I am interested in this research question because I watch and love the game of football. The game of football is watched widely throughout the United States in many homes, including my own. If football were to be changed as a whole, many viewers would no longer be interested in the game, yet the players would be safer. I do not have much personal experience besides reading articles and watching the movie, Concussion recently. Player safety as a whole is important to me because the stories of former players with disabilities is heartbreaking. A career should not end in mental and physical illness. I am qualified to write about this topic because Ive been watching football for an extended amount of time. I have begun to read articles about the topic, even before the research for this project started. Football is an intriguing game to watch, but the player safety should not be on the line for entertainment purposes. 

"Are Player Safety Concerns Putting the NFL's Future in Jeopardy?" by Zach Kruse is an article from the magazine Bleacher Report. He starts off by explaining a story of a player who had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, CTE, and continues discussing that scientists can now test players while they are still alive. Football is a heavy contact sport and there are not many ways around the injuries. Although the sport is dangerous and may cause financial loss to the NFL, they are coming up with new rules and protocols to prevent what they can. How much longer will the sport continue and will it survive? The author, Zach Kruse, is a young sports writer who is a member of the Pro Football Writers Association. He lives in Minnesota and studied economics and history. With the background of those subjects, he understands the effects that the science of brain injury can have on the NFL. Although there is bias, Kruse mentions the pros and cons of football while touching on many subjects as well as pulling stories from players. This is important because he reaches a wide variety of topics and mentions both sides.

"Hanging 'em up early" by Jon Fasman mentions the former linebacker, Chris Borland, and the choice of his early retirement due to the worry of medical issues caused by football. Fasman acknowledges other players who have suffered injuries such as Andre Waters, Dave Duerson, and Junior Seau. In addition, Fasman writes about other athletes who are similar to Chris Borland; young players who have decided not to continue a job in professional football due to the health risks. The amount of players could decline in the next years due to the education of what happens to football players after their careers. The author of the article is Jon Fasman who specializes in Asia and United States subjects. He covers a variety of topics such as politics, business, finance and economics. He is credible due to the politics in America which includes controversial topics, this being one. The article, "Hanging 'em up early" is argumentative because the main focus is one-sided. Jon Fasman mentions the opposite argument, such as quotes by the NFL regarding the safety, but quickly refutes the ideas. The article is less impactful due to the bias, but the use of many players' stories aides in the effectiveness.

"New and Improved Safety Measures For America's NFL Stars" by Mark Venables is about the knowledge gained by research and the protection that has been developed for football players' safety. The article mentions the precautions that the NFL will begin to take such as the Sideline Response System (SRS) and the Head-Impact Telemetry System (HITS). Also, Mark Venables includes statistics such as the force delivered, the amount of concussions per season, and the number of tackles during a career. With the statistics present, the stakes of the game are on the line due to the information of how rough the game is. On the positive side, the medical staff of the NFL are taking measures to reduce the amount of injuries with new systems. The author is Mark Venables who has written other sports articles for the E & T Magazine which makes him credible because of the experience he has and the validity of the magazine. The article is informative rather than argumentative because it provides statistics and data about the issue with little to no opinion involved. The use of citations from other sources adds to the effectiveness of the topic because of the cite. For example, a citation used is from the National Institute of Health.

The research question is arguable because it has two sides and both can be presented. Although player safety is important, the game of football is an active and intense game that is prone to injuries, not just in pro football. Agreements of the articles include the mentioning of past players having many mental problems because of the game. The different perspectives affect my own by the information provided. I began the research project more in the middle of the argument, but as my research continues, I understand the tragic impact the hits during the game can take on a player's life. My research question is very broad, so to revise it, I may need to focus more on one type of injury. 
