NFL vs. Players: Analysis and Intervention
The National Football League is currently in a long-standing conflict with a group of its players and former players who demand compensation for the brain damage incurred during their professional careers with the NFL as a result of multiple concussions. The players’ group has taken these grievances to court, accusing the NFL of wrongful death and negligence for allegedly concealing the long-term effects of multiple concussions sustained during play, despite voluntarily investigating these possible effects. (Kenney 2012) This player’s group claims that players were not actively warned of the dangers of cumulative mild traumatic brain injury or MTBI until 2010. (ESPN 2011) The representatives of the
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(Kenney 2012) Although the players’ representation admits that the earliest studies were on boxers, they believe that there had been more than enough evidence gathered to prove the link between MTBIs sustained during football and dementia symptoms later in life by the 1950’s. The players accuse the NFL of actively suppressing knowledge of the extent of damage caused by MTBIs and promoting the physicality of the sport for profit. (Kenney 2012) The players’ group has been largely contending with the NFL, driven by the idea that these players have been morally wronged by the organization. They have high concern for their own identity group but low concern for the opposition (NFL) generally due to their perception of the NFL as a wealthy and powerful organization with the upper hand in legal proceedings. (Pruitt, Kim 2004) The players group is unlikely to engage in yielding techniques due to their perception of the engagement in the conflict as morally right and due to their use of legal representatives as representatives of a group are less likely to yield for fear of disappointing the group they represent. (Pruitt, Kim 2004)
It is unclear whether the recent changes to the game (efforts to move kickoff line, penalties for head hits) to increase safety are driven by the NFL’s concern ultimately for player safety or for good public relations. The NFL has stated its dedication to player safety and that these changes are a demonstration of
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Direct violence is of course, one-on-one physical violence, which is not present in this conflict. But what is present is both structural and cultural violence. Structural violence is described by Burton as damaging deprivations caused by the nature of social institutions and policies. (Burton 1979) The players are suffering not only as a result of the NFL’s suppression of information about the extent of damage done by MTBI but also the NFL’s protocol for dealing with concussed players and their return to play. Finally, the players deal with cultural violence as well. Galtung describes this as whatever conditions exist to make us blind to the direct or structural violence present by seeking to justify it or write it off as simply collateral damage. (Galtung 1973) This is demonstrated by the “warrior” culture that the NFL endorses and advertises for profit as well as the NFL’s endorsement of the view that football without injury is not football. (Belson
“What the numbers Show about N.F.L. player Arrests” is an article written by Neil Irwin who analysis the amount of run ins the NFL players have with the law. Irwin compares the numbers to see if there are certain teams that get into legal trouble. The author claim is that “the numbers show a league in which drunk-driving arrests are a continuing problem and domestic violence charges are surprisingly common” (181). Irwin uses data, numbers, and other facts to support his claim. Irwin draws out specific types of arrests and he discusses the frequency of these arrests that the players have.
Regarding the organization, an increased investment in players can be seen as an investment in the youth of the country as well. A prevalent issue has been the developmental effects of repeated physical trauma on younger athletes who play the game. However, if the NFL were to invest in player safety, player finances, and research to make the game safer, it would improve their public image, create more interest among the youth who want to play football, and make their product more sustainable in the long run. Another method to improve the public image of the NFL would be reducing its centrality because the
The National Football League a men’s’ only club, where few women are invited, and domestic abuse is often hidden behind owners and coaches and for Rice actions, was given a two game suspension by former Commissioner Roger Goodell. The maximum penalty under the 1994 NFL Domestic Violence Policy The League, now und great scrutiny for their attempts to sweep the incident under the rug, now were under the public microscope that revealed domestic violence and other acts against women did not just come about because of the Rice. According to a Washington Post 1994 article, “From 1989 to 1994 alone, 140 current and former professional or college football players were reported to police for violent acts against women.
On January 2, 2023 the sports world was rattled. On the Monday night football game between the Bangles and Buffalos, player Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field and went into cardiac arrest. After receiving nine minutes of CPR, Hamlin was rushed to the hospital where he received further treatment and recovered. This terrifying moment that was captured on national television sparked the conversation once again as to if the NFL should change the game of football or if football is too dangerous of a sport. These questions led well known sports journalist for the Los Angeles Times, David Wharton, to write the article “Will Damar Hamlin’s injury change the NFL?
