Football, one of the most popular sports in the U.S., is also the most dangerous; it holds an astounding half a million injuries nationally due to the sheer violence and brute strength used against another player in the sport, and, although it is believed that these injuries can be prevented, there is nothing stopping another player from recklessly hurting another except their will-power, this is why football should be banned from high schools.
One reason, out of many, that football should be banned from high school is because it can, eventually, cause C.T.E. – a head-trauma-induced disease that causes impulse-control problems, memory loss, and dementia. C.T.E. is a problem because it can cause someone to commit suicide; how one acquires this
disease is through the act of hitting their head, hard, against something, such as another player, - “several deceased N.F.L. players have been found to have had C.T.E.” (Schwarz 24). High school students also shouldn’t be allowed to play football because their brain tissue is less developed than an adult’s brain tissue; this leaves them susceptible to concussions, C.T.E., and other head or brain injuries, including depression and anxiety disorder. Concussions are also dangerous for teens because: “…their brain tissue is less developed than adults’ and more easily damaged.” (Schwarz 25). The quote above means that it takes time for their brain tissue to fully develop and, during this time, it is susceptible to damage. Another reason high school students shouldn’t be allowed to play football is because it has been observed that many players attain injuries from playing the sport due to excessive roughness and improper conditioning of the knees and ankles, these injuries are caused by ligament sprains and many of the players do not receive medical aid for their injuries, especially head injuries, this leaves them more vulnerable to C.T.E. and concussions, even brain tissue damage. Although many say the injuries can be prevented, there are several reasons why they cannot, some of these include – the will of the players to obey the new rules that have been established, their will to resist using as much force, and their equipment, but, in the end, we cannot prevent injuries from occurring in football, especially when those who receive head injuries often do not seek medical treatment, and who can control the will of several, or even one, student? None of us can, they act upon their own decisions, even they are rash and not very though out, and that is why football should be banned from high school.
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
As explained early on in this article, football can cause several physical and mental injuries either instantly or in the near future. This is due to the constantly tackling, hitting, and screaming from all the players and coaches. Because of these intense actions, football can increase the chance of dementia-like symptoms in players. This was examined by Ann Mckee, a neuropathologist, who ran several tests in the Veterans Hospital
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.
Football is an extremely violent game not only in the physical part but also in the mental part of the game. Players are coach to be vicious on the field. they are taught to get mad and take their aggression out on the other player. Which can be dangerous when two or more players are trying to hurt(intentionally or not) the other player by hitting them hard. High school sports are dangerous because rese...
“Football’s Endgame: What would happen if America’s Pastime just...died” is the title that had heads turning when it made its way onto Sports Illustrated. Football is the United State’s favorite sport so an article like this one was sure to shock fans. The article was written to be set ten years from now when the game of football met its death. Giving the ongoing issues surrounding the game in 2016, the author Austin Murphy dated the article September 7,2036. In this article Murphy talks about the factors that led to the end of one of the U.S’s beloved sports. Factors like the AIG not protecting athletes against head injuries in the NFL, Pop Warner settling a death with the family of a former football player who committed suicide at the age of 25 from CTE caused by hits to the head, and the 10% rise in football concussions. A woman whose son had passed away from a motorcycle accident noticed changes in her boy. Playing football for almost a decade he was bound to get hurt, but it was after his death that doctors found he had CTE. CTE is a topic of discussion in this article. Sports Illustrated works to inform everyone about CTE and its effects on the mind. This disease targets the way a person thinks and changes their moods, “He had all these [football-related] problems with his knees and back, but his brain was
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.
As can be seen by the preceding information, high school athletics can have a positive impact on a student’s life. In contrast to the positives, high school athletics can be seen in a negative light. “Concussions [from athletics] cause structural brain damage” (Solotaroff 7). Even though nobody is said to get a concussion in Friday Night Lights, they are very frequent in football and in other sports today. They occur all the time in football.
This topic of argument paper is one I can relate with due to the fact that I am a major sports fan. I feel this topic has many factors when deciding on if you think college football should or shouldn’t be banned. With football being a popular sport, most people would be able to easily write an argument paper about this matter.
One of the biggest controversial topics going on today is should children still be aloud to play football, knowing what we know about serious injuries? The article that I chose ( “Don’t Let Kids play football”) is about the consequences that could occur playing such a contact sport. The debate is that some people believe that football teaches important life lessons and others believe that it can cause serious life changing injuries.
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.
From long practice hours, hot summer workouts, and many Friday nights, my personal observation of this dangerous sport is exceptionally prevalent. My initial experience of the damage that football brings came my eighth grade year when I witnessed a senior football player on my team try and eat a phone on the ride home after receiving a concussion in the third quarter of the game. Which is a prime example to defend the fact that football related injuries to the head result in people not “being all there.” Not only have I seen someone try and eat a phone, but I have also witnessed head injuries resulting in my own friend randomly yelling at me after a game for no reason, and also a friend trying to jump down a full flight of stairs thinking he was starring in a movie. The fast paced, high intensity contact that comes with playing football is nothing to think flippantly of when it plays a role on brain trauma, and the results of brain trauma.
If there are many injury reports then the sport has to be pretty dangerous. “Based on almost 1,900 injury reports submitted to the RIO, the researchers estimate there was 517,726 football-related injuries during the 2005-2006 season at the high school level across the United States.” (High School, College Football Comes With Risk) High school sports are more dangerous because the athletes are still growing. “High school athletes are less physically mature and have less muscle mass than the collegiate athletes, for instance. They also have incomplete growth plates, meaning their bones are still developing.” (High School, College Football Comes With
Are you a fan of hard hitting and instant impact? Do you get excited when you see grown men and boys colliding with each other? Football is the most popular sport in America, it is like by me and a lot of other fans that watch the liveliness of the sport. While it is the most popular sport in America it also has the worst repercussions for the athletes that play the sport. Football has a direct correlation between the sport and concussions. The NFL should take more action to prevent high impact head collisions which can lead to concussions. Potential long term effects from physicality of the football. A question always asked is if football ever going be safe? More and more concussions multiple lawsuits against the NFL and the ratings for league
As a rational, motivated, and sophisticated society, as we learn the ill effects of an action we naturally take action to combat these effects. As we learned of the physiological damages of smoking and alcohol we enacted laws to inhibit their consumption and media campaigns to bring their harm to light – we evolved. As we gained the knowledge necessary to identify links between harm and its cause, we changed and improved. However, we seem to have encountered some evolutionary stagnation when it comes to the link between sports and the head trauma with which they are attached. Why have we not taken every step necessary to inhibit the rampant effects of this disease? At least, the nation has begun to take notice of CTE, its poignant effects, and just how easily it can occur. All levels of the game of football – from youth to professional – are attempting to combat and evolve how the game is played so that we can vastly
The first reason football is absolutely unsafe is because they’re have been fatal injuries through all levels of football critics often argue that injuries are apart of life and most people get injured in their lifetime however, those injuries can lead to fatal situations in the future. For example, Scott Hallenbeck said even if he had a young son he still wouldn’t let him play football because of the risk of injury. If a kid gets too many concussions he’ll eventually either end up ending all their sports careers or end up having CTE. CTE can develop from the repetitive hits that are an unavoidable part of football.