Author: Gil Alcaraz
In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt saved football by evolving the rules set up by its creators, including the introduction of the forward pass, increasing the size of the field and setting up guidelines to keep players out of extremely dangerous situations. Many years later, Roosevelt’s attempts have proven futile as football continues to be the most injury-inducing sport. Time Magazine recently printed an article that dubbed football “the most dangerous sport” and offers controversial suggestions for safety improvement that would drastically change the way the game is played.
Sean Gregory, staff writer for Time Magazine and author of the article, cites concussions as the most prominent injury players suffer while playing football. Many players are unwilling to report concussions or are unaware of them when they occur. A survey conducted at the University of Michigan found that the top two reasons players do not report concussions are either that they did not think it was serious enough or they were unwilling to leave the game. Gregory attributes these numbers to bravery, bravado and machismo – which are all stereotypical characteristics of the football player mindset.
Jordan Helle (sophomore), who was a quarterback for five years, admitted that there were a couple of occasions in which he did not tell any of his coaches or trainers that he was suffering from symptoms of a concussion. His reasoning was that it did not seem like an option at the time.
As a means to combat these problems, the Times article cites many different and often radical approaches to lowering the amount of concussions that football players endure. One is to turn professional football into a 6-on-6 game, taking all linemen, both offensive and defensive, out of the equation.However, this option does not seem like a viable one for those who play the game. “No sport would ever receive that big of an overhaul,” football fan Matt Salus (sophomore) said.
Helle agreed with Salus, stating that “losing the offensive line would change the game completely and ruin the essence of football.”
Other possibilities presented are penalizing the ball carrier for lowering their head or making lineman ditch the three-point stance. The latter suggestion has slowly become futile as years have passed; furthermore, penalizing a runner for leaving forward for extra yards would not only be hard to implement but also could cause more problems. Running the ball is mostly instinct. Forcing a player to think about the actions he takes while trying to pick up as many yards as possible will only make him less effective and will allow the defense to have an unfair advantage.
The article also offers ideas that have potential and do not drastically change the way football is played. When Gregory talked to Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster John Madden, Madden introduced the idea of suiting players with more padding.Gregory then goes on to propose that “players would benefit from fewer full-contact practices.” Players endure several violent collisions during games, so avoiding those unnecessary hits during practice could be very beneficial to the players involved.
Defensive coordinator for Oxy’s football team Coach Eric Johnson feels that any way to better protect athletes, whether through rule changes, equipment improvements or anything else, should be viewed as positive. “When I was young, many coaches thought that a lack of hydration did not affect performance and in fact, learning to play without it increased mental toughness,” he said. “Nowadays, that is absolutely absurd and no coach would even think about not giving a player as much fluids as needed.” Furthermore, Johnson believes that medical awareness will eventually lead to a more refined game structure. “As the medical community learns more about concussions, they will be able to advise and instruct us coaches on how better to train our players,” he added.
Finally, Gregory states that football lacks strong coaching at lower levels of competition, such as high school football and little league. According to Gregory, there are too many uneducated and under-qualified coaches teaching our country’s children how to play football. This results in poor tackling techniques and players who are more susceptible to concussions. Unless youth coaches become more aware of the dangers of football and learn proper practice techniques, football players will continue to be put at risk, he wrote.
Football has been evolving since its first game in 1869 between Rutgers and Princeton. And as we venture deeper into the 21st century, the game will continue to change. With medical awareness constantly advancing and more attention being paid to the amount of injuries players undergo, America’s favorite sport is sure to evolve.
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