The Pros and Cons of Playing Professional Football Explained

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Dec 6, 2023

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Partida1 Dominick Partida Professor Sherri Harvey English 1B 27 April 2018 The Game of Life and Death For as long as I can remember, the game of football has always been a love-hate relationship with the public. It is a very dangerous game that puts your bodies in jeopardy starting from playing in Pop Warner to the professional level. Although, it is a favorite for the fans and players that put their bodies on the line for the greater good of the team. Playing professional football at such an elite level helps players with life skills and attributes that will allow them to succeed after their playing career. Lessons are learned through playing football that will accelerate the rate of a player’s lives. There are many benefits that come along with the game at such a professional level. These professional athletes are getting paid millions to play the sport they truly have put in the time and effort to be playing in the NFL. An average NFL athlete is getting paid $2 million dollars Playing football at such an elite level has both pros and cons to those who play the game, but the game of football is so much bigger than life, it creates opportunities for players that will allow them to get their families into a better living situation. “ So, Who Do You Think You Are? ” is an artwork done by Salomon Huerta. The artwork displays the backside of a human being’s head. I believe this portrait displays the fellow inhabitants of the earth, we are united by the shared conditions of our humanity. Through portraiture and the figure, the artists explore the notion of individual identity and the commonality of our human nature . This artwork speaks volume that you can take from this image. I believe this image can be related to the pros and cons of playing professional football. It

Partida2 can be related to the fact that hundreds of football players risk their lives playing the game they truly love. They risk their life due to the amount of hits they take to the head, which then leads to serious brain injuries down their lives. Since I am a former football player, I do understand the risks I was taking of playing. I believe the NFL has came up with new regulations that will keep the players from taking hits to the head as often. But I also have to take in consideration that this game is dangerous and the amount of concussions these athletes can affect their brain later on in their lives. I believe the NFL will come up with new regulations that will allow this game to prosper and be played at such a high level without the risks of brain trauma affecting it. First, the benefits of playing football at a professional level can’t be overlooked. I believe the game of football is the best sport to prepare these athletes for the real world. Playing the game of football at such an elite level does require toughness, but the game requires more mental than physical. The game of football is played by 80% mental and 20% physical, playing the game at such an elite level is the best sport to prepare you for the game of life. It teaches these professional athletes to fight through adversity while their playing the game. Although, it teaches these professional athletes to keep fighting once they’ve faced adversity in the real world and to keep fighting until you overcome it. Playing the game of football at such a professional level requires you to have a high motor in order to excel in the league and continue to be used as an asset to these NFL teams. Being a professional athlete in the NFL will require a lot of ambition and drive in order for them to excel in their profession. In Don’t Overlook Football Benefits, Dick Butkus, former professional football player, addresses the benefits of playing professional football and the precautions the NFL needs to take to keep the game safe. Butkus states “ But the game gives back as much as it takes. It teaches tenacity, teamwork, respect and appreciation for a strenuous and healthy life… We need to teach

Partida3 better tackling and better neck conditioning. We need to explore and welcome any medical and equipment innovations that protect players. And we need to do everything to rid the game of illegal performance-enhancing drugs that threaten the health of players at every level. ” Playing the game at such an elite level teaches players that will prepare them later on life when their professional career is over with. As the game continues to advance, the NFL can take extra precaution by implementing medical and advanced equipment innovations that will protect the safety of these professional athletes. It’s a great way to keep adjusting as the game continues to evolve, but we need to exclude anything that will threaten the health of these athletes. There is with no doubt that the game of football has undeniable risks that can jeopardize these athletes, but the benefits of transforming these professional athletes into productive/influential citizens cannot be overlooked. Second, I believe the NFL has been aware of the negative and long-term effects these concussions can implement on these professional players and will invest money into ensuring these player’s safety. They are aware of the risks these athletes are taking by walking out onto that field every Sunday. As the years go by and the game of football continue to get more dangerous, the NFL strives to make the game as safe as possible without taking away the fun and attraction it brings to not only the public, but the players as well. In NFL to launch new $100 million concussion initiatives to improve player safety, written by Mark Maske, the article explains the innovatives the NFL will implement to improve the player’s safety. Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, goes into detail on why they are investing in a new set of concussion-related initiatives under which the league will devote $60 million to developing helmets that will improve the safety of these players. The other $40 million is going towards to the medical research into the effects of head injuries. Goodell states

