...asdfkjnsdf;jansfjkanwepjfnwejfnsajkdfnsadfnsamdnfjwaenfjsandfkanwejfnwkjefnakejfnkjnkjnjnjnkjnjknjknkjnThe NFL is commonly regarded as America’s favorite sports league, watched by millions around the country. The Superbowl is typically the most watched event on American television every year. However, the NFL has recently come across increased intense scrutiny by former players and the media for their lack of action towards preventing concussions. The NFL is often compared to a gladiator arena, where players push through serious injuries and perform spectacular feats in front of a roaring and bloodthirsty crowd. Many people look at professional football players and forget that they are still human. They are not invulnerable to pain, and they are not immune to the side effects that come with playing such a violent game. Former players who played in the 1980’s and 1990’s played with rules that allowed dangerous helmet-to-helmet hits, and in a society that expected them to play through injuries, such as concussions. Players at particular positions are at an additional risk for concussions, with 18.2% of defensive backs suffering concussions sometime in their career (Pellman, Viano). Players that suffered repeat concussions were found to have a much greater risk of “increased neuronal vulnerability”, and that there is an increase in the likelihood of “recurrent concussions with each successive previous injury.” (Guskiewicz). Former players are experiencing increased rates of brain injuries such as depression, dementia...
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...year, the NFL revealed that it expects nearly a third of retired players to develop permanent brain impairments. Safety, especially when protecting an individual’s brain, should be highly encouraged, even more than it is now. Safety is highly necessary for hockey because the player can get seriously hurt. If the player does not have the proper gear, especially paddings and helmet, the body and brain can be severely damaged. Even in baseball, the player has to wear protective head gear because of possible strikes to the head. As studies show, violent physical activities can have detrimental long-term effects on the participants. Sports or games that have the possibility of leading to concussions should be banned. Just because the individual...
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...Can We Tackle the Concussion Battle? Can We Tackle the Concussion Battle Within Football? Introduction The National Football League (NFL) or as some people may say, “Not for long” is responsible for some of the greatest athletes. Excellence appears to be their one goal, which is to win Super Bowl championships. Some players perform at a high level for a while, whereas others don’t have a chance at experiencing actual playing time on the field at all. NFL players are less and less likely to have a definitive long-term career in the NFL. On average their career may span for about 3 ½ years (Stradley, 2011). (Workman Pub Co, 2002) The NFL has added several new teams, provided innovative equipment, additional rules, distinctive playing styles, but most importantly there has been a revolutionary change of the NFL culture. The game of football is being played at a faster pace and players are becoming larger, and intelligent (Wharton, 2011). While the sport of football can be stressful, competitive, entertaining and enjoyable, it also poses a dangerous threat of injury. One of the more common injuries within playing or watching football are concussions. Over the past few years concussions have become a more serious endangerment to those who play, from new evidence we have seen on the effects on the brain and how it can affect a player’s future. The purpose of this project is to investigate the current status of football and concussions in finding a solution to reducing head...
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...thing I would say is that while football is certainly fun and entertaining to watch, the human body was not designed to handle the frequent hard hits to the body and head as a result of playing the sport. Unfortunately these professional athletes end up suffering from brain damage as a result of our thirst and fascination for hard hits and violence. I would explain that while football helmets seem safe, they truly only provide very minimal protection against concussions that cause the brain to bounce, shake and rotate back and forth hitting against the wall of the human skull as a result of frequent football tackles that appear harmless to those watching the sport. To ensure the message hits home, I would bring up examples of their favourite former NFL players such as Hall of Famer Mike Webster who actually suffered neurological effects of playing the sport. It is important to highlight the most severe consequences first, which is that playing football can cause severe trauma to the brain as a result of multiple concussions that these athletes regularly experience. This trauma starts to destroy the integrity of the brain cells, causing a degenerative brain disease known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). High levels of CTE in a football player’s brain can result in memory loss, agitation and even increased anger management issues. It can also cause death, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS). This neurological trauma affects your ability to regulate your...
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...the part of the NFL, resulting in neuro-degenerative disease and injury to professional football players. As of January 24, 2013, over 4,500 retired NFL players, more than one-third of players to ever sign an NFL contract, had brought a suit against the NFL concerning the head injuries that they sustained on the field during their playing careers. (Anderson, 1). Given the outstanding popularity of football in the United States, these lawsuits have garnered the attention of national media, prompting debate, discussion, and research about the dangers of football-related head injuries and the future of the NFL. (Fenno, 1). The litigation has the potential to reach the scale of the Big Tobacco litigation of the 1990’s, but the NFL has thrown a substantial roadblock in the players’ suit with a federal employment law preemption defense. (Fisher, 1). The consolidation of all the lawsuits into the Multidistrict Litigation has created the ability for both parties to decide the legal issues presented by the players’ claims and the NFL’s defenses. This paper will examine the merits of those claims and defenses, offer insight into how the players applied rhetorical devices to further their case, address the link established between the NFL and Big Tobacco, and how the court could likely rule regarding the concussion litigation, if it makes it to court. To begin, the history of concussions in football has been an extensive one. As mentioned above, retired football players have been joining...
