American Football — Too Dangerous to Save?
Over the past decade, studies have shown a significant and steady decline in the popularity of American football, predominantly in youth participation. Football has been a critical and iconic part of American culture for a majority of the last century. With recent studies and tests focused on the danger of head injuries such as concussions however, a lot of controversy has surfaced about the safety of this iconic sport. Movies such as Concussion with main character Dr. Omalu, played by Will Smith, have contributed to a negative stigma around the sport of football, as they are based around the risks head trauma from football can have in developing CTE. Tragedies of former NFL stars having their lives destroyed by this support by this chronic condition support a movement to abolish full contact football.
Despite discovery of the apparent risks of head injuries associated with football, the NFL in addition to other corporations have taken serious steps in order to make football safer for its players. Many people agree that to completely dismantle the sport would be taking a chunk out of American culture and entertainment in addition to completely neglecting the benefits football has to building key character values in players. The question is then asked, is it more beneficial to take the time and effort to save football, or is the nature of the sport too violent to keep alive?
American football has been sinking for the past decade. Since 2009, 11 player football participation has dropped 6.5%.
Although this may seem like a small percentage, this percentage equates to almost 100,000 players. Personally I have seen the effects of this throughout high school. Freshman year, the football team roster consisted of over 80 players with enough to make a freshman and JV team in addition to the varsity team. As a senior however, the football team struggled to keep over 50 players. This drastic decrease in numbers is largely due to a rising negative connotation that is attached to the sport of football.
After years of research and advocacy, concussion awareness is at an all time high, and rightly so. Out of the 1.6–3.8 million sports related concussions that occur each year, football unsurprisingly makes up the majority of them. The nature of the sport has also become a topic of discussion with football players potentially suffering many subconcussive injuries from hits to the head. Football players are extremely susceptible to head injuries due to the aggressive nature of the sport; it is no secret that helmets are worn for reasons other than because they look cool.
Studies have showing the true danger in concussions have drawn scrutiny to the sport. Research shows that even minor head injuries can have long lasting effects on the brain. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, better known as CTE, is at the forefront for reasons supporting a radical position to ban the sport of football. This degenerative brain disease is found commonly in people with a history in concussions, thus why football has been under so much fire. It is important to understand how serious this disease truly is. CTE causes a buildup of the protein, Tau, in the brain causing cells to die. As a result of this, CTE is believed to be connected with serious mood and behavioral problems that have had devastating effects on the lives of many. A well known example of this is the unfortunate story behind the late NFL player, Aaron Hernandez, who was proven to have a severe case of CTE that may have played a significant role on his decision to commit suicide. Are the legitimate fears behind head injuries ample reason to remove to entire sport of football from existence though?
Many tests and studies have shown a direct correlation between football players and severe head injuries. Although a very high percentage of football players in these tests were diagnosed with conditions such as CTE, what is not often discussed is that the players selected are not done at random. A 2019 study of 111 former NFL football players found that 110 of them had CTE. Although this statistic is quite staggering, these individuals were chosen because of suspicious symptoms they showed before death. Due to these samples not truly being representative of all football players, a conclusion that over 99% of former NFL football players have CTE would be an extreme exaggeration. In addition to this, many changes in the rules of American football have been made to try and limit head to head contact in the sport. Rules against hitting a defenseless player or leading with the crown of the helmet, have drastically lowered the danger in the sport, specifically in regards to head injuries.
This transformation in the nature of the sport is not only limited to rule changes however. Immense research and development has been done, and continues to be done in the evolutionizing the equipment and gear players used in order to further limit risks for serious injury. A company by the name, Vicis, is revolutionizing the way football helmets are being designed. The Vicis Zero1 is a multilayered, flexible helmet that diminishes linear and rotational impact forces. While old helmets were constructed out of a hard outer shell, lined with crude padding, the Zero1 is able to absorb forces and impact due to its flexible nature. This method of design is compared by Vicis to the way a car fender works in absorbing an impact during a crash in order limit the possibility for injury to passengers in the car. By distributing the force from an impact across a large area, it is far less dangerous than all the force being focused on one spot. The Vicis Zero1 achieves this through the critical core layer of the helmet which is constructed from column like formations. Under an impact, the columns in the core layer buckle and bend in all different directions to mitigate linear and rotational forces thus distributing the force across the entire helmet. Vicis is by no means the only corporation focused on increasing the safety in football gear however. A mouth guard featured on NOVA has technology which will alert a coach or trainer immediately if a player has received a substantial hit. The mouthguard has a built in gyroscope and accelerometer which work in conjunction with each other to measure how hard a player gets hit. The gyroscope in the mouthguard tracks where the player’s head is, while the accelerometer measures the player’s speed and movement in space. When hit, these sensors are able to register where and how hard a player got hit. If the impact exceeds a certain threshold, a coach or trainer is notified via bluetooth who can then pull the player out for medical evaluation. Studies show that identifying an injury early can have substantial benefits in both recovery, and overall health later on. Technology such as this mouthguard will make identifying concussions and other injuries faster and more efficient than ever before.