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Partida4 that , “ builds on what we’ve done the last few years but it takes it to another level in a variety of areas. … It’s all about protecting our players. … We’ve seen some very positive things. But we’re not satisfied. We’re not comfortable. There are still things for us to do to make our game safer for our players and make it better for our players, and that’s what we’re gonna do.” This $100 million was investment was launched in 2016 and there has been a decrease in concussions ever since the investment was made. This large investment comes at a time where there has been seen a number of concussions in the sport and nobody was making any new regulations that will ensure the safety for these professional athletes. The NFL continues to look for new ways that will protect these players from any harm this game has to offer. Next, The NFL’s intention for these professional athletes is to ensure safety to them, the NFL only wants what’s best for these athletes; to keep these players as safe as possible in order that these athletes may prosper and grow within this sport. The NFL still finds ways to expand these regulations/rules in order that the players are not taking hits to the head with the crown of a helmet. As the NFL continues to learn more about the safety and health of these professionals, the league will continue to change rules to ensure protection to these players. According to an article by NFL.com, NFL expands helmet-hit rule, working on targeting rule, the article talks about the new and approved targeting rule that will penalize players who lean in with the crown of an helmet to make contact with an opponent. For the past 15 years, the NFL has constructed new rules/regulations to ensure the safety of these professional athletes. The rule was implemented due to after data was released by the league that showed a 13.5% increase in diagnosed concussions from 2016 to 2017 (243-281). Ever since the year 2002, the NFL has made 49 rule changes to ensure safety to the players, improve practice methods,etc. There are more than 20 medical professionals sidelined on each team for every game. The NFL enforces

Partida5 concussion protocol on players who are diagnosed with a hit to the head or concussions. The NFL are looking for new ways to keep the game as safe as possible for these professional athletes. As the game continues to evolve, the NFL will continue to implement rule changes that are designed to reduce brain injuries and make the game safer. Finally, one reason playing football in the NFL is dangerous because of the chronic traumatic encephalopathy, also known as CTE. It is a deadly brain disease that can be developed from the repetitive hits and tackles these athletes experience. With more and more professional athletes playing in the NFL, the risk of players becoming disabled is becoming greater and greater. This sport has led to numerous head injuries which leads to concussions that can cause a good number of disorders. Not only can constant hits cause concussions, but it also can lead catastrophic injuries leading to the spine, spinal cord, and the brain. As the game is played, there has to be awareness from both players and the NFL of how dangerous this sport can be and affect these professional athletes later down the road of their lives. Throughout the years there has been a study that the number of hits to the head which leads to traumatic brain injury has an effect on cognitive, psychological, physical and sports -related functioning to these professional football players. According to an article , Consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury in Professional American Football Players: A Systematic Review of the Literature. This article briefly talks about a study the consequences of brain injuries that are linked with Professional football athletes playing in the NFL. The articles is a study on how the consequences traumatic brain injury has on cognitive, psychological, physical and sports-related functioning in professional football players. The study consists of databases to find the consequences of brain injuries has on athletes, Data Sources: We performed a systematic search in 2 databases, PubMed and SPORTDiscus, to obtain literature from January

