Astroturf
All across America millions of people play football.
Every time these people step on the playing field
there is a chance of injury. That chance of injury is
greatly increased if those players are on an
artificial surface. Astro turf causes unnecessary and
avoidable injuries to the competitors. Grass is the
surface that all football practices and games should
take place on. Grass greatly reduces the chance of
injury and is preferred at all levels of the game.
There are several professional football players that
will testify against the turf. Most football players
in any level will detest turf. There has even been
studies done by the National Football League Players
Association about the negative consequences from
playing on turf. Turf covered about half of all the
professional and major college football fields a year
ago. Grass, not astro turf, should be the playing
surface for all levels of the game.
According to Southwest Recreational Industries
Incorporated (SRI), the new and most used kind of turf
is Astro Turf System 12. Astro Turf is the number one
supplier of artificial turf. Turf is thousands of
little nylon strips knitted together to make a carpet.
A thin layer of rubber is laid over asphalt and the
carpet is put over that layer of rubber. Astro Turf
claims that their new System 12 is more “player
friendly”(SRI, Astro Turf). They also state a couple
advantages associated with their new turf is that it
has “high impact shock absorbency” and “low
abrasiveness.” Ed Barnes of Time magazine, after many
interviews with professional football players, stated
that “skin shreds from its abrasiveness; heads hurt
from its hardness”(Barnes, Time.com). There is hardly
enough cushion there to take the impact a 300 pound
lineman driving another player into the ground. In
the player’s eyes this new turf does not do what it
claims it should. Although players should not be
afraid just because turf causes turf burns and gives a
slight headache after contact with it, anyone who
plays on this surface should be afraid of a season
ending knee or foot injury.
A few weeks into the 1999 NFL football season, Vinny
Testaverde, quarterback of the New York Jets, ruptured
his Achilles tendon. Testaverde was planting his foot
to go after a loose ball when he felt his Achilles
pop. Testaverde wasn’t even touched by another player
when this incident occurred. Testaverde’s agent, Mike
Azzarelli, was quoted saying “This turf is a
joke...It’s criminal”(Lange, Record Online).
Playing football comes with great costs, including physical and mental health deterioration, plus the amount of time spent prepping before game day. Which can pose several questions, “Why suffer for a game, is it worth the money? Is it worth the fame? How great is the cost?” I believe that football, should have stricter regulations for the treatment of injuries, along with informing players of just how devastating a concussion can be, along with the other major injuries that commonly occur while playing football.
In the movie The Music Man con man Harold Hill, adeptly tricks the townspeople of River City, a small town in Iowa, into believing that they are need of a boy’s band. In the song “You Got Trouble,” he uses three types of propaganda to achieve this end: faulty cause and effect, exigency, and name-calling.
Since football’s inception, it has been considered a manly sport. Young boys have been encouraged by their parents to participate in the game. For many boys, it is considered a rite of passage. However, football is a dangerous sport. A study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy found, “an estimated 5.25 million football-related injuries among children and adolescents between 6 and 17 years of age were treated in U.S. emergency departments between 1990 and 2007. The annual number of football-related injuries increased 27 percent during the 18-year study period, jumping from 274,094 in 1990 to 346,772 in 2007” (Nation 201). These reported injuries include sprains and strains, broken bones, cracked ribs, torn ligaments, and concussions. A concussion usually happens when a player takes a hard hit to the head or is knocked unconscious on the playing field, and if not diagnosed and treated quickly, a concussion can result in death.
In American football, helmets are required to decrease traumatic brain injuries and have been successful in doing so. A large part in the success of helmet design is improvements in technology. The sizes of athletes have gone up to make football more dangerous. To protect against brain injury, helmets designs have changed to become heavier and wider, filled within the space are energy absorbing materials, air space and padding to protect the skull upon impact. Originally, helmets were designed to prevent only traumatic brain injuries, but technology is advancing to fill the gap of concussions. Until recently, the seriousness of concussions were not considered part of the equation that needed to be addressed, so manufactures did not utilized in constructing helmets to address this issue (Post et al. 653). Upon predicting risk of concussions in tests, by themselves linear and rotational acceleration are not suitable measurements for modern helmets. These testing measurements do not address the rotational forces and minor hits to the brain which are associated with concussions (Post et al. 654). Given the seriousness of concussions in contact sports, more attention is given to prevent and reduce concussions through testing methods and advancing technology, stronger regulation and changes to the sport. As stated in the article involving the National Football League (NFL), “The risk involved in playing sports are also very real. The NFL is struggling with serious mental and physical health problems because they sustained repeated mild traumatic brain injuries, is what concussions are called. (“Concussions and Marketing of Sports Equipment” 6).
