The NFL has always been known for big hits and huge plays. As a result, injuries are not a rare occurrence. The violence of the sport is what attracts many of it’s fans. These players know the risks and dangers that come with playing football, but choose to play it anyway because of the love and passion that they have for the game. Throughout the past couple of NFL seasons, the injuries that were discussed the most and brought the most controversy were head injuries, specifically concussions. These concussions were brought to the forefront of the NFL conversation by the news and even in movies such as “Concussion”, with it’s lead actor Will Smith. A commonality that many of these news stories and movies share is that the NFL is extremely dangerous and probably not a sport parents should let their children play. The concussion issue in the NFL brings up many controversial conversations and stems from the debate of weather or not we as a society should still play football or even watch it on TV. Players and former players were not receiving the treatments that they needed and deserved, and the team’s medical staffs and doctors often failed to or mis diagnosed players’ injuries. These issues are controversial and add more elements to the discussion. This topic has recently plagued the league by filling it with debate and politics and has often shinned a negative light on it’s operations. Despite the inherent danger that comes with playing the game of football, it is still a great game that should be played and watched for years to come.

In the game of football, injuries are a common occurrence and affect every team in the league. Some of these injuries are minor, while some of them are more sever. Of the more sever injuries that the players can receive is a concussion. A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that is caused by a blow or hit to the head or body that causes the brain to move in the skull. It can bounce or twist inside ones head which can change or damage the brain cells. While concussions are not considered to be life threatening normally, they have different ranges of severity (CDC: What is a Concussion). Some can leave players with a mild headache while others can leave some disoriented and nauseous. The effects of a concussion can often times be serious and could leave a person with lifelong problems. Long term effects can consist of a range of serious to minor issues such as confusion and memory loss or dizziness and headaches. If someone receives many concussions or one or two sever ones, it can cause them serious permeant cognitive damage for life. While permanent damage from a concussion is rare, it is still a real threat and the harder the blow to the head is, the higher the risk is of sustaining a severe concussion. In the NFL, concussions have been a big target in the fight to keep the game safer. Regulations on how to tackle and fines imposed for those who break those regulations are among some of the new guidelines to help reduce the number of head injuries in pro football. 

In the National Football League, stats for all injuries are tracked and recorded. Everything from concussions to ACL tears. With concussions becoming more of an issue in the league, the numbers associated with them have been under the spotlight specifically. Head injuries are a problem for the league because of the possible serious danger involved. The sheer number and frequency of the occurrences is what has  become increasingly important. According to team injury reports from the 2013 and 2014 seasons, there have been 306 players who have suffered a combined 323 concussions (Jason Breslow). Big numbers like these are what have sparked the recent eye opening issue of how many and how frequent head injuries are actually occurring on the field. Of those players who sustained a concussion, about 50% of the time they returned from their injuries the next game. They would not miss a single game. This goes against what the NFL Players Association from the American Academy of Neurology says, which is that, “Athletes are at the greatest risk of repeat injury in the first 10 days post-concussion” (Jason Breslow). Typical games for the NFL teams span about seven days apart and often can be as few as four days apart. This is much less than the 10 recommended days of rest. The high concussion numbers that the NFL sees is the seed to the concussion issue that has become a part of the league.

Many aspects make up the number of concussions that occur in the NFL. One in particular that should not be apart of that category is the teams and medical staffs in the league. With the high rate of competition that exists in the league today, teams and medical staffs push their players to the max to get them back out on the field as soon as possible. With concussions, getting back out on the field too soon puts players at a much higher risk of sustaining another head injury. Without proper recovery time, a player is much more likely to sustain another concussion much easier than before. Former owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gay Culverhouse, wrote a novel about the concussion issue in the NFL called Throwaway Players: The Concussion Crisis, from Pee Wee Football to the NFL. The novel shines a light on the poor treatment from the NFL to the players. They were all about getting the players back out on the field. With the knowledge of concussions and the needed recovery time, the NFL should allow for players to properly recover. The leagues’s very competitive nature also leads to another problem. If a player sustains a concussion, often times they will lie about it or not even report it to avoid missing a game. When a player misses a game, they lose out on a chance to make up their quotas in their contracts. These quotas can be a certain amount of yards, tackles, interceptions, or any other number of achievements on the field. In order to protect the players, their contracts need to be changed. Performance based contracts are causing harm (Gay Culverhouse). The medical staffs are also part of the problem. Concussions are often mis diagnosed or diagnosed too late and the proper treatment and recovery time is not given. Diagnosing the players’ head injuries effectively and efficiently is important to keep the player safe and healthy. To do this, communication is key and the medical staff needs to be told what has happened to which player when they were unable to see it for themselves. This is key information in correctly diagnosing the players’ injuries (Arthur Lazarus). When the proper care and procedure is taken by the National Football League, the teams, and the teams’ medical staffs, the league can see a lower amount of concussions.

