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What’s your opinion on the new controversial safety rules in the NFL? Are you for or against them? Many players in the league are against them. They've even took to social media such as Twitter to let their outrage be heard publicly. Some have even openly admitted that they were still going to break the rules, even though a costly fine was to follow if they broke the rules. Do you think they are being unreasonable for this? In this essay, you will find both the pros and the cons of several new widely debated rules. They include the new “tuck rule”, the “targeting rule”, the “helmet to helmet rule”, and the pros and cons to the new hotly debated topic of the new “roughing the quarterback” rules. The new helmet to helmet rule is the first topic of debate. One thing scientists and neurologists have tested many players, and retired players, and have found that damage to the brain caused by a concussion, can last for decades if not given the right amount of time to heal (Nordquist). They also found abnormal brain wave activity years after several violent concussions in a row. They also found partial wasting away of the motor pathway, which can cause slight ADD. Thirty years after retiring, some NFL players who had had concussions, were experiencing symptoms similar to those of early Parkinson's disease. In addition to that, some signs of early Alzheimer’s effects were found (Nordqvist). A concussion is an injury of a soft structure, such as the brain, resulting from a violent blow or shaking (Nordqvist). Symptoms of concussions include temporary loss of brain function which can result in cognitive, confusion, vomiting, nausea, headache, depression, disturbed sleep, moodiness, and amnesia (Nordqvist). Even when concussion symptoms seem ... ... middle of paper ... ...ensive players to tackle them (Farmer). On top of the defenses enragement by these new standards, 86.6% of fans feel quarterbacks are protected. Even more fans thought this after some quarterbacks openly admitted to purposely positioning themselves for blows to the head, just to draw a flag from the ref. So as you can see, there are many points to both sides of this argument. There are both pros and cons to the new helmet to helmet rules, targeting rule, tuck rule, and the new roughing the passer standards. As you can tell from the content stated above, there is almost an equal amount of pros and cons for the helmet to helmet rule. As for the tuck rule and targeting rule, there are more cons to this topic. Finally, there were more cons to the new standards on the new roughing the passer rule. The fans obviously don’t like these new rules and neither do the players.
Playing football comes with several risks factors that players’ acknowledge prior to playing the game starting a young age. Regardless, these players still chose to play the game, which they end up loving and cherishing despite all the risks accompanied with it. Football is one of the toughest sports in the world; it takes a certain amount of strength, speed, and aggressiveness to play 48 minutes of hard-nosed football. However, the National Football League (NFL) is in the midst of a controversial issue. Is the NFL getting soft? This has been a debatable issue for several years. While some believe that implementing all these rules in the NFL is progressively turning the game soft, others say that the NFL is not getting soft; it is just trying to make the game safer for its players.
For the safety of the players in the present and future, a stricter concussion protocol should be required at all levels of football. Though improvements have been made, the game of football is constantly changing and the protocol needs to keep up with the changes. Today’s athletes are bigger, stronger, and faster than ever before: "Size and physical conditioning techniques in sports at all levels have evolved to create an intense athlete. They 're able to create more force, power and speed than ever before and that leads to harder hits and a greater number of hits" (Neporent). These advances in training have led to a more dangerous sport. The protocol has improved in recent years along with an emphasis on player safety, but the increasing numbers of players with long-term effects of concussions show there is still work to be done.
The targeting rule in college football could be the “most significant rule” change ever made in the game (Matter). According to Greg Johnson of the NCAA, the rule was passed by the Football Rules Committee of the NCAA in February of 2013 to be implemented with the 2013 fall football season and is consistent with the committees’ continued attempt to address player safety. The new rule now places a tougher penalty on the defensive player for dangerous contact with the offensive player, notably direct helmet-to-helmet hits, or hits aimed above the shoulders of the offensive player. This direct, helmet-to-helmet contact is known as targeting. Although the implementation of the new targeting rule is controversial, it will help to reduce the number of serious lifelong head injuries to football players and make college football a safer sport.
The rules that the NFL is changing is rules that deal with the head like targeting, and leading with the head. The rule change with a huge uproar as the kick off, moving the ball from the twenty to the thirty yard line.
American football in the past several years have really developed, not only from the fans perspective but also from the players and the official heads. Safety is the most important topic talked about in all sports but it is a must in football, especially because of the way the game is played with all of the tackles and hits. It is really important not only for the players to be safe but also the officials to keep it safe. Both players and officials play a key role in making the game of football safe and interesting to watch for the fans and a great experience for the players as well. As said in the Denver Post, players are expected to play with the rules…coaches are expected to teach…and game officials to emphasize the rules. The game of football, in the NFL, is safer than it has ever been because of the rules, penalties and the equipment.
