The NFL’s Injury Problem
By: Jack Gohlke
The National Football League is the most popular sports league in America, but it’s trending downhill fast. Although the league generates billions in revenue annually, players and fans alike are quickly becoming skeptical of the long-term damage that can be inflicted upon the athletes.
The supply of pro football in America hasn’t changed for around a decade now, yet the league has reached its ceiling, and is working around the clock to cover their behind so they can raise this ceiling. There’s always 32 teams playing 16 games each every season, but since the 2014 season, fans are becoming concerned about the safety of their favorite players. For example, just this weekend, Cam Newton took a huge hit to the head against the Falcons and was completely out of it for the rest of the day. He was taken off the field and evaluated for concussion protocol, but he shouldn’t have even been out there in the first place. In Week 1 of the season, he suffered a number of hits to the head, but he was never evaluated since he’s such a popular player and the league wanted him to stay in the game. They’re so motivated by profits, that it has hurt their image lately since people have started to notice the risks that players are enduring.
There has been a proposed lawsuit directed towards the NFL which involves over 4,500 former players. This has gained so much popularity in part because of the sheer involvement of the suit, but also because the former NFL players are saying they were never given the education on the dangers of football that they would face when competing at such a high level. Only now are some players realizing the true damage that can be caused, last season for example Chris Borland who was a very good player retired. This doesn’t sound significant, however he had only played one season, and didn’t even think that the benefit of making millions of dollars playing football outweighed the risk of getting an injury to his head. This is a very disputed topic lately, and I would like to know how you as the fan feel about this issue, and whether or not it affects your view of pro football and how much you’ll support the game.
Works Cited
"Anatomy of a Concussion." The Odyssey Online. N.p., Nov. 2015. Web.
"The NFL Concussion Problem Still Has Not Gone Away." PBS. PBS, Sept. 2014. Web. 04 Oct. 2016.
"Why Chris Borland Is the Most Dangerous Man in Football." ESPN.com. ESPN, n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2016.
I would support the NFL the same amount no matter what this lawsuit determines. Players in the NFL make insane amounts of money for what they do, and are following a dream they've had since they were young kids, where one of the side effects is head injury's. The players may have never been told of the effects football has on the brain, but common since says if you get concussions which are common in football, there will be some damage. The NFL like any business, cant afford to sit out the most popular players, because those are their most valuable assets which are in high demand, but low supply. If the players worry about the health of their brain, they should either A, work to improve helmet technology. Or B, retire from the NFL and do another profession for the remainder of their lives.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has suffered several head injuries, I understand both viewpoints of players in this discussion. For some like Chris Borland, it makes sense to leave the game. He has made a decent amount of money and escaped without several lifelong consequences. For him, the opportunity cost of playing in the NFL would liking be injuries that would affect his life and ability to work after retiring. On the other hand, I see how some players think the opportunity cost of retiring is not worth it. If they continue to play, they will make millions more doing something that they (at least for the most part) love. Like me, their passion for their sport keeps them playing, even though they know the risk.
ReplyDeleteFrom someone who has suffered many injuries, from head injuries to others, I can understand both viewpoints of players - some want to continue playing the game no matter what, no matter if it's the money or the fame or just the love of the sport. On the other hand, I could see why people would want to retire after an event like that an lose the opportunity to make millions of dollars but being able to live off the amount of money that they make, makes sense that they would just want to raise their kids, love their family, live somewhere else and enjoy football as a spectator for the rest of their lives. Just like how I felt that the cost of loosing muscles in my leg, was more important to me than continuing to play the sport that I loved so I "retired." I regret it some days but on others I look down at my leg and think, "yes, I did this for a reason." You know the passion of the sport can keep you going, but you also know that the injuries you suffered can cause a physically risk to your well being.