In addition to better technology and rule changes, football lovers promote the sport as an activity that teaches players important values such as teamwork. As a former varsity football player for my hometown high school, I can also advocate on behalf of the impact the sport has on building critical character traits. The physicality and aggressiveness of the game instills an intense sense of teamwork and unity within players to accomplish a common goal. I can personally attest to this claim as some of my deepest and strongest relationships I have are with the teammates I played with all four years of high school. Each player is taught responsibility through putting their body on the line in order to benefit the team as a whole. Football has taught me to have respect and trust in my teammates that they will do their job but as they are trusting in me to do mine. In addition to developing me as a person, I can also speak personally about the physical benefits the sport of football has. No matter what position you play, football is a physically demanding sport which forces players to be in peak physical condition in order to ensure success. Years of lifting weights and brutal conditioning me has developed me into an athlete I believe I never could have been through other sports or activities. The combination of football training aimed at improving strength, endurance, and agility is a great way to stay physically healthy and in shape.
Overall, the benefits of football and the strides that are being made to make the sport safer for players support not only keeping the sport, but encouraging its growth in the years to come. Concussions are a very serious injury that have directly contributed to a negative connotation that is associated with American football. Concussions and other severe head injuries cannot be overlooked, however neither can the significant efforts that are being made to minimize this issue. Technology and rule changes have transformed the sport of football in a way that both focuses on safety, however keeps the nature of the sport intact. American football has become a focal point in our country’s culture over the last century with the super bowl being the most watched sports event in the United States. Millions of people all over the nation love the atmosphere and joy this amazing sport brings. Destroying this amazing sport would only lead to the heartbreak and dismay of fans all over the world and ruin all the amazing benefit it has on teaching young players critical values no other sport can teach. Ensuring the survival and success of football can only be possible if we realize and understand all the good it brings. As the sport changes and evolves in the aims to ensure greater safety for players, so must the negative stigma and stereotypes that have tarnished it.
COOK, B.
Why High School Football is Dying a Slow Death (It’s Not Just Concussions)
In-text: (Cook, 2018)
Your Bibliography: Cook, B. (2018). Why High School Football is Dying a Slow Death (It’s Not Just Concussions). [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobcook/2018/08/31/why-high-school-football-is-dying-a-slow-death-its-not-just-concussions/#515f74277540 [Accessed 21 Mar. 2019].
ACEVES, A.
Wearable Technology May Help Make Football Safer
In-text: (Aceves, 2018)
Your Bibliography: Aceves, A. (2018). Wearable Technology May Help Make Football Safer. [online] Nova. Available at: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/wearable-technology-may-help-make-football-safer/ [Accessed 21 Mar. 2019].
WETSMAN, N.
We Have No Idea How Dangerous Football Really Is
In-text: (Wetsman, 2018)
Your Bibliography: Wetsman, N. (2018). We Have No Idea How Dangerous Football Really Is. [online] Popular Science. Available at: https://www.popsci.com/how-dangerous-is-football-cte [Accessed 21 Mar. 2019].
GOLDSMITH, B.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Football
In-text: (Goldsmith, 2019)
Your Bibliography: Goldsmith, B. (2019). Advantages & Disadvantages of Football. [online] Livestrong. Available at: https://www.livestrong.com/article/480762-advantages-disadvantages-of-football/ [Accessed 21 Mar. 2019].
STELLA, R.
Flexible Helmet Absorbs Hits Like A Car Bumper, Could Put An End To Concussions
In-text: (Stella, 2017)
Your Bibliography: Stella, R. (2017). Flexible Helmet Absorbs Hits Like A Car Bumper, Could Put An End To Concussions. [online] Digital Trends. Available at: https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/zero-1-football-helmet-helps-prevent-concussions/ [Accessed 21 Mar. 2019].
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