By Skye Tulio
Sports Editor
Football is a contact sport. There’s no doubt about it–but would changing the nature of the sport lessen the blow of a 240-pound linebacker charging full force? My guess is no.
The issue of head trauma endured by professional football players has grown in support in recent years. Even President Obama has spoken out on the safety issues threatening football’s future.
In a Jan. 27 interview with New Republic, the president was quoted saying he would have to think long and hard before allowing a son of his to play football. He also said fans (himself included) would eventually have to deal with the fact the sport may have to be altered in order to cut down on the violence.
Yet what is most surprising, the NFL’s own players are predicting the extinction of the sport’s biggest day, the Super Bowl, according to a Jan. 30 Time magazine article. They feel if the league has to keep tweaking the rules to try and prevent violence, it will ultimately crash and burn.
The topic is heating up at the forefront of Super Bowl XLVII this Sunday between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers. Just last week, Ravens safety Bernard Pollard was quoted saying he didn’t think the NFL would exist in 30 years in a Jan. 25 CBSSPORTS.com article.
Pollard also pointed out that with players getting bigger and stronger every year, it’s almost impossible to make the game safer. He compared the feeling of a tackle to a car crash and said he does not want his own five-year-old son to play football and experience that trauma.
While I agree football has gotten scary lately, I think it’s because of the mistreatment of injured players rather than the actual nature of the game.
Sure, you can always make their helmets bigger or give them extra padding, but you can’t exactly tell them to take it easy on the field. It just won’t happen. Football would not be football and fans and players alike would view the sport as well as the league in a completely different light. That’s like telling a pitcher to ease up on his fastball or a hockey player not to shove someone into the boards so hard.
I’m not saying they should aim for the kill, but I don’t think making players tone it down will solve anything. If that happens, fans will lose interest and they might as well add flags to their belts.
Most players probably go back to work too soon after a head trauma like a concussion. They’re so anxious about getting back on the field and less worried about their health. Of course, they know what they signed up for, but that doesn’t mean their safety should take a back seat.
I do believe the league needs to be stricter on the amount of time a player must sit out after a major injury, especially if it’s to the head. They need to evaluate the players properly and only allow them to return to the field only when they are medically cleared.
In fact, more and more players are coming forward with various complications due to continuous head traumas on the field. According to a Jan. 24 Time magazine article, approximately 4,000 former NFL players are filing suit against the league for damages in relations to injuries they sustained in their careers.
Only time will tell what will become of the NFL, but for now just let them play the game the way it was meant to be played and enjoy Sunday’s game.
