The Mind Games of Football

The Mind Games of Football

The NFL’s Fight Against Consucussions

The game of football has always been called “the ultimate battle.” It is a game that is built on strength, speed, and force. Football players have often been called modern-day warriors or gladiators. Much like ancient times, gladiators have been known to battle with their opponents until their bodies give out on them from fatigue. And sometimes…to the death.

Modern day football isn’t that brutal.

Or is it?

Every Sunday during the fall, millions of people watch the NFL on television or in person as they root on their favorite team. Football is fun to watch but only a select few can play at the NFL level. The game is just as competitive and tough as it was since its inception. However, it’s participants are often left broken, battered, bruised, and bloodied at the end of the game. Today’s NFL is a multi-billion dollar industry. The players of today make much more than the players from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The NFL has never been as popular as it is now in America and across the globe.

The NFL has an image problem. It’s not drug use among its player. It’s not domestic violence. It’s concussions and how the NFL is taking care of those who built the foundation for where it currently stands. Former players are now being diagnosed with having CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a brain disease that many think is caused by head injuries. The NFL recently settled a lawsuit from more than 4300 former players who said they sustained concussions during their playing careers and were not properly diagnosed. The lawsuit was settled for more than 760 million dollars. Along with the lawsuit, the current NFL has tried to deter its players from personal fouls during the game by levying large fines for those who do not comply. Fans have criticized the NFL for becoming “soft”. The NFL is at a crossroads right now. Do they protect their players to protect their investment or do they return to their old ways?

The NFL has done a good job with not only educating the public but its players on how to make the game safer. Football players of today know the risks that come from playing the game. Many players from the 60s, 70s, and 80s did not know. Some former players are suffering from post concussion syndrome. There are other players who are in the early stages of dementia. Many of these players show all of the symptoms…mood swings, depression, headaches, forgetfulness, and suicidal thoughts. The NFL can’t turn their back on these players. The game was built on with their blood, sweat, and tears. The discussion of concussions in football is not one that will go away. The discussion goes from to youth football. According to ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” Pop Warner saw its participation levels drop 9.5% between 2010 and 2012. The decline has been attributed to parents concerns about the head injuries that occur in the NFL.

Where do we go from here? A great deal of fans care about the name on the front of the jersey and not the name on the back of it. Today’s current players will be old and retired one day. Who is going to look out for them? They all know the risks and yet they still play. The NFL is determined to make the game of football “safer”. But when the players are bigger, faster, and stronger than ever before…that’s not realistic. As kids, football was a game we would be dying to play with our friends. Nowadays, football could just be leading the gladiators to a neurological death.