Sunday during Fall in the United States for many means one thing, football. Millions of people sit down on their couches and tune in to watch their favorite teams play which for many, becomes a weekly ritual. Children, with dreams of playing in the NFL, watch with eyes glowing with excitement and wonder. This sunday ritual, however, is in danger. Football, itself, has been discovered to be a game with extreme risk involved for players. The all too present likelihood of head injuries and their repercussions have become increasingly known in recent years. With players colliding together at high speeds and helmet safety technology that for the most part has not changed since the 70s (Garcia), the game is simply dangerous to play. Recent studies have emerged from the Boston University Department of Neurology that contain alarming results regarding Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, otherwise known as CTE, a neurodegenerative disorder that eventually kills whoever has it, including many former NFL football players. It is research like this that has driven many NFL football players to retire younger and younger even though they still have more “good years” left in them. No players, however, are being forced into playing football. All of them are playing by choice, so who are we to say that they should no longer play? Additionally, with football being such a popular sport in America, many would be devastated if football were to be eliminated altogether. This topic is important because while on the surface it may seen to be just about a game, but in reality is about something bigger and much more important. This topic concerns human lives. It is my belief, that under current standards, football is extremely dangerous to play due to the prominence of head injuries like concussions and CTE. This is especially evident at the professional level, but if significant advances are made with regards to preventing head injuries, football can be safer to play in the future.

Playing football presents a clear danger of sustaining concussions. It has been debated over what happens to the brain when it sustains a concussion. In an effort to discover what happens during a concussion David Camarillo, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University, has conducted research through his lab on concussions through the use of mouthguards with special sensors in them which are worn by football players. These sensors measure the impact sustained from a blow and can help paint a picture of what is happening to the brain. Because the mouthguard is mounted against the teeth which have a hard surface and are connected to the skull, the mouthguard can measure the amount of force being applied to the skull during a blow (Camarillo). Based off the data he has collected, he has come to the conclusion that during a concussion “a cross-section right in the front of the brain twisting and contorting… the brain has been stretched to 50 percent of its original length, the tissue in that particular area.” (Camarillo). Just how common are concussions? Unfortunately, they occur far more often than one may hope or think. The Michigan High School Athletic Association requires that schools document and report all concussions suffered by athletes in an effort to learn more about the risk of sustaining concussions in high school sports. The 2016-2017 report saw a total of 3,958 reported concussions, an average of 5.2 concussions per school with the majority of these concussions came from football players. (Charmoli). While this is an improvement from the previous year which saw an average of 5.9 concussions per school (Charmoli), this number is still too high. This is important because, parents should not have to worry about their kids sustaining an injury as serious as a concussion in high school. Additionally, sustaining concussions can lead to future health problems. “There is information that a repeated history of concussion can lead to early dementia, such as Alzheimer's, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy.” (Camarillo). Concussions are not just a problem in youth football, “There was a 58% increase in concussions during regular season NFL games [in 2015], according to the 2015 NFL injury report” (Tracy). This spike in concussions is alarming especially because considering the long term health risk involved, concussions must be taken very carefully. Unless significant improvements are made in the direction of minimizing the risk of concussions in football, football should not be played because it is simply too dangerous. 

Playing football is dangerous because the repetitive head trauma that is all too common in the sport has been shown to lead to CTE. If you have seen the news headlines surrounding this disease, you may only know it as a scary brain disease that kills people. The truth behind it is much more complicated and concerning. “CTE is a progressive tauopathy with a distinct clinical and neuropathological profile that becomes symptomatic many years after an individual experiences repeated concussive or subconcussive blows to the head.” (Cantu). What this means is that due to repeated head trauma, CTE deteriorates the brain over time but the symptoms do not even appear until many years after the trauma has been suffered. It is because of this that CTE is impossible to diagnose before it has taken the life of person who had it. Before understanding what CTE does to a person, it is important to understand what is happening inside the brain due to CTE. “The characteristic features of CTE include: extensive tau immunoreactive neurofibrillary tangles and astrocytic tangles throughout the frontal and temporal cortices in a patchy, superficial distribution” (Cantu). What this means is that a tau protein becomes present in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. This protein is what causes the deterioration of the brain during CTE. Symptoms of CTE include changes in mood, irritability, and parkinson-like signs (Cantu). While these are the general symptoms most commonly associated with CTE, the specific symptoms individuals suffer from varies from person to person. “In the football players, the most common symptoms were mood disorder (mainly depression), memory loss, paranoia, and poor insight or judgment (each found in 80%), outbursts of anger or aggression, irritability, and apathy (each found in 60%), confusion, reduced concentration, agitation, or hyperreligiosity (each found in 40%).” (Budson). One former NFL player who suffered from CTE was studied after his death. His wife reported that five years before his death he showed signs of trouble with short term memory, judgement, and the ability to multitask (Budson). These symptoms progressed until his death. “Toward the end of his life, he tended to become angry and verbally aggressive over insignificant issues and was more emotionally labile.” (Budson). This case study shows how this disease not only affects the person who has it, but those around them as well. This is significant because as humans we cannot just sit by and watch while there is a clear problem. CTE is destroying former players’ lives and the clear cause of this is football and the way it is currently being played with regard to safety regulations. Legendary Steelers’ Center Mike Webster died as a result of head injuries, that ultimately led to CTE, which he sustained during his time in the NFL. The extent to which this disease had on his life is heartbreaking. An excerpt from Webster’s personal writing shows the effect CTE had on his thought process and overall mental health. 

“What do I do, I am over fucking overwhelmed… what to Do… Have NO way Be able to Help my Kids Everyone other Family Dependents and Keep Them Healthy Safe… Maybe me worthless piece of crap but can NOT Let That Get to me have to Keep Trying Keep Work at all this but How Do I Do anything Now?” (Fainaru-Wada 4)

While somewhat difficult understand due to poor grammar, this excerpt provides an insight into what was going on inside Webster’s head as a result of CTE. It is clear that he was overwhelmed and overall confused as well as angry about what was happening to him. This is significant as it shows that head injuries in football affect people far beyond their ability to play on the field. The awful disease of CTE completely destroys the player’s ability to function as a human. CTE is currently, the biggest long term risk associated with playing football. No one should have to deal with this horrible neurodegenerative disease. Because of the nature of football which causes many players to suffer from CTE later in life, football should no longer be played. 

Playing football can be safer in the future if the proper precautions are taken with regards to safety. This is not to say that the sport will become 100% safe as with any sport comes the potential for injury, but advances in safety technology can make the game much safer for future players. One possible solution to the concussion and other head injuries epidemic comes with a complete redesign of the football helmet. The purpose of the helmet is to protect the head from injury but most helmets being used today simply do not do the job. Most current football helmets, in fact, were not designed with the intention to prevent concussions. They were designed to prevent skull fracture and hemorrhages in the brain (Tracy). Hope emerges for many now as a new company called VICIS has come out with a new design of a football helmet that better protects the brain from concussions and other head injuries. “Vicis’ concussion solution is a multilayered, flexible helmet that’s particularly adept at diminishing rotational and linear impact forces. Specifically, the helmet was constructed to utilize four separate layers which work in perfect harmony with one another.” (Stella). Unlike traditional helmet designs, this helmet utilizes a soft outer shell rather than a hard one. This soft shell allows the helmet to flex and deform upon impact. This protects the head and severely reduces the risk of concussion in the player. (Stella).

“the Core Layer essentially bends and buckles in all directions to mitigate linear and rotational forces. Beneath that lies the Arch Shell, the interior of the helmet specifically designed to perfectly fit a player’s aspect ratio (i.e. the relationship between head length and breadth). The Form Liner makes up the final layer, designed exclusively to work in unison with the Arch Shell to conform to a player’s head topography and distribute pressure on the head accordingly.” (Stella). 

This new helmet design is important because it has the potential to be revolutionary to the game of football. This season a handful of NFL players, including USC alumni Jadeveon Clowney, will be wearing the helmet (Garcia). This design should dramatically reduce the number of players who sustain head injuries such as concussions and CTE thus making the game much safer to play in the future. New research has come out that suggests that something besides helmets could help prevent concussions. The Acta of Bioengineering and Biomechanics conducted an experiment which assessed what kind of mouth guard best prevents concussions. This experiment tested how well mouthguards made up of different materials held up against each other in the prevention of concussions. The purpose of a mouthguard is to absorb impact and this experiment tested different mouthguards’ abilities to absorb impact. Of the materials tested, this experiment found that “The most advantageous damping property was demonstrated by Impak 1 – it was significantly higher than in Erkoflex, Erkoflex 2, Impak 1.25 and Impak 1.5” (Gawlak). This shows that mouthguards made out of this Impak 1 material would best absorb the impact of a blow and therefore aid in the reduction of head injuries. This experiment is significant as it shows that the solution to the concussion problem in football, may not lie in helmets alone, which is traditionally the device thought to best prevent concussions and other head injuries. 

Some may argue that football is fine just the way it is. After all football has been a staple of American culture for a long time now. Changing football or no longer playing it would certainly upset millions of fans across the country and even the world. While I too would be upset to see football go away for good, it is more important to account for the safety and the lives of players above all else. The evidence about the effect of football related head injuries on players is simply overwhelming. Others may say that while head injuries can occur in football, that does not mean that every player will sustain concussions or CTE. After all, people can become seriously injured or even die in every contact sport. The fact is, is that evidence shows that an alarming percentage of former players have been reported to have sustained CTE as a result of their time in the NFL. In a study conducted on the brains of over 200 former football players who played at a variety of levels, “They found evidence of CTE in 87 percent of the samples, and in 99 percent of former NFL players’ brains.” (Charmoli). This shows just how common CTE is in former players. The fact that 99% of former players, who donated their brains to be studied after death, had CTE shows that football, as it currently is being played, is far too much of a risk to human life to be played.

With overwhelming evidence of head injuries related to football, I believe that football should not be played under the standards it currently is. Concussions are far too common within the sport of football at all levels and with the long term effects taken into consideration, football is simply too dangerous to be played. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in itself is reason enough to inspire the change of football safety in America. The fact, that we can allow this to happen to so many players without trying to prevent it for so long is inexcusable. Change must come if the sport is going to be played in the future. While the future of the sport may look bleak for the future for football fans and aspiring players, there is hope. New research into safety technology such as helmets and mouthguards provides a glimpse into the future which can help prevent head injuries thus making the game much safer and enjoyable to play. I challenge NFL executives as well as fans of the game to support these innovations in safety. The health and safety of players should come before all else. Even though football is a game, when it comes to lives being it risk, there’s simply no playing around. 

 