The NFL and the NCAA are the two largest sports organizations in the United States. NFL stands for National Football League, and its president is Roger Goodell who has been scrutinized by many NFL fans for some of his policy enforcements. The NCAA stands for National Collegiate Athletic Association, and its president is Mark Emmert who is not individually criticized, but the NCAA is as a whole. These two organizations claim that safety is the number one concern for member athletes, but is this really true? I would argue that this is indeed a true statement. However, this has not always been the case as is evident by cases highlighted in, "NCAA Institutions and a Duty to Warn Football Student-Athletes: A Look into the Arrington v. NCAA case." These cases and complaints laid the groundwork for future changes in policies and regulations. Before these institutions finally enforced stricter and clearer rules on safety, a vast amount of research was done on the health effects of certain injuries. I will also detail some of the policies enforced by these organizations and the effects they have had. Finally, I will argue why the safety of players is the most crucial concern for these prestigious institutions.   

Before diving into why I believe that these organizations truly do now have the player's safety as a top priority, I will explain why this issue is so important to me and why I believe safety is the most important aspect of sports. This is an issue that I am very passionate about because it has directly impacted my life. I was once a football player, but I am no longer able to play the game that I love due to a football injury to my back that still affects my daily life. I believe that the ending result of a football game is not more important than the well-being of a person. Players that have not experienced serious injury as a result of playing do not understand the nagging effects it can have on all aspects of life. I personally have not looked at life the same since I found out my playing days were over. Although I was very disappointed that I would no longer experience the thrill of the game, I realized that long term repercussions of the injury were not worth the thrill. Because I have personal experience with the issue of player safety, I believe I am uniquely qualified to argue the importance of safety. I have experienced both sides of this argument, so I bring real-life, credible experience to the discussion. One of my main goals is to bring awareness to football athletes and all athletes that there is a life after the game. I do not want anyone else to experience the pain I have, so I will share my view as to why the game should and does have player safety as a top priority. 

Even though there have been changes in the very recent years regarding player safety, it has not always been such a safe game. One groundbreaking cases that lead to many changes of safety regulations that are enforced today was "Arrington v NCAA."  In this case which took place in 2011 the NCAA was sued by Adrian Arrington. Arrington sued because he felt that the NCAA should be held responsible for not only the rule enforcement for player safety, but also should be held responsible for providing aid and resources to these players. The NCAA claimed that, "It is the responsibility of each member institution to protect the health and provide a safe environment for each of its participating student-athletes" (NCAA Institutions and a Duty to Warn Football Student-Athletes: A Look into the Arrington v. NCAA case, Anderson). Essentially stating that even though the NCAA creates and enforces the rules and restrictions, the individual university should be responsible for any injuries that occur. This is an argument that seeks to defer blame in that the NCAA claims that it can make the rules, but its members should be responsible for any unfortunate outcomes. 

How is it that the governing body of an institution is not held responsible for aiding those who fall under their policies? If you are hurt at work, you will be compensated by your employer for this incident. Why should this be different in collegiate athletics, especially since many institutions view their players as employees. For example, UGA's head football coach, Kirby Smart restricts his players from transferring to rival schools which is the equivalent of a 'no compete provision' in an employer contract (Bulldogs Coach Kirby Smart Stands by Transfer Restrictions J. Turman, Aschoff). If the NCAA will allow universities to treat their players like employees in the situation of a transfer, why shouldn't they treat them the same if hurt in a sporting event sanctioned by the institution? The answer is that the NCAA is not effected by a transfer policy, but their wallets are effected if a player is injured and requires extra aid and resources. The NCAA is the governing body of collegiate athletics, and its member universities, so Arrington is ultimately arguing that the NCAA should be held responsible for all the consequences of the policies they enforce. There were 89 cases that affected over 1,200 players, against the NCAA and NFL in regards to player safety, but this was one of the most influential cases that brought a lot of attention, and future policy changes for player safety in these large institutions. 

Groundbreaking cases and criticism like this led to an increase in research on the health effects injuries have on players. The resulting research has been heavily focused on the effects concussions have on players. To exemplify how extremely important, the issue of concussions was, the NCAA and Department of Defense partnered in 2014 on a three-year, $30 million research project on concussions and head injuries. (College Athletics Safer Than Ever Through Concussion Research, Awareness, Eichelberger). There were countless number of other research projects for this issue, but this was one of the most lucrative. The quantity of different studies conducted shows how big this issue is in all sports. One study conducted by the NCAA found that women are more likely to experience concussions than men. The study surveyed players in sports in which both genders can participate such as soccer and found that females experienced 2.10 concussions per 1,000 games while men only experienced .96. This raised concern for the NCAA, but there was no easy answer as to why this was occurring so the NCAA continues to study this issue. 

We see that the NCAA vastly increased its research and studies on concussions, so did the NFL tag along? Yes. In fact, a lot of the initial research that the NCAA used for its new policies was originally conducted by the NFL and its associates. One of the most eye-opening studies conducted by researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University showed that 87 out of 91 former NFL players tested positive for CTE (FRONTLINE, Breslow). CTE stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy which is a progressive degenerative disease that is caused by constant hits to the head. This study also found that 40% of those who tested positive were offensive and defensive lineman who hit head to head nearly every play. This suggests that the noticeably violent head hits that make the ESPN highlights are not the most dangerous collisions. The linemen have such a high percentage of CTE because they are butting heads constantly. Over time brain trauma can increase in the athlete, but he may never be evaluated because it is something that happens every play. The unfortunate issue is that lineman hitting heads is a very crucial part of the game so making a drastic change would be nearly impossible. However, it is possible to make this encounter safer for both players, and one way scientists are trying to make this possible is to make safer helmets.   