ReplyDeleteConcussion protocol is something the NFL seriously need to figure out. Any type of injury to the head should be a sidelined injury for the entire game. As you mentioned week 1 Cam newton sustained lots of blows, however he still played in this past week and was sidelinned after a knock to the head. The NFL doesn't realize the marginal cost of concussions. By letting players play just "another game" after a head injury is terrible and one big hit could end a carrer if you've had previous concussions. From a players standpoint lots of guys play the game for passion, but what they don't realize is that the opportunity cost for playing this reckless sport is big time injuries and maybe even death. The NFL isn't a safe league at the moment with concussions and the marginal cost of playing Cam Newton another game after previous weeks doesn't outweigh the possible benefits that could be received.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize this was such a big topic right now, but I can definitely see why it is. Players are constantly hurting themselves, both temporarily and permanently. I definitely don't think its okay to have someone's head injured multiple times and without even questioning it, having them play another game. The NFL needs to start focusing less on the profit and more on the players. Soon, with all of their players so severely injured, there won't even be a football league. Another person I highly agree with is Chris Borland, the player that retired after one season. It's tough to just leave the sport/job that you love, however he thought about the consequences down the line and realized that it just wasn't worth it. In the end, I'll probably still continue to watch Packer games, however I do support players that decide to retire due to severe injuries.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Morgan in the comment above. I have sustained many injuries from the different sports I play but despite them I continue to play without even considering the marginal cost of continuing to play, which is why I can understand why many of the players do continue to play with major injuries. But within the post I also believe that the NFL really needs to take into consideration the players over the revenue and money they are making. If they don't begin looking at the bigger picture of this then they will begin to lose money as each big athlete goes down and is forced into retirement too early because the NFL continued to let them play injured. When it comes to taking hard hits I agree with Jake as the NFL really needs to consider their concussion protocol and their overall injury protocol in order to protect their players from the marginal effects.
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ReplyDeleteI am quite surprised by the amount of players supporting this lawsuit. I didn't realize that this cause was gaining support massively. Either way, I feel like the sport and the league should still continue. But the League should be more inclined to protecting their players, they would soon realize that they have prolonged profits if their best players are healthy. And also I do support the rebelling players as their POV is not wrong either. But some of these players tend to get selfish and greed over the money that may come out of this suit. The league and the fans should be considerate but not overly lenient.
ReplyDeleteAs an athlete, it is easy to see both sides as I have been on both ends of the spectrum. For certain players, the opportunity cost is sitting out a certain amount of time to ensure they are healthy before returning. Meanwhile, others and the NFL itself do not prioritize these injuries as they covered up by the revenue these athletes are making. Taking too many shots to the head can be harmful to the athlete, which is why when these hits happen, the NFL should take precautions and make a rule where the athletes are on the sideline until a test is passed to make sure they are ready to take the field again. Knowing from experience, being eager to jump right back into the action may hurt you. If you return too early from a concussion, small hits will cause more problems like headaches and other side effects showing you are not prepared to be playing again. Even though this may decrease the total revenue that the league is bringing in, the NFL may get recognition for the safety of the players.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize this was a serious issue in the NFL right now. As an athlete I can understand the feelings of the players who want to continue playing no matter what. People get hurt all the time and I know from experience that it is not fun to sit out with an injury. However, I don't think its right of the NFL to make players play if they have a serious injury. I agree with Mackenzie that the NFL should add a rule that the player should have to take a test to be allowed to continue to play.
ReplyDeleteAs a football player myself, I am not really worried all that much about a concussion and if it happens, it happens. With that being said, in the past, there definitely has been instances in the NFL where protocol was not correctly handled and it put players in even more danger. For right now, I think I and many other fans will still enjoy cheering on the NFL, but thinking like an economist, I think there will be a steady decrease in demand if the NFl handles concussions like this continuously.
ReplyDeleteAs an athlete, I have suffered two head injuries playing soccer, but that doesn't keep me from playing. That's the opportunity cost for playing sports. You do what you love, but then there is always going to be a risk of getting some sort of head or body injury. When it comes to the NFL, enhancing the concussion protocol and safety because if these problems get worse, the NFL could start to lose money and revenue. This all of a sudden decrease in revenue could cause the popularity of football to do go drastically. By enhancing the safety of the players and the protocol, it will keep the players safe and keep them from retiring early.
ReplyDeleteThe main problem is how dirty some players get. For example, Rodney Harrison, who played for the Chargers and Patriots, was such a dirty player. he was named BY HIS TEAMMATES the dirtiest player of the year. Twice. I watched some of his plays on “A Football Life” and he gave some players numerous concussions. One time, he broke his friend’s leg! But I’m surprised that some didn’t need to be rushed to the hospital! Although I am an athlete, I have never, and hopefully never will, experienced a concussion.
ReplyDeleteBut it is a serious problem that needs to be addressed before someone gets injured very badly.
DeleteAs someone who has dealt with concussions themselves, I think this problem needs to be figured out. Some players like Junior Seau have committed suicide because of the head injuries and the pain they put on them. The NFL needs to protect players heads to the best of their ability even if that means contemporary banning concussed players from playing. Also leading with the helmet tackling, should be banned and harshly punished when it happens. However I don't think fans will ever stop watching because of people getting injured, because football has created such a legacy for itself.
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