Injuries Happen Essay

Submitted By Chanel6
Words: 1353
Pages: 6

Injuries Happen
Football is a very competitive sport. Males compete to win games and because of its competitiveness, players will be injured. The kick-off play should not be taken out of the game due to players getting injured because injuries are inevitable in a full contact sport such as football. Football players tend to anticipate that some type of injuries will occur during the season. Injuries can occur during any type of play that the coach may decide to play. Therefore, phasing out the kick off play will not affect the number of injuries per season.
Some people get hurt because they are not in shape, they do not warm up properly. Not stretching enough or too little can also lead to sports injuries. Improper gear can also lead to player injury. Some players do not like to wear protective gear because it is too bulky or heavy while playing. There are many reasons that contribute to a player being injured. It is not realistic to take an entire play out of the game because of the probability of a player being injured. Although there is no statistics to show injuries on kickoff vs. scrimmage, the body contact is still the same. Injuries are an integral part of football. Injuries are just as common in a football game as the quarterback and cheerleaders. Coaches, fans and players all know they exist and could easily happen at any moment in the game. Gear for the players has gotten awfully advanced for players to wear during the game.
For example, soon after Dale Earnheart died in 2001, NASCAR drivers started wearing something called the HANS device. The NFL has copy what they're doing in NASCAR. There are four new helmets that have been introduced since 2003. Players may look funny to the fans but safety and career longevity will rise rapidly significantly changing opposing views about the game. Players have been taught when they were youngsters to tackle properly to avoid injury.
In response to growing concerns over player injuries, NFL executives have been discussing changing the culture of the sport. The kick off play is the top topic of things the NFL would like to remove from the game. “Football almost ended in the early nineteen-hundreds” (McGrath 41) because the game has always been “hazardous to one’s health, like smoking cigarettes” (McGrath 2). Trying to remove the violence from football is like trying to remove sand from the beach. Players are fully aware of the risk they take each time they charge onto the field. Yet, they still choose to play football because they love the challenge of the game. To most players, the reward of winning outweighs the risk of a potential head injury. Passionate football players will not appreciate the NFL changing the game they have played their whole lives.
The NFL Commission Roger Goodell took actions to reduce player intentional violence and player injuries. In 2007, Goodell limited the ability of a player to return to a game after suffering a brain concussion and preventing players from returning to games if they display concussion symptoms. Goodells actions did not stop there. In 2008, the commissioner heavily fined players. In addition, he sent out a memo reiterating his pledge to enforce discipline evenly (Lawrence 39). During the 2009 football season Commissioner Goodell was scolded by the House Judiciary Committee for the NFL’s handling of brain injuries to players. Because of this, Goodell imposed stricter concussion polices for the league. The policy stated that players who experience any concussion and/or symptoms must be cleared by an independent neurological testing facility upon returning to the field. In 2010, Goodell announces that it will take actions in hands by suspending the players responsible for helmet to helmet hits.
Commissioner Goodell has tried to maintain a league that has ethical standards and punish players for unsafe tackles. In addition, commissioner Goodell is concerned with the well-being of an injured player. Sadly, there are a