As we can see, both of these hierarchy associations have greatly increased their concussion research in hopes to better the safety for active players, but how are retired players doing? Renowned research university, Johns Hopkins, conducted a study on nine former NFL players who retired decades ago comparing them to regular citizens. The study found that the athletes had molecular and structural damages in certain areas of the brain while the regular people showed no signs of that type of brain damage (Johns Hopkins Study of Retired NFL Players Sheds Light on Concussion-related Brain Damage, Hedin). The most important aspect of this article is the age of the players, 57 to 74, and that they had been retired from football for years. It suggests that concussions do not just affect an athlete while he is playing, but can cause brain damage that stays with you for decades. This study also showed that the former athletes scored lower in tests regarding memorization. Studies like this prove that concussions are not just a problem while an athlete is playing, but something that continues to have an impact long after your playing days are over. There often a long life to live after any athlete decides to step away from the game, so athletes need to continue to advocate for strong safety policies. 

Now that we have touched on how the NCAA and NFL decided to invest its time and money into researching player safety, what are they doing about it? In recent years as the research has advanced, so have the rules and regulations for player safety. The biggest and most widely debated new rule enforcement for both associations, has been the "targeting rule." The targeting rule was put into action by both the NCAA and NFL in 2008. The rule states that a player can't initiate contact to a defenseless player above the neck area with the crown of his helmet, forearm, fist, elbow or shoulder (2013 Targeting & Initiating College Football Rule Video, Rondeau). The guidelines in which the rule is enforced have not changed since the inaugural 2008 season, but the penalty that follows has evolved over the years. In the early stages, it was only a 15-yard personal foul penalty. However, in 2013 the penalty changed to a possible immediate ejection if the referee review shows that the player was targeting a defenseless player (Despite Good Intentions, New Targeting Rule Creates Problems, Bishop). This rule is only true in the NCAA, and it has caused a mayhem amongst players, fans, and coaches. The NCAA felt this was a necessary action to take in order to show the severity of the issue. This rule was so influential because the NCAA was willing to risk possible money and fan loss in order to ensure the safety of its players. This may seem like easy decision, but as we all know, big business often times neglects the welfare of workers just to earn an extra buck. The NCAA has evolved from placing the responsibility of player safety on universities to enforcing extreme rules to keep its players safe. 

The NFL and NCAA are very similar associations since both deal with athletics, but the biggest difference is that the NFL is dealing with paid professionals. This allows them to enforce monetary punishments on its players which some consider harsher penalties. The penalty for targeting a defenseless player in the NFL is a fine of anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000, depending on the impact of the hit and if the player is a repeat offender. Players who seem to not care about the fines and continue to illegally hit opposing players can also be suspended from games without pay. This large crack down on illegal hits has decreased the number of head injuries with a 25% decrease in the number of identified concussions in 2014 (Knee Injuries Worry NFL Players More than Concussions, Barzilai). 

However, the negative side effect to these harsh punishments is that it forces defensive players to target the opposing player's lower body, most commonly the knee. Ironically, some players would actually prefer to be hit higher rather than lower. In a recent article, "Knee Injuries Worry NFL Players More than Concussions" a current NFL player for the New York Jets named Leger Douzable was asked what injury he was most concerned about, his response was, "For me, it's the knee ...  a knee injury can be career-ending." Douzable was not the only individual with this response, in 2014 46% of current players would be most concerned with a leg injury, and only 24% said head. These players agree that they would rather experience a minor head injury and be able to continuing playing than suffer a possible career ending injury. These players are neglecting to see that there is so much more to life than playing football. Suffering a knee injury is tragic, don't get me wrong, but if you experience a major head injury it has the potential to drastically reduce your quality of life and even cause death.

The focus on safety in recent years is something that should have been done years ago, but the NCAA and NFL were afraid of what they could lose. They feared that altering the tradition of the game would result in traditionalists refusing to be a part of the "new generation of football." These associations finally realized that a football fan is a fan no matter what. Even after the new rules were put in place, stadiums still sold out, TV ratings did not drop, and the amount of money generated did not change. Players are the lifeblood of the sport so protecting the health of current and future athletes in the prime of their career and in life beyond the game should be a key issue for all associated with the game. These associations came to the realization that the players are the reason these fans watch the game, and of course they are, if there were no players there would be no game. Therefore, ensuring the safety of your "moneymaker" should be, and I would attest, is the top priority for these institutions. After all, players are the lifeblood of the sport so protecting the health of current and future athletes in the prime of their career and in life beyond a player's career should be a key issue for all associated with the game. Even traditionalists would agree that they want to see the best players out on the field. Injuries are a part of playing sports, but doing everything you can to keep your athlete's healthy. They create the excitement around the league and excitement is healthy for the longevity of the sport, and it generates money around the leagues. 

At one point in time it could be argued that maybe these large athletic associations didn't have the safety of players as a number one concern but admirably they have changed their stance. After some years of resistance, the NCAA and NFL took serious action on acknowledging the issue of player safety. They invested time and money to research the health effects head injuries had on these players and found convicting results. These organizations then put this research to good use by enforcing stricter safety rules for players. These institutions would be nothing without its outstanding players and keeping them safe is the only way to ensure success for the game. I believe that the NFL and the NCAA have adjusted admirably to the concerns of player safety and now have that issue as a top as a top priority, and I hope that the message will influence the attitude of athletes to place a priority on their life after the game as well.

