Is Football Making the World a Better Place?
The sport of football plays a large role in the United States of America. Football brings people of all different races and backgrounds together to celebrate the enjoyment of the game. Football is even larger in the south especially in Alabama. The county of Tuscaloosa Alabama is located in the west central area of the state. Tuscaloosa Alabama was established on February 6th, 1818. This county is the third largest county in Alabama by total area. According to the Alabama Department of Archives and History, the total area is 1,336 square miles. In 2017 the population of this region was 207,811 people, recorded by the Census Bureau. How does the game of football affect the region of Tuscaloosa Alabama socially and economically?
In this county alone, there are 6 High schools and 3 universities including the University of Alabama, Shelton State Community College, and Stillman College. This high number of schools calls for a lot of football teams and the high population infers that a lot of football is being watched and played. I decided to look into how this amount of football affects the region. I found football being used to raise money, bring people together, and create entertainment.
University of Alabama is known for their football team. The team made almost 100 million dollars from there 2015 football season. According to Forbes Magazine, the exact amount was 95,132,301 dollars (Belzer). The coaches and staff’s compensation rose by a lot after this season. Most of this profit goes right back into the program and school and not to the town. Could this football team be just as great if the team uses some of the money they make to help the community?
In 2014, Tuscaloosa’s first responders used flag football to raise money for a cause. According to the Birmingham New, the Fire and Rescue Department playing flag football against the city’s police officers to raise money for a summer camp for autistic children. The camp is for children to young adults who have autism. Some of the money from donations went straight to the fundraiser called Art’s and Autism.
In 2011, football players were able to raise money in Tuscaloosa. Former University of Alabama football players and NFL players held a fundraiser for BAMA Rising fund for tornado recovery according to TendersInfo — News. The players meet with fans for two days at three different Verizon stores. Tickets for the meet and greet were sold out an hour after going on sale. The article states that “no donation is too big to too small” (Vijay98), to encourage people to donate whatever they can. The tickets being sold out so fast shows how many people have a love for football in this area. This love for football has the power to help the county economically and socially.
Football has been used to tie the community together. Based on an article from Tuscaloosa News, the UA Special Olympics College teams were founded in 2012. The football program makes teams with University of Alabama students and Special Olympic athletes to play each other in flag football. The teams make friendships that last forever and create smiles that make peoples day. This program will strengthen the community.
From my research I have found many good things that football brings to the community. With the power of football more can be done for the community. I hope from my research that people start to think about how they can make a difference using the things they enjoy.