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...Concussions in the NFL Concussions have been and will continue to be a major threat and liability risk to the National Football League. Head related injuries can have devastating long-term effects, causing serious brain damage, neurological disorders, and other cognitive health problems (“Concussions in Sports”). Within the past couple of years, suicides by former professional football players have been linked to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a disorder attributed to multiple concussions (Hanna). As a result, numerous class-action lawsuits have been filed against the NFL alleging “negligence, fraud, and concealment” (Brandt). Although the League has implemented new safety mechanisms and rules regarding head injuries, the main focus of the lawsuits is based on the NFL’s past failure to perform its legal duty of protecting and informing players about the true dangers and life-long impacts associated with concussions. The various lawsuits filed by football players demonstrate a liability risk to the NFL. Under the United States legal system, a liability risk arises when a person or entity can be held financially responsible for the life, income, or health to someone else (Rejda). Brain injuries and severe cognitive repercussions suffered by former NFL players can be categorized more specifically as bodily injuries. This type of liability damage imposes legal responsibility “for losses a person may incur because his or her body or mind has been harmed” (Rejda). In addition...
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...experience, and that sensation in the back of the throat was nothing a filter could not fix. In comparison, Players, current and retired, are exposed to the risk of long term damage and mental disorders. In smoking and football are very...
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...down to the ear. Next came the plastic helmets, which had a facemask and minimal padding. Much later in the 1990s, the modern helmet debuted. This new, technologically advanced helmet has great features such as inflatable padding, a visor, and a durable material known as polycarbonate, a harder and safer plastic.The changes to the helmet have greatly made the game safer, but there is still room for improvement. Based on an article in the Chicago Magazine, “if the facemask attached to the sides of the helmet instead of to the top, much of the force would be released away from the player’s head.” With this new placement of the facemask, there would less impact on the head, causing a reduction in the number of concussions. According to Dr. Mawji from the Chicago Magazine, the NFL should use helmets with Kevlar and should place sensors in every helmet. Kevlar is a material used in bulletproof vests and would provide enough protection in the helmet to protect the head. Also, by placing sensors in each helmet, medical professionals would be able to see how hard each hit really was, which would make it easier to diagnose them with...
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...The Latest Controversy The National Football League, or NFL, has recently started enforcing strict rules regarding helmet to helmet hits; they are now fining and suspending players who commit vicious tackles or helmet to helmet hits. Many fans, players, and coaches complain against the helmet to helmet rule and grown upset about these newly enforced rules, while many still have favor for the new rule. This latest dilemma stirred up various amounts of controversies around the news and public. Several meetings and discussions took place on how the officials should officiate and make the decisions of how crucial and legal the degree of the hit made on the field. These new rules and fines should remain in the NFL to help ensure the players’ safety and cause fewer injuries to NFL players giving them concussions and other injuries that could possibly affect their future. The rebels of these new rules obviously express a variety of arguments of why they disagree with them. Numerous amounts of football fans, players, and coaches state that these new rules take the excitement away from the game causing all the football game to become dull and make them lose interest and love for the game. They also protest that the rules will too, take the physicality away from the game and players will not be able to play how the game is supposed to be played. Those against this movement by the NFL argued that these rules might force defenders to aim lower when tackling, and could cause more...
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...Football Conference. These conferences consist of 32 teams are divided into four divisions. The NFL players union was first formed as a result of poor conditions involving health care and threats to a player’s livelihood in the event of injury. Over time several events were instrumental in establishing the essential benefits that players have today. This paper will outline background information on the NFL while identifying some legal issues that the organization may encounter while determining which federal, state, or local laws could be affected as a result of these legal issues. Recommendations to minimize possible litigation will be provided along with addressing the organizations benefits of joining a union along with detailing the unionization and bargaining process and the effects this has on the organization. Professional football has become the most prevalent sport in America and the NFL has become the most prized sports enterprise in the world. The league sold more than 17 million game tickets in 2008 and an estimated three-quarters of the American population watched at least one NFL game on television (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008). The NFL season culminates with a championship game; The Super Bowl held in February and has become one of the most popular happenings in American pop culture history. This has not been always the case. During its inception in the 1920s, the NFL struggled to find acceptance and stability for several years and did not become popular until...
