 25,000 automobile crashes. According to neuropsychologist at Boston University Robert Stern, “In football, one has to expect that almost every play of every game and every practice, they’re going to be hitting their heads against each other. That’s the nature of the game.” Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is the most common disease found in NFL players. In fact, a study by the Boston University School of Medicine shows that, out of every thirty-four deceased NFL players, thirty-three were victims of CTE. However, this