The concussion is an issue that has grown in prevalence alongside the league that we know as the National Football League (NFL). Since the leagues creation in 1920, big hits have been glorified and the hardest hitting players have always been revered by viewers. However, with every hard hit that these players throw at one another, the long term effects of these hits are not always transparent, but they keep pounding away at each other anyways. 

NFL players have constantly risked their long term health to play a game for an organization that will not even acknowledge transparently that their game is crippling their employees in their post playing careers. By not acknowledging the risks of playing football, the NFL has directly begun to hurt their brand as we have seen numerous players retiring earlier than expected as well as former athletes stating that they would not like to see their kids play football. However, that is just the beginning in the fight to gain transparency on the risks as well as making the game safer for everyone.

The goal of transparency is a tough one to achieve. For years the NFL has actively denied any relations between football and head injuries, specifically concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). According to the documentary League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis, by PBS, the league has been active in their stance of denying the link since at least 2007. However, in an investigative piece, it was discovered that they had acknowledged a link in court case for former NFL lineman, Mike Webster, who claimed he was suffering from disabilities related to his playing career. Webster won his case and was given a monthly payout, but died two years later. The acknowledgment of the link was never released to the public. 

Webster was the true pioneer in bringing to day the issues with player safety in football post playing career. According to a CNN timeline of events, his brain was one of the first players to be examined by Dr. Bennet Omalu, a renowned neuropathologist who first discovered CTE in Webster's brain. Webster's case was the first to be presented to the NFL. However, it did not go so smoothly. When Omalu went to present his findings, the NFL did not even allow Omalu to present it in person so his associate was tasked with presenting the findings. During the meeting, the NFL dismissed all the findings and any links that Omalu had proposed between CTE and football as well as marking Omalu as an enemy of the NFL. 

Marking esteemed scientists as enemies has not been an uncommon occurrence for the NFL. The NFL will do anything, humane or not, in order to protect their brand and promote it further. The NFL denying the link between head injuries and football is just the beginning in their shady public relations. Popular running back Ray Rice was suspended only two games for knocking his fiance out in an elevator while all-pro receiver Josh Gordon has been suspended for nearly two years for simple drug violations. It shows that the NFL has never operated as a morally upstanding organization and that they almost certainly will not change their ways, even for a serious issue like head injuries. 

Another driving force towards bringing to light the NFL's corruption was the death of Junior Seau. Seau was probably the most notable death among players who have CTE related deaths. Seau had a long 20-year career that was filled with multiple pro bowls while also being a well liked philanthropist within the community. He was an ideal human being who tried to leave everything on the field, "A perfect hit is when you're faced up, coming one-on-one, and you hear him go, 'Uh.' " (PBS). A direct quote from Junior Seau, it was evident that Seau liked to dish out punishment every time he hit someone, whether it be with his head or his body, he threw caution into the wind. These hits led to his troubled post playing career where he divorced his wife, began having alcohol problems, and lost his business empire. A once popular player was on the down spiral of life, which sadly ended when he shot himself in the chest May 2, 2012. A man so well liked, dead because of a shifting personality caused by CTE. This personality change and then suicide was also evident in other players who died from CTE such as Mike Webster and Jovan Belcher. 

The death of Junior Seau was so impactful because of his reputation. He was so popular that it really shot the issue into the light of day. Mike Webster was like the fire starter and Seau was the lighter fluid that made the flames bigger. Concussions clearly became an issue and the NFL needed to take a stance on it. As a matter of fact, less than a year later after Seau's death was clearly identified as a result of CTE, NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, was asked at his 92Y interview if he thought there was a connection between head injuries and football, " 'No,' Goodell replied, one of several times he began an answer with a simple declarative 'yes' or 'no.' " (Tracy). Note that this interview took place slightly over two years ago and his stance on the situation, even after Junior Seau, still did not change. He was also asked several times before and after that according to the PBS documentary and he had a similar answer where he deflected the question towards scientists instead of tackling it head on, something he's used to doing. 

Many people today believe that the NFL is taking steps backwards in how they have handled the coming out party for all this information about concussions. One notable writer who has taken slight from the NFL is a Vice Sports writer who believes that the NFL has failed Seau and his sacrifices, "Now the Hall says that it will ignore all of this, 'the death and other issues,' and instead honor Seau. How? By . . . continuing to operate as it always has: rejecting, obfuscating, and silencing catastrophic effects of the game on its heroes  --  on the people who, like Seau, loved football the most" (Gordon). Aaron Gordon has taken slight from the fact that the NFL has all of this evidence in their laps and still refuse to acknowledge anything at all. It's absurd and they took it to another level when they denied Seau's family the right to speak at his post mortem Hall of Fame induction ceremony in fear of their family speaking about the football and head injury relationship. What kind of man does such a thing and is still considered morally correct? Not Goodell. He is here for one reason only and that's to make money at the expense of others. 