“Free Speech, Football, and Freedom: Why the NFL Should Not Compel Its Players to Speak to the Media”, by Sohil Shah, with his J.D for Emory University of Law and his B.A, from Northwestern University. This article was written and published in the fall of 2014, in the Texas Review of Entertainment & Sports Laws. In Shah’s article he argues how the NFL forces players to talk to the media are a due-process violations of the First Amendment right of freedom of speech and how he does not believe that the NFL should make players talk to the media if they do not want to. Therefore, with his article being an argumentative essay, Shah also provides actual court cases to support his. One case which involved Seattle Seahawk’s running back, Marshawn Lynch,
One major problem that many doctors have recognized is that concussions not only affect players while they are playing the game of football but their lives long after their career ends. Articles written by (Nancy Didehbani) and (Marshall Kerr) discussions how player’s brains functions long after their careers end. Some of the issues they found with concussions are Short and long term memory loss, prescription drug abuse and depression and in some of the worst cases, suicide (Kerr). Studies of the brain after a NFL athlete’s careers show strong correlations linked to concussions. Which raises the question should the NFL require players who are diagnosed with concussions during their playing careers receive therapy and treatment in order
In the true story based movie and the documentary, the dangers of head injuries in football are laid out for the viewer. Dr. Bennet Omalu discovered the brain injury chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE; however, the NFL was in denial about the effects football had on the brain and had on causing CTE. I believe that the NFL’s denial to the accusations were detrimental to many football players and that serious consideration should be taken into the way football is played overall. When Dr. Omalu originally diagnosed CTE on Mike Webster and the NFL denied that football was the cause for his death and disease.
Some of the tests revealed damage to the amygdala which controls mood. Additionally the NFL players scored much lower on memory tests, and had worse verbal skills (Hedin, 2015) 5. Due to the recent number of suicides & violent crimes committed by former players, there is more of a need to research the correlation between the head injuries in the NFL and brain disease even more C. Thesis Point 3: What steps the National Football league has taken to protect players long term health and safety 1. With the scrutiny the NFL has come under, they have developed a new protocol for the diagnoses and treatment of players with concussions 2. Under the new protocol, any player who exhibits sings of a concussion, even the most remote sign, must come out of the game and be checked out by the medical staff, they may not return to the same game if they undergo tests for concussion.
In 1994, after concussion injuries to start such as Steve Young and Troy Aikman, the NFL Commissioner at the time, Paul Tagliabue, established the Mild Traumatic Brian Injury Committee. The committee consisted of NFL team doctors whose aim to conduct comprehensive clinical and biomechanical research on mild traumatic brain injuries. Although the committee was originally established in 1994, it wasn’t until October of 2003, after Dr. Omalu’s findings, that the committee released its first scientific study. Furthermore, the MTBI committee concluded that concussions had no long-term health effects, which was contradictory to Dr. Omalu’s findings. This wouldn’t be the last time that the MTBI committee contradicted or discredited research conducted
Generally people think that the NFL should adjust the game, and its rules to increase player safety, statistics clearly show that too much adjusting has been done and the NFL is suffering because of it. Too many rules have been changed for player safety and the current changes being discussed, like getting rid of the kickoff, are going to far and the game is not like it was. Players sign contracts and are aware of the risks they put themselves at when playing the game of football at a professional level. Referees are throwing more flags and the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, is handing out a record high of fines. These adjustments by the National Football League are going too far and some rule changes need to be reverted back to their previous rules.
I punched in an adequately vague search term (football injury) and was directed to League of Denial, a book exploring the link between the NFL and brain damage. I expected it would feed my initial premise, and that I would use it as evidence of football’s mental toll. But, as I skimmed through the chapters, I
Since 1923, the Green Bay Packers have been the only publicly owned, nonprofit professional sports organization in the country (Zirin, 2011). While indeed a unique case, the Packers are the way professional sports should be organized and operated. Every few years, as collective bargaining agreements are negotiated among players and owners, lock outs often occur. Naturally, players and owners both want their piece of the pie. While the collective bargaining negotiation process is often necessary due to the way the sports industry operates, it’s the fans who suffer when stoppage of play occurs.
Throughout history, boxing has been a widely popular sport, drawing in millions of viewers globally. However, due to its highly violent nature, there is an ongoing debate about whether boxing should be outlawed due to the physical harm it inflicts on its participants. Despite its entertainment value and profitability, it is essential to consider that boxing should not be permitted, as it poses significant risks of brain damage and long-term health consequences for boxers, as well as promotes and glorifies violence. Several studies have found that repeated blows to the head, which are inevitable in boxing, pose a substantial risk of brain damage and long-term health consequences for boxers. These injuries include chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), dementia, and Parkinson's disease, which are irreversible and can significantly reduce the quality of life of the boxer.
Violent America – assignment A “Thirty years from now I don’t think it [the NFL] will be in existence”. It comes to no one’s surprise that the contact sport American football is very violent. We have all seen the massive amount of protective gear the players wear, and in spite of this, an estimated 1,2 million football-related injuries occur every year. Many of these are of course common injuries seen in other, less violent sports, but still 5% of those 1,2 million injuries are concussions, which can affect brain function on a long term basis. However, is this major problem acknowledged in media, is there any chance in change, and what would ultimately end of the NFL?
“Acceptable Forms of Protest in the N.F.L” Despite the noble reasons behind the recent N.F.L industry racial injustice, which have included President Donald Trump and former N.F.L head Coach Mike Ditka in many situations, have deemed it a “total disrespect of the American heritage, soldiers, flag, and to the national anthem (Maske).” In an effort to minimize the impact of the protests and keep things between the two sides, pro and anti-protest, The New Yorker Magazine has come up with a rather humorous and futile alternative forms such as stand-kneeling, raised fist, locking arms, twitter boycott, and sock puppets (Brenner). The speaker’s thesis here is to state how professional football players take a stand or “a knee” in repaying our