Head trauma can lead to brain disorders and mental health issues. One in three former NFL players have had five or more concussions and three in four still suffer symptoms today (Jenkins and Maese, 6). A study shows that NFL football players who have sustained three or more concussions are five times more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment- a condition connected to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s (Hadhazy, 1). NFL football players who were surveyed who had sustained three or more concussions were three times more likely to develop clinical depression compared to other players who had not suffered concussions (Hadhazy, 1). Nine in ten former NFL players reported suffering from concussions during their career, six in ten players reported having three or more concussions, and two in three of the former players who had concussions said they...
A. Background In recent years, there has been an increase in research investigating the long-term effects of repeated head trauma on the brain, especially in athletes. Following his discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Dr. Bennet Omalu inspired a movement of research aimed at establishing better safety standards and protocols in football. It was not until 2002 that the initial connection between repetitive head trauma, such as concussions, and brain injury was suspected (Ott, 2015). As common as concussions were during the late 1970s and 1980s, they were often swept under the rug, as they were seen as insignificant injuries.
The number of concussions in professional and amateur football has been rising and has sparked much controversy in recent years. These concussions are most likely linked with disease and even the deaths of some pro and semi-pro football players. New research is attempting to solve the problem but the issue is still prevalent in football today.
Not many sports are as physically demanding on the human body as football. The physical toll that football players pay is almost impossible to comprehend unless one has actually played the sport for a significant amount of time. However, until recently any connection between the hits taken by football players and their health down the road was largely ignored. A common, yet difficult injury to detect in football is a concussion, the most common traumatic brain injury (Pearce). A concussion is defined as “a brain injury that is caused by a sudden blow to the head or the body. The blow shakes the brain inside the skull, which temporarily prevents the brain from working normally” (Heiner pa.5). Reports and studies have surfaced shedding light on just how much damage is inflicted upon the brain due to crippling hits. These studies suggest that NFL athletes who received concussions suffered lasting damage to the brain, which opens the gate to a multitude of other health issues such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and clinical depression (Pearce). This is an aspect of the game that not many are aware of and it is a serous issue that needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later. There have been too many heartbreaking stories such as that of Justin Strzelcyk who heard voices and died in a crash while fleeing police or that of Andre Waters who shot himself in the head after struggles with depression (Zarda pa.1). Many current and former players are suffering in silence; this shouldn’t be the case. The National Football League needs to extend a hand to former players debilitated by head injuries. The problem of concussions and other head injuries in the NFL is one that needs to be tackled head on.
II. Summary: Players’ safety should be focused on more by making rules stricter in the NFL, teaching younger players how to tackle, and increasing the rules because helmets do not always prevent concussions.
Present players in the National Football League disagree with all the protective rules now but when they are no longer playing football it’ll be a different story. Players also tend to forget that they won 't be playing football forever and that they will need to be healthy later on in life when they can no longer play football. It’s not okay for players to complain about the safety rules now, and then later claim the National Football
Concussions occur regularly on the football field and have always been an injury associated with football. They occur at all levels from little league to the NFL. One of the earliest reported concussion...
The National Football League was formed on August 20, 1920. Players wore pads, not quite as protective as the ones today, helmets and legs pads. Even though their protective gear was not as advanced as the gear today they still made contact with the players of the opposing teams. As the years progressed the league made several changes to the rules due to player safety. They invented better protective gear for the players and they also made stricter rules regarding playing guidelines. The main goal of those rules, like the targeting rule that is so controversial today, is to protect the players. The targeting rule itself states that no player shall target and initiate contact against an opponent with the crown of his helmet, when in question, it is a foul (Targeting). Although helmet to helmet hits come along with the game of football, the targeting rule is an attempt at making the game safer without changing its integrity.
Brain injuries can play a major role in football. Reoccurring concussions also occur due to these brain injuries, and cause these athletes permanent damage. Trainers and doctors in the medical field diagnose these brain injuries by loss of consciousness, slurred speech, loss of balance, and loss of memory. In football, they could improve the safety of the helmets; improve the rules, or safety regulations in all sports to help prevent concussions.
Many memories are made in football, but sadly some of the greatest players cannot recall them. The National Football League has been associated with concussions and brain traumas throughout the years, but lately it has been exposed by media and NFL veterans. The league recently “reached a $765 million preliminary settlement with thousands of former players who were suing the league over its treatment of concussions…” (Waldron). Many former players are experiencing the effects of taking hard hits over and over again; they were not properly treated, which makes the injury worse and long term. The concussion issue in the NFL is more prevalent today, because it affects not only the players, but the league as a whole.