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...knowledge of head injuries and there possible long-term effects being discovered every year, organizations like the National Football League (NFL) face greater challenges in protecting their athletes. From changes in the rules to the development in safer equipment, new measures are being taken to protect those who compete in the sport. The NFL was founded on August 20, 1920, originally as the American Professional Football Conference before changing its name to the American Professional Football Association (APFA) on September 17, 1920. They finally became the National Football League on June 24, 1922. The organization has since undergone many changes though out the years to become the giant they are today. The NFL currently has 32 teams from the The NFL is a not-for-profit organization; they are considered a trade association made up of, and financed by its 32 member teams. The organization has three officers, the commissioner, the secretary, and the treasurer. The commissioner, Roger Goodell, has ultimate authority. Elected in 2006 he is described as “the ultimate company man, having joined the NFL office 24 years ago as an intern. Now he is the most powerful man in sports, overseeing a league with long-standing labor peace, handsome television contracts and enormous popularity (Maske).” His primary focus is the game and its players as a business. Football has always been violent. “In 1903, before the NFL existed, the New York Times compared college football, then...
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...Every year, roughly 1.6 to 3.8 million athletes in the United States alone suffer from a concussion (“13 Things You”). But, almost half of these concussions are not reported and therefore not treated (“13 Things You”). Of all sports contributing to the concussion total, football is by far the main contributor. “High school football accounts for 47% of all reported sports concussions, while 33% of these concussions occur during practice,” (“Head Case - Complete”). The main reason for this could be improper technique and teaching, neglect, and other factors. But for these players, high school is followed by college and possibly the National Football League (NFL), where concussions get much more attention and criticism. Concussions in the NFL...
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...Today, concussions are a serious factor in most sports and have moved to the center of attention in public awareness. According to the Sports Concussion Institute, a concussion is “a complex pathophysiological process that affects the brain, typically induced by trauma to the brain” (2016). Most concussions occur without the individual losing consciousness yet these impairments can lead to dementia, aggression, confusion, impaired judgment, and depression and may not be treatable. In fact, per Marcos Abreu, “the American Academy of Neurology discovered that athletes are at greatest risk of repeat injury in the first 10 days’ post-concussion and suggested that the more head injuries a person suffers; the more likely they are to face complications...
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... Athlete Safety When sports were first created, they were presented with minimal rules and a lack of knowledge for player safety. In today’s time, all sports have a specific set of rules to go by, and there are medical teams present at every sporting event. Most would say that every sport is prepared for the injuries that occur, but that is not the case when it comes to concussions. Recently in sports such as, Boxing, Hockey, and Football, there have been new rules created to either prevent concussions, or to emphasize the seriousness of concussions occurring. In the sport of boxing, a boxer can be knocked down multiple times and is allowed to keep fighting if they can seem alert by standing up before the ref counts to ten, many believe boxers are receiving concussions when knocked down and should not be allowed to keep fighting. In the NHL or National Hockey League, players are constantly being smacked into the arena glass by opposing players and many players fall head first on the solid-seeming ice, which can easily result to a concussion. The NHL is currently to figure out a way to slow down the game speed of hockey to lower the number of concussions, which have doubled since the previous season. In the NFL, players who now commit head to head contact tackles will be fined and can also be suspended if felt necessary. Players who now suffer concussions in the NFL during a game can no longer return to that...
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...INJURIES IN THE NFL KENNETH BASSETT ENG 122 PROFESSOR WELLS 5/19/14 Playing football as a kid was always every little boys dream of one day becoming a professional player in the NFL. Suiting up in cleats, shoulder pads, and helmets was always a fun time. Back in high school when the coaches would make you have two a day practices to get ready for the fall. In the back of the players minds, and even their parents is the idea of a very bad injury or even a concussion. What is a concussion you might ask? Concussion is a temporary unconsciousness caused by a blow to the head. The term is also used loosely of the after effects such as confusion or temporary incapacity. Concussions can be very difficult to spot especially since plays don’t necessarily have to be knocked out in order to receive a concussion. This is why players who suffer from head injuries are often told to shake it off and get back in the game. Many concussions in high school go undiagnosed due to lack of staff, player, and family knowledge about concussions. Being able to recognize a concussion is the first step in protecting athletes. Ways to recognize a concussion that has either been knocked out or still conscious would be if a player feels dizzy, confused and forgetful, complains about headaches, and/or vomit or feels nauseous. Concussion symptoms can either occur right away or in some cases they can begin weeks later after receiving the hit that caused the concussion. Concussions have been...
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