...Rule changes in the NFL have been made throughout the history of the league to improve the game, make it more exciting and reduce the risk of injury. Safety rules are one of the most important and effective ways in which the NFL and its owners can help protect the health of players. By helping to identify, promote and enforce safe on-field conduct (in concert with off-the-field education and policies), the league seeks to preserve both the health of players and the integrity of the game. The NFL has established a strong set of rules through the years focused on player safety, designed to promote fair competition while attempting to minimize risk of harm to the player. While many of these rules have focused on reducing contact to the head and neck of players, other changes have protected players from orthopedic and other injuries. The development of a thoughtful and comprehensive set of appropriately protective rules and policies has always been, and continues to be, an evolving process. The NFL continually evaluates how rules can best be integrated into the game to address safety and health issues. Each year the NFL Competition Committee conducts a complete review of player injuries and discusses means by which the NFL can reduce them through the implementation of new rules, or by clarifying or strengthening enforcement of existing rules. Rules the league has established or changed for the protection of players have not only had a positive impact in the NFL, but have...
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...asdfkjnsdf;jansfjkanwepjfnwejfnsajkdfnsadfnsamdnfjwaenfjsandfkanwejfnwkjefnakejfnkjnkjnjnjnkjnjknjknkjnThe NFL is commonly regarded as America’s favorite sports league, watched by millions around the country. The Superbowl is typically the most watched event on American television every year. However, the NFL has recently come across increased intense scrutiny by former players and the media for their lack of action towards preventing concussions. The NFL is often compared to a gladiator arena, where players push through serious injuries and perform spectacular feats in front of a roaring and bloodthirsty crowd. Many people look at professional football players and forget that they are still human. They are not invulnerable to pain, and they are not immune to the side effects that come with playing such a violent game. Former players who played in the 1980’s and 1990’s played with rules that allowed dangerous helmet-to-helmet hits, and in a society that expected them to play through injuries, such as concussions. Players at particular positions are at an additional risk for concussions, with 18.2% of defensive backs suffering concussions sometime in their career (Pellman, Viano). Players that suffered repeat concussions were found to have a much greater risk of “increased neuronal vulnerability”, and that there is an increase in the likelihood of “recurrent concussions with each successive previous injury.” (Guskiewicz). Former players are experiencing increased rates of brain...
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...NFL Player Safety and the Effects of Concussions An increasingly popular topic in the realm of sports fans has begun to unravel. The National Football League recently has begun to introduce new rules and regulations for their athletes to start abiding by to ensure the continued safety of the player’s health. Although most find this change in the game of professional football as a positive step forward, others see this as a diminishment of the sanctity of NFL football. New rules and regulations that have been introduced into NFL are vital to athletes involved in the sport and help them to play with lowered risks of long term injuries that could possibly affect not only them but also the league in the future as well. The reasons for these changes of rules in the NFL come from various points of emphasis. Legal actions taken by former NFL athletes have plagued the league and its reputation as of late, prompting this proactive approach to reduce the risk of long term effects on players. With all of the legