In recent years the sport of football has taken on a multitude of controversies and issues. Including everything thing from domestic violence among professional football players, all the way down to obnoxious parents going crazy at their child’s youth games. No issue however has made more headlines than the concussion obsession that has swept the nation covering all levels of football from the pros all the way down to five and six year old kids just beginning to learn the game.

Participation has seen a drop in all levels of the game, but the hardest level to be hit was of course the youth level. This level has received the largest mainly due to one group of people, overly concerned parents. With today’s medical technology providing overly concerned parents with one more reason not to let their children play, it is no wonder the levels in football have had a major decrease. All of this leads to some significant questions; “is football is more dangerous now than ever before, or are we just overly concerned with the new medical findings today’s technology are able to produce?”. And if it is should tackle football be outlawed?

Ive had the opportunity to ponder these questions through out the course of the semester, writing papers, watching documentaries, and conducting research. But no matter what I came across my stance on the topic always remained the same. The sport of football should certainly not be outlawed for starters. Plus the game is in no way shape or form more dangerous now a days than it was fifty years ago. In fact, with the technology available today the game has become infinitely safer than it ever has been in the past. Parents have the upmost right to be concerned when it comes to the safety of their child, but denying their kid to play a sport based in a documentary they saw on CNN one night about CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy)? That’s just a little much if you ask me. But this whole concussion craze is a prime example of the power the media has to influence us as a society. But aside from that, being swayed by something as simple as that is completely ignoring all of the new safety implications that have been placed in football to help to avoid concussions and brain related injuries all together. 
