The favorite pastime of many Americans -whether it be playing or watching- is American football. But, the chance of temporary or permanent physical and mental damage are to great of a cost to pay for this game. Roger Goodell said, “It has tremendous values that outway the risks”(Kindelan and Conway); however, the danger of this sport is too high of risk for our American athletes to risk their health and wellness. For example, the highest rate of head injuries found in high school students are in football athletes. These injuries are life altering changes that may not have ever come about if they had not played the sport. To illustrate these effects, Bryce Monti, an eighteen-year-old high school football player at Hortonville High School …show more content…
Goodell said, “There are risks in the lives of teenagers everyday, football is not one of them” (Kindelan and Conway). Supporters of football also claim “football really instill a sense of pride in kids who play in the community” (Tyler 16). However, the tough, manly persona that is “football culture” can lead to more problems. For instance players return to the field to quickly after sustaining injuries to appear tough. This increases their chance to sustain another injury or worsen the one they have. Additionally, the “big guy” feeling that many plays have also makes them act irrationally and irresponsibly. The behavioral habits associated with football are just another reason the the sport is too dangerous. Understanding the harmfulness of American football on athletes explains why the game is so dangerous. Doctors that performed a study in 2013 said, “We do not know how these injuries affect developing brains, and the risk that these athletes posed for us to find out was not worth taking”(“Dallas Researchers Seek Answers on Concussions in Kids”). The high level of danger found in this American tradition, is not worthy of the risks that its players take every time they step on the field. The consequences are too big and too costly to be payed for a
A recent poll taken by ESPN says that almost half of Americans are fans of pro football or the NFL. The NFL (National Football League) is comprised of 32 teams that compete head to head in attempt to achieve the goal of winning the super bowl. However more recently the game of football has been revealed to be more dangerous than originally thought. Autopsies of former NFL players are showing extensive brain damage that could have contributed to their deaths. Today as the game of football progresses into a passing game wide receivers and cornerbacks are taking more punishment and suffering more brain damage.
Football is the most watched sport in America (Paulsen, 2016). Football is also a very dangerous sport and a large number of injuries occur in the National Football League each year. Will Shields, a former National Football League player once said, “Football is a violent game. We are violent men” (“Will Shields Quotes”, n.d.). More than two hundred concussions alone occurred in the National Football League last year (Mukherjee, 2017).
Football has always been a dangerous sport but I know as time progress the sport will become a lot safer with all the money being donated for safety training for coaches. Zimmerman’s credibility and his use of the five rhetorical appeals really helped persuade the readers on how serious this topic is and I agree with everything that was said in this
With the recent advances in technology the head injuries experienced by National Football League players has been made more noticeable to the public. So the public has raised an eyebrow, questioning who will take responsibility to battle the issue of brain injuries in the National Football League. This subject involving player safety isn’t anything new, “In fact, a quick search of historical press reports shows that football related concussions have been associated with deaths and debilitating injuries since the late 1800s”(Lange 178). In football one of the most important parts are player safety. In fact, players wear equipment such as helmets, to help prevent head injuries.
I. Introduction A. Attention Graber: For many people there is nothing better on a crisp cool Sunday afternoon, than sitting down and enjoying a good football game. The NFL, hosts usually the football games people watch. Recently, however the NFL has had a huge conflict on its hands regarding player health and safety, specifically regarding repeated head injury and concussions. Research indicates, the NFL has not done enough to protect its players from the damage of repeated head injury B. Ethos Statement:
Youth sports are an intricate part of our society. They teach kids from a young age how to work together as a team, which they can then build on and use in other facets of their lives. Concussions in youth football are at an all-time high, only because they weren’t (B3)kept track of until recent years.
Football is a very popular sport not only in American high schools and colleges, but also in the entire country of the United States. Is playing high school football worth the risk and harm inflicted to high school football players? This is the main question raised by the author, Raymond Schroth, in the article “Abolish High School Football.” In this article, Schroth talked about the disadvantages and harms of playing high school football to the players. Schroth argued that high school football should be abolished because it had contributed more harmful effects than benefits to football players.
Although some football enthusiasts believe that children under the age of twelve should play tackle football because it promotes friendship and teamwork, the negative impact that the sport has on the brains of adolescent males outweighs the comradery that the sport teaches. Children play the sport without thinking of the effects of the brain injuries. Through interviews with past players as well as scientific studies, researchers have found that the cognitive ability of males (average age of early fifties) is greatly affected by the age in which the young player began playing (Boston University School of Medicine). Boston University’s Dr. Robert Stern said the concern is not from concussions, it is from, “subconcussive hits: these hits that don’t necessarily result in the symptom right then, but people can get hundreds of them a year.”
One author argued that football was a manifestation of humanity’s primal bloodlust; another stressed that brutish play preserved the Machismo ideal. All the books, however, seemed to draw a common conclusion: football’s tolerance for ferocity was systemic. I had a hunch that this culture of violence was far-reaching, but I needed specific evidence to prove it. To explore society’s role, I returned to JumboSearch and tracked down sources beyond the Tisch Stacks. I read into the bounty scandal that rocked the NFL, and tracked down initial reports and policy statements issued in response by League officials.
Head Injuries In American Football Since the beginning of American football, concussions have been a big problem with players in high school, college, and the National Football League. Concussions have led to the end of many players football careers and in some cases, their lives. People that are in college and the NFL continue, playing even though they are risking their lives just for a little fame. Today football players play the game to make money and just because of their love for the sport.
Concussions in Sports In sports, concussions occur frequently across all age groups. From little leagues to high school sports to the professional leagues, concussions pose a high risk of long term Traumatic brain injuries. Because of the high rate of concussions in sports more attention should be paid to protocols and treatment to prevent traumatic brain injuries. High school athletes that partake in a sport that requires intense physical activity are the most vulnerable to concussion and need more time to recover. According to the Head Case “High school football accounts for 47 percent of all reported sports concussions, with 33 percent of concussions occurring during practice.”
Although some may argue that these programs have many positive effects such as instilling confidence and pride in young adults, these sources all address the common issue of concussions and permanent youth brain damage. Football, is known to be one of the most contact sports. Players tackle one another to defend their touchdown zone and to try and steal the ball. There are many moments where players collide and hit their heads against each other or the ground. Though the players might not realize it, they possibly had a concussion.
Journalist Dan Diamond uncovered that football players are four times more likely to die from degenerative brain diseases, and only live to an average age of 55-60; pro players ruin their lives simply for money and fame. When you lose twenty, valuable years of your life, what’s the point of acquiring money or fame? Equally important, the vicious contact of football players numbs people to violence. Televisions across the nation displaying the almost suicidal collision of players gravely affects people’s minds. Violence desensitization can induce emotional detachment, which allows people to stand idly by as a grisly crime occurs.
Since children are not fully developed, it is morally reprehensible to allow them to play such a sport in which they can possibly have life-changing or life-ending injuries. Far too many high school athletes get concussions from playing football (Watson 35). Approximately 100,000 high schoolers report concussions each year
Adrenaline pulsing through my body and anxiety filling up in my stomach, I quickly throw on my football gear and head out to the practice field. It’s a nice hot day in Ocala, Florida, with the sun beating down on our necks, we stand side by side in line waiting to be picked to play second, third, or fourth string in a play. Waiting in anticipation, each of us grinding our teeth, watching first string pure athletes colliding against each other like gladiators to have possession of a ball made at one-time of “pig’s skin”. To some people, the game of American football makes no sense, whether it’s the idea of trying to protect a ball or running and passing it to make a goal for your team. People like this, see the concept of football and understand why millions of people love it; but to them the sport is pointless and causes way too many casualties.