Partida6 1990 to January 2015. The search yielded 21 studies that met their criteria. There were 5 levels of evidence that were founded within the database. The evidence revealed that there was strong evidence that concussions are connected with late-life depression and short term physical dysfunctions. Although, evidence for the relationship between concussion and impaired sports- related function, prolonged reaction time, memory impairment, and visual-motor speed was inconclusive. The article briefly explains that cognitive dysfunctions such as MCI are seen in older players who have a history of TBI. These athletes need to be aware of the consequences of playing this game and need to play the game smarter. Continuing to play this game while being diagnosed with constant concussions will only hurt the future of these professional athletes in the long run. This game is not a contact sport, it is a violent collision sport. These athletes are bigger,faster and stronger than ever and developing new advanced helmets will not stop the consequences this game has to offer. It is a great and fun game; yes, it does teach many life traits such as: accountability, leadership, and responsibility, but at what cost ? Overall,. The game of football has so much to offer than just playing the game, I believe that playing professional football has created opportunities for others who didn’t have an opportunity before. Yes, playing professional football does have its risks and these risks may be life threatening, but I believe the game can be played with investment of advanced medical equipment. Playing professional football does have its cons due to the fact many athletes are taking numerous hits to the head, but I believe the NFL is striving to not only keep the as fun as possible, but to ensure protection on these professional football athletes that are putting their bodies on the line every single time they step on that field. As the game continues to evolve, the game will still continue to be even more dangerous. As a society, I believe we need to be aware

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Partida7 of the dangers this game causes to these professional athletes. I believe the NFL will continue to set new regulations in order to ensure the safety for these players. As a society, I believe we should be aware of the consequences of playing football, but that shouldn’t stop them from playing football because the NFL is setting regulations to keep the game safe. Works Cited Hanson, Andrew, et al. "Safety Regulation in Professional Football: Empirical Evidence of Intended and Unintended Consequences." Journal of Health Economics , vol. 53, May 2017, pp. 87-99. EBSCO host , doi:10.1016/j.jhealeco.2017.01.004. Vos, Bodil C., et al. "Consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury in Professional American Football Players: A Systematic Review of the Literature." Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine , vol. 28, no. 2, Mar. 2018, pp. 91-99. EBSCO host , doi:10.1097/JSM.0000000000000432.

Partida8 Dick, Butkus. "Don't Overlook Football's Benefits." USA Today , n.d. EBSCO host , libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=a9h&AN=J0E070698591917&site=ehost-live&scope=site . “The Pros and Cons of Playing Football.” Piedmont Healthcare , www.piedmont.org/living-better/pros- and-cons-of-playing-football. Tarazi, Apameh, et al. "Motor Function in Former Professional Football Players with History of Multiple Concussions." Journal of Neurotrauma , vol. 35, no. 8, 15 Apr. 2018, pp. 1003-1007. EBSCO host , doi:10.1089/neu.2017.5290. Maske, Mark. “NFL to Launch New $100 Million Concussion Initiatives to Improve Player Safety.” The Washington Post , WP Company, 14 Sept. 2016, www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2016/09/14/nfl-to-launch-new-100-million- concussion-initiatives-to-improve-player-safety/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.27afa68ad42d.\ “NFL Expands Helmet-Hit Rule, Working on Targeting Rule.” NFL.com , www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000923435/article/nfl-expands-helmethit-rule-working-on- targeting-rule . Kerr, Zachary Y., et al. "Concussion Nondisclosure during Professional Career among a Cohort of Former National Football League Athletes." American Journal of Sports Medicine , vol. 46, no. 1, Jan. 2018, pp. 22-29. EBSCO host , doi:10.1177/0363546517728264. Clark, Michael D., et al. "Descriptive Characteristics of Concussions in National Football League Games, 2010-2011 to 2013-2014." American Journal of Sports Medicine , vol. 45, no. 4, 15 Mar. 2017, pp. 929-936. EBSCO host , doi:10.1177/0363546516677793. Yengo-Kahn, Aaron M., et al. "Concussions in the National Football League." American Journal of Sports Medicine , vol. 44, no. 3, Mar. 2016, pp. 801-811. EBSCO host , doi:10.1177/0363546515580313.

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