Nfl - Concussions and the Future
This isn’t a football paper. This isn’t a medical paper. This is the modern challenge of breaking from a nation’s traditions for safety. For as long as one can trace back history, humans have always been obsessed with the act of competitive violence. While in the modern age we might have shied away from events such as gladiators and duels, our modern forms of sport tend to take on a brutal nature entirely their own. Of these modern sports perhaps none is more physical then American football. In fact, the sport is largely comprised of and designed around the act of violence, with men of all different shapes and sizes throwing each other around with no regard for physical well-being. However this is where the interest of health and popular appeal contradict each other. While no one player has the intention to hurt another player, the game thrives on its violent nature. For example, if one were to go to a game and only listen, they would hear the crowd become its loudest at two moments during competition. First, more obviously, is when the home team scores points, however second is when one player delivers a blow to another in such a fashion to jar the player off the ground and dismantle him in to the grass. However is that not the American way? Is the wish to see competitive violence not built into every American?
Now of course the players know what they’re getting in to. No player will step out on to the grid iron without having passed the rigorous training as to the tradition of football. They know that injury most likely will happen to almost everyone that plays the game. This in turn, makes the players wear that “tough guy” attitude in which they train themselves that no matter how hurt they are; they will always fight on. Of course, not every player can play through an injury. If one were to break his leg they would obviously not be able to perform at the level needed to participate, compared to a player that bruised or pulled a muscle and could play through
Now of course the players know what they’re getting in to. No player will step out on to the grid iron without having passed the rigorous training as to the tradition of football. They know that injury most likely will happen to almost everyone that plays the game. This in turn, makes the players wear that “tough guy” attitude in which they train themselves that no matter how hurt they are; they will always fight on. Of course, not every player can play through an injury. If one were to break his leg they would obviously not be able to perform at the level needed to participate, compared to a player that bruised or pulled a muscle and could play through
Cited: Associated Press. "NFL Changes Return-to-play Rules for Concussions - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. 3 Dec. 2009. Web. 27 Feb. 2011 http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4707604 Frommer, Frederic. "NFL Urging States to Pass Youth Concussion Laws, an Issue Magnified by Player 's Suicide - Chicagotribune.com. " Chicago Tribune: Chicago News, Sports, Weather and Traffic – Chicagotribune.com. 23 Feb. 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/sns-ap-us-nfl-concussion-laws,0,3878528.story George, Thomas. "NFL.com News: NFL Continues to Tackle Concussion Issue Head-on NFL.com - Official Site of the National Football League. 15 May 2009. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d8104d786/article/nfl-continues-to-tackle-concussion-issue-headon Gregory, Sean. "NFL Football 's Concussion Problem: Take Helmets out of Hits? - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. 22 Oct. 2010. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2027053,00.html