To many people play sports with concussions. This can cause serious brain trauma (Infohio). Many sports players play with concussions. According to Ken Belson of The New York Times, in his article entitled Study Suggests That Some Football Helmets Are More Protective, this is a major problem because these people are at most risk for concussions and serious bra...
Even though football players are aware of the dangers the game can bring upon them, they take part despite it. The passion, the joy it creates; for professionals it’s also the devoted fans and compensation they receive is what keeps the players motivated. Today players are much bigger, faster, smarter, bigger, better. The game is more physical. The sport has never been so competitive. The popularity has reached new peaks, as much that the NFL has thoughts of moving a team to London, England. Additionally, Super Bowl XLVII (47) was one of the most watched television events of all time; an astonishing 108.4 million viewers (The Associated Press). Fans worship their teams and love to see big hits. Football is a contact sport; injuries are no doubtingly part of it. Concussions are one of the many detriments caused by the ruthlessness, but one of the few with perpetual effects: consequence of the brutality.
In the article “Should Kids Play Football” from the Scholastic Scope on February 2015, writer Jennifer Shotz discusses both issues of the benefits and dangers of playing American football. For example, Jennifer Shots mentioned that tens of thousands of young football players get concussions every year. She states that most players return to the game after they are healed but some never return because their concussion was too severe to their health. On the other hand, the writer also discusses how football isn't the only sport that encounters concussions. The rules of football are always changing and each new rule provides a safer way to play the game. For example, the writer notes that Pop Warner has reduced the amount of practice time dedicated
`We must remember that in time of war what is said on the enemy’s side of the front is always propaganda, and what is said on our side of the front is ‘’truth’’ and righteousness, the cause of humanity and a crusade for ‘’peace’’.’’- Walter Lippmann
The National Football League (NFL) has come under fire for the long-lasting medical consequences of players’ game-related head injuries. The question that arises is; is the NFL to blame for the deaths of former players such as Junior Seau, Jovan Belcher, Ray Easterling, and/or O.J. Murdock? The medical and scientific factors in addition to legal liabilities in regards to brain injuries will be outlined in this paper.
American football is full of exciting competition, but do we realize the danger! Helmet safety in football remains an immense problem as the sport accounts for the highest incidence of concussions. Since leather football helmets, the technology for safer helmets has improved drastically and continue to improve. The development of newly designed helmets and technology has lowered the risk of head injuries for players. Furthermore, improvements in helmet testing methods have led to better understanding head injuries and the protectiveness of the helmet. In respect, football helmet safety still remains a challenge, such as a necessity of a proper categorization system to rank helmets and regulations to improve helmet safety. Regardless, standards and regulations attempt to address helmet safety through government intervention and a proper measuring system for football helmets. Despite the cultural perception of football, measures are taken to ensure safety, such as the reforms and education with regards to playing safer football. I intend to address the technological advances and regulation of football towards the discussion of helmet safety. Therefore the aggresivity in football’s culture should embrace stronger helmet standards and regulation that are promoted through improved testing methods and innovations because of the need to prevent further dangerous head injuries, especially concussions.
The new rules to Football are much stricter than they used to be. Some rules that have changed include changes to the Red and Yellow cards, usage of a fourth referee, changing of the ball and cleats, prohibition of physical violence during games, and specific rules and regulations. Before, many people did not play Football with rules, they just played for fun, therefore the invention of the Red and Yellow card greatly advanced the competitive aspect of Football. Along with this, people did not always use the balls and cleats that we’ve used today, they used animal skins stuffed with light-weight materials and regular shoes. Now, professional Football players are required to wear specific kinds of cleats and are required to use footballs that are a certain size and meet the standard requirements. Since many people used to play for fun, there was much violence when it came to who ...
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