Physicality and sports have been synonymous with each other ever since the beginning. All sports leagues of various skill levels must straddle the fine line between what is acceptable within the game and what is pushing the limits. This is especially true for full contact sports, such as; American football, boxing, and ice hockey. Deliberately or incidentally, the physicality of the sport is an integral part of the game. These unique sports are in the crosshairs of the rules, regulations, and policies of the given sport and are at the mercy of civil laws as well. This brings up tort law, in which someone unfairly causes someone else to suffer loss or harm resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. Within this paper, I will cover past, present, and potential future issues regarding tort law in the professional sports industry. This information is valuable because many people believe that sport administrators are powerless when it comes to these sorts of problems, and that the judicial system needs to intervene. If it is not up to the sport administrators running and working for these leagues then who is responsible for finding solutions to problems? Or making the game a safe and fun activity for future generations to enjoy? Furthermore, recent lawsuits surrounding head injuries in the National Football League (NFL) and the National Hockey League (NHL) have stem from the alleged negligence of the individuals leagues. These issues can potentially change the way we see and play American football and ice hockey forevermore.
My particular research will examine the areas of law surrounding player v. player cases, specifically intentional tort law with criminal acts within professional sports. All too often ...
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Why did NHL take 'targeting' out of Rule 48 illegal check to head penalty? (n.d.). Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/puck-daddy/why-did-nhl-targeting-rule-48-illegal-check-162449349--nhl.html
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.
Throughout history in the NFL, head injuries and fixing those problems have always been hidden from the athletes because of the NFL striving to make a large profit instead of caring for the players. With this being an ongoing problem between NFL players and the NFL itself, many past and current players are digging deeper to find the truth and statistics continue to show how serious this problem actually is. When the lawsuits first began to come known to the public, the NFL agreed to pay over seven hundred million dollars to compensate former players suffering neurological injuries. Many believe the NFL offered this so quickly, hoping to avoid a potential public relations nightmare. The NFL, a ten billion dollar annual business, couldn’t take any type of guilt, or legal discovery, which some inside and out of the industry expected could have caused a fatal blow to the game’s future (Thiel). The settlement may have prevented the public from learning much about the past, but the issue of head injuries is a danger to football and won’t just go away because NFL wants it to (Waldron).
Ethical Rules on Sport’s Justice. Dallas: East Dallas Times, page 21. 2008. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Print: Harry, Patrick Hayes.
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.
R, Elvik, and Kim k. "Accident Analysis & Prevention." Body-contact sports: Catharsis or reinforcement?. 6.1 (1974): 85-91. Print
Injuries are common in most sports that have a contact component attached. Whether it’s at a professional level, or a school level, injuries are always bound to occur in contact sport. This analysis will look into the role headgear could, should and would play, and debates whether it should be made mandatory. Olympic sports such as Ice Hockey, Bicycle Riding and Baseball are just some examples that currently require athletes to wear a form of headgear. However, Australian contact sports such as AFL and Rugby give the option for players to wear headgear for protection. In 2011, 14 year old Ben Robinson was hospitalised after being treated 3 times in a game for head blows in a rugby game . In 1994, professional boxer Bradley Stone died from head injuries whilst boxing against Richie Wenton . Examples like these show the brutality of contact sports. Because of this, my paper will look at the issue of headgear in contact sport and will particularly look at this issue at junior sports level.
Are young children putting their health and even their lives at risk if they partake in the sport of football? Some claim that the American sport is far too dangerous and the risk of concussions and injuries far outway the pros of the physical sport, while others insist that technological improvements and new regulations have made the sport safer. Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor of history and education at New York University, argues in his paper, “We Must Stop Risking the Health of Young Football Players,” that football is a sport that is too dangerous for the youth. He states his belief that technological improvements in helmets and changes in the rules of the sport have had little effect on reducing injuries and that nothing has worked.
Athletes have been abusing their spouses since sports were created, but not until the OJ Simpson trial did domestic violence become "the issue du jour." When Simpson was arrested on New Years Day for beating his wife, none of the newspapers reported it. When he pleaded no contest five months later, there was a small brief in the second page of The Los Angeles Times' Metro Section (Cart).
Abstract: Collegiate athletes participating in the two revenue sports (football, men's basketball) sacrifice their time, education, and risk physical harm for their respected programs. The players are controlled by a governing body (NCAA) that dictates when they can show up to work, and when they cannot show up for work. They are restricted from making any substantial financial gains outside of their sports arena. These athletes receive no compensation for their efforts, while others prosper from their abilities. The athletes participating in the two revenue sports of college athletics, football and men's basketball should be compensated for their time, dedication, and work put forth in their respected sports.
Toporek, Bryan. “Concussion Laws Targeting Student-Athletes on Upswing.” Education Week 10 August 2011: 10. Print.
Young, K. (2007). From Violence in Sport to Sports-Related Violence: Widening the Focus. Sport in Society: A Student Introduction, Second Edition. London. Sage Publications.
Lefebrve, Matt. Professional athletes are overpaid and selfish. Quinnipiac Chronicle, 1 Apr 2006. Web. 9 Apr 2014.
This essay focuses on intentional tort, which includes trespass to person consisting of battery, assault and false imprisonment, which is actionable per se. It also examines protection from harassment act. The essay commences with a brief description of assault, battery and false imprisonment. It goes further advising the concerned parties on the right to claim they have in tort law and the development of the law over the years, with the aid of case law, principles and statutes.
is very true when dealing with a physical contact sport like hockey. There is a
Sacco, V.F and Kennedy, L.W (2011). The Criminal Event: An Introduction to Criminology in Canada. Toronto Cengage Learning.