So, the question becomes, how can the NFL be fixed? It all starts with Goodell. The first step is admitting to the world that there is a definite link between head injuries and football. Not everyone is aware of such long term health effects that are caused from playing football and some feel betrayed that they weren't told of these risks before they strapped on the helmet. CTE doesn't only affect players in their 40s and 50s. In the documentary by PBS, it was shown that players as young as 18 and 21 who have never played in the NFL, suffered from CTE. Most notable was an 18-year-old from Pittsburgh who only played in high school sports, but committed suicide. His brain was examined thinking that there was no possible chance CTE was involved, yet it was clearly evident his brain had shown signs of CTE. An 18 year olds brain is supposed to be the cleanest, healthiest looking thing, yet his brain was covered in the protein tau, an effect of CTE. It just shows that the risks aren't clearly stated at the highest level, so it's obviously not clearly stated at the lower levels which affects a much high percentage of the population, as football is the most popular sport played by youth boys. 

The NFL has actually taken a step forward into that area of transparency. Just recently this year, the NFL's senior vice president for health and safety was asked if there was a link, " 'The answer to that question is certainly yes,' Miller said" (Fainaru). This was a huge breakthrough as the public had finally gotten what they wanted out of the NFL. However, this isn't where it ends. Even if there is clear acknowledgement of the link, it doesn't make the game safer. This is simply a step towards the right direction, as it will hopefully cause parents and potential players to finally ask a big question: is it worth playing football? 

Answering this question needs to take into account how the NFL has handled the issue at hand and how they appear to handle it moving forward. If the past has told us anything, the NFL is not a trustworthy organization that can be trusted when they say something. They can say they are going to improve the game, but are they willing to spend the money? Roger Goodell doesn't throw his body on the line and made 34 million dollars this past year. The average annual salary of the highest paid player in the NFL has not even eclipsed the 30-million-dollar mark while risking his well being. Goodell could have committed some of his absurd salary towards more research or even development of safer equipment. What does a commissioner do that supports him making 34 million dollars? His sole purpose is to manage the league and most importantly, make money for all 32 team owners. The NFL may be a multi-billion-dollar industry, but his job is not really a 34 million dollar mans job. There are plenty of financial advisors in the world who manage more than hundreds of millions of dollars for people who won't even sniff a million dollars a year. Yet there is Roger Goodell making more than our President of the United States. 

However, it's not as simple as pouring money into the game. Even if money is devoted to improving safety, it still takes time. Research and development requires time and that's something current football players don't have. They are already out their laying their livelihoods on the line and they can't wait for technology to improve. The next best thing would be to change the rules of the game, but how does one fundamentally change the game without taking away from what football is. Truthfully, it can't be done. Sure, kickoffs could be removed so players aren't getting 40-yard head starts and then slamming into each other, but then where do you go from there? Heads colliding will always be part of the game if it wants to remain football. The NFL has made good steps in implementing doctors who serve one purpose to spot players who are potentially concussed and rules changes like: moving touchbacks forward to the 25-yard line and two personal fouls (eg. Helmet-to-helmet contact) results in an automatic disqualification. No matter what changes are made, they will only go so far. Football is a violent sport and at its fundamental core, it always will be. 

A business design site has taken this issue and proposed ways to improve the game, but has proven that it isn't entirely possible. Technologically, the helmet is flawed and can never be perfected, "After going back and forth with experts with every conceivable conspiracy theory I could imagine, the consensus was obvious: A concussion-proof helmet is either impossible, or its requirements would affect play so drastically that it would either impair the sport or lead to other injuries" (Wilson). Increased padding can result in neck injuries, which can have an as crippling effect as CTE. Breakaway helmets, similar to motorcycle helmets, are theoretically a better idea, but still flawed. A motorcycle breakaway helmet can withstand damage from up to 40 miles per hours while a typical NFL hit is at most running around 18 miles per hour. Wilson also states that it theoretically sounds safer, but motorcycle helmets are designed only to prevent death. Most likely in an accident, one will survive but still end up with a concussion which isn't an improvement. It just isn't feasibly possibly to change the game for the better at this moment in time without taking way what makes football the sport we know and love. 

There's a simple solution to all the issues that present itself: don't play football. Let's face it, there is no sport that is more entertaining than football in the United States. At every level, it's apart of our lives. According to Gerald R. Gems, football has changed American culture as a primary facet of our lives. We can't escape it as it practically owns Sundays. When you think of Sundays today, more likely than not, the majority population will say its football Sundays. No more is it widely known as 'Holy Sunday.' It's just how America works. So, how is someone supposed to just say no to play football. The truth needs to be faced. For years the NFL has denied head injuries link to football. It was okay to play football because we didn't know any better. Well times are changing. The NFL has stated there is a link. It's okay to say no now. We are educated and we need to say no until change can truly be made. 

The trendy thing to do is not play football. Numerous high profile players are retiring earlier than anticipated. Idols like Calvin Johnson, Patrick Willis, and Marshawn Lynch have retired earlier than the average retiring age for players of such high caliber as them. They were all well within their primes and abruptly retired before their 30th birthday. Maybe the biggest retirement was Chris Borland who had an excellent rookie year and was supposed to be the face of the NFL in the near future. He retired immediately after his rookie year citing concussions as his deciding factor. If the players at the highest level aren't even seeing the game worth it, why should those at the bottom tier play if there is no further incentive? Even former players who have played the game have acknowledged they don't want their kids to play football. Legendary former Bears head coach, Mike Ditka, was quoted, "[It's] sad. I wouldn't. And my whole life was football. I think the risk is worse than the reward. I really do" (Schiff). In the same article, President Barack Obama stated, "I would not let my son play pro football. It's sort of in the same realm (as boxing). At this point, there's a little bit of caveat emptor. These guys, they know what they're doing. They know what they're buying into. It is no longer a secret. It's sort of the feeling I have about smokers, you know." If someone who has spent their entire life in the football world won't let their kids play football, why should you? If the leader of our proud nation won't let their kids play football, why should you?

By stopping the future generations from playing football, its possible to do some serious damage to the NFL so they can actually make changes. The NFL makes its money mainly off of the players. In order to get players into the league, they are groomed from an early age into professional athletes. If the top athletes decide to play other sports instead of football like basketball or baseball, they could make just as much as an NFL player without the same risks. For example, the minimum NFL player salary is approximately 405,000 dollars a year. The minimum for a MLB and NBA player is approximately 490,000 dollars per year for both. These salaries are higher than an NFL one without the long term risks. NFL contracts also never guarantee entire contracts. Most NBA and MLB contracts are fully guaranteed and can exceed hundreds of millions in value. Less than 20 contracts in NFL history have exceeded 90 million dollars. Also, the average NFL career needs to be taken into account. An NFL career can last as long as around 20 years, but as short as a year. The average is around three years. The amount of players that go bankrupt is one in six. Matter of fact, more players have financial issues after their playing careers than originally thought, "A Sports Illustrated (SI) article from 2009 indicated that after two years of retirement, a whopping 78 percent of former NFL players went bankrupt or suffered financial stress due to joblessness or divorce" (Moneytips). An alarming number considering NFL players are making less on average than other sports, yet are seemingly spending more. The fact is if a player is simply playing for the financial aspects, why choose the least financially stable of the three major sports leagues. 

Sure, an NBA player may develop knee issues or an MLB player may develop elbow issues, but the fact is none of these issues are life threatening like CTE. Plenty of the top football players are also stars in other sports. Tony Gonzalez, arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history, was also a star basketball player at Cal before playing professionally. He is just a single example of NFL players who can succeed in other sports. Numerous players such as Odell Beckham and Deandre Hopkins have posted videos of them dunking proving that the athleticism transfers to other sports as well. When the options are so vast, there seems to be no reason for one to play football when money and injury risks are accounted for. Yet, there will always be athletes who choose to play football. The benefits of playing football are far and in between. There is no doubting football is by far the most popular sport in the USA. However, that's the thing it is strictly a national Phenom. Internationally, every other sport is more popular than football is. On the national level, football players are revered. Maybe these players just like the attention they receive in their homes. But, money, international fame, and injury risk is far superior when compared to nearly every other sport, except UFC.

It's time for the youth parents and kids of the future to face the facts. The NFL has been reluctant to change and it seems impossible for football to change in order for it to still be football. We all know the truth about what happens every time their heads collide from a tackle. With so many options available to kids today, why risk your kids on a game that refuses to change. The statistics are there for everyone to see. CTE is clearly linked to playing football. The youth shouldn't be playing football. Don't let your kids be one of those statistics.

 
