
This research question is important to me because I am a huge NFL fan who wants to see the game made safer while retaining its current shape. I played football when I was a kid and I played Rugby until this past spring, and I have seen many of my teammates suffer concussions. This January, I suffered a concussion while playing football with some of my cousins. While we did not have any protective gear, the NFL has the money to supply its players with the absolute best equipment to protect them from this injury. In my opinion, they owe it to the players to do everything they can to limit the number of concussions that occur each year. On the other hand, I have grown up playing sports my entire life, and the combination of sports and my twin brother have made me extremely competitive. My dad was the dad that coached the tee ball team and kept track of the score on his clipboard even though the games were "just for fun." I enjoy the competitiveness of professional football. While safety is important, I also think the NFL needs to let the players play. I have done research on this topic before because it is important to me, and I think my view of football and sports in general allows me to see both sides. 

This article discusses the problem involving concussions in the modern day NFL. It debates whether the number of concussions per year is growing or if more are being discovered. For evidence, two doctors' opinions are looked at to show that there are experts who can back up both sides of the argument with data. The article discusses the movie "Concussion" and shared the implications of the movie and why it is important. It mentions a player that died at 27, and points out that some doctors believe that nearly all NFL players will leave the league with a head injury. The interest of this article is to try to give the reader as much information as possible without seeming bias. The author doesn't want readers to be offended by the NFL. Blackstone is very successful in telling the story with a neutral mindset. John Blackstone wants the reader to make a decision for his/herself. Blackstone is an Emmy-winning news columnist who also has his own news television show.

Lorenzo Reyes' article, NFL Reports Reduction in Concussions, New Measures to Protect Players, is an informative article that uses stats to back up Reyes' central claim that the rule changes implemented between 2010 and 2012 were successful in limiting concussions in the league. His main evidence is that the number of concussions and the number of concussions due to head to head contact both dropped each year between 2012 and 2014. Reyes then points out other methods the league is investigating to aid in limiting concussions such as new helmets. Afterword's, he explains why it is hard to implement such ideas, even when they appear to be successful. Lorenzo Reyes is a National Football League writer for USA Today whose work has been featured in ESPN and other well-known sports pages. He writes articles on different kinds of NFL issues and also interviews players.  He successfully remains unbiased by sticking to providing facts.

The third article was featured on NFL Wire Reports, a column on NFL.com that follows the league very closely. They write articles about all things NFL, from concussions to relocation to salary cap problems. They are a valuable source because the information given will be accurate. The main stance of the article is that the NFL has taken a proactive approach to lessen the number of concussions per year. The article discusses many rule changes and new technologies implemented by the NFL to reach their concussion goals. This article aims to ensure the reader that the NFL is doing everything they can to protect the players and that commissioner Goodell is playing an important role. The main interest of the article is to limit the number of fans that are angry at the NFL. It attempts to use emotion to its benefit by telling the reader about the aftermath of concussions. It also mentions that the officials were shown the side effects as well and told to protect the players. Because of this, the article is biased.

The research question is arguable because the effects of concussions on the human brain are still somewhat unknown, and because the issue of safety vs sport has long been a problem in the NFL. While some experts argue that almost all players will suffer later in life due to head injuries, others believe that the NFL currently has the situation under control. My opinion was swayed somewhat by Dr. Omalu's research because I know how significant his voice has been in the concussion discussion. To revise my research question, I should find a question slightly narrower as to provide more room for direct dissection. Narrowing the argument to more of a this-or-that discussion will eliminate the middle ground.