With all this knowledge about concussions in the NFL regarding the danger and severity of them, many people feel that football should no longer be played or even watched on TV. They feel that it is against better morals to watch while the players drill each other with all their might for our entertainment. How is it possible for “one to not feel guilty sitting there, taking pleasure in a game that destroys its competitors brains” (Chad Norman)? When football has been linked to traumatic brain injuries such as CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), it becomes hard to watch knowing how serious and how permanent the players can hurt themselves. Not only is the game unmoral, but the NFL tried to cover up the concussion accusations about there being a link between football and traumatic brain injuries. The NFL acted as if CTE were a myth and that makes it feel just plain wrong to many (Chad Norman). The NFL’s lack of care for its players is what causes many of the injuries and prevents the concussion issue from being addressed and handled. Their denial of the long term affects of head trauma associated with football means that they are not looking into ways to make it safer. This makes many not want to watch the sport at all.

Despite the stats of concussions in the NFL, the leagues lack of care for the players, and the teams neglect on them, football should still be watched and played. Concussions in the league can be dramatically reduced with new helmet improvements and rules on hitting to make the game safer for all of the players. In the past three seasons, the NFL has instituted rules for tackling to prevent head on collisions. For players that break these rules, a heavy fine is imposed by the league which acts as a deterrent from illegal hitting. These rules are in place to make the game safer and have. Over the past three seasons, the NFL has seen a 35% decrease in the number of concussions. On top of that, helmet-to-helmet hits were down 45%. This change is a significant one and shows how the game is becoming safer due to actions taken by the NFL (Lorenzo Reyes). Along with the new hitting regulations, the league also implemented two other rules to improve the safety of the game. The first one protects a defender who has intercepted the football. In the action of catching it, the player is ruled defenseless and not allowed to be hit in the head or neck area. If the opposing team breaks this rule, a penalty is enforced on the team. As well as the new defenseless player rule, the league also has given certified athletic trainers the ability to stop the game if they see a player who has sustained or is showing signs of injury. These trainers are positioned in sky boxes with binoculars for a birds eye view over the field full of players. These new rules will keep players much safer and prevent them from sustaining further injuries that could be more severe (Lorenzo Reyes). To aid the new on-field rules, the NFL also instituted a mandatory test that will be given in hopes of better diagnosing concussions. The test is called a K-D Test. The K-D Test is a two minute exam that tests the eye movement of players after suspected head trauma. With the help of this assessment, diagnosing concussions will become much easier and allow the teams to know which players need to be removed from play (Lorenzo Reyes). With everything the NFL has done in the past three years, the game has become much safer and concussions have dropped drastically. This proves that with the proper steps, football can be made safer. It is a game that should be played and watched by anyone. The future will only bring new and better improvements to enhance the safety of the players.

The concussion issue in the National Football League has left many people feeling that football should not be played or even watched. Some of the ways the league handled the allegations of concussions and their connection to football have left people thinking the NFL is immoral and wrong. Despite these issues, the NFL has come back and imposed many rules and regulations to make the game safer. With these new rules also comes improvements in helmet technology which keeps players heads more protected while keeping comfort in mind. Football is a great game that should be continued to be watched and played. Safety is a high priority to the league now and moving forward, all efforts are made to make the game safer for the players. As safety becomes better and better, the game will be enjoyed by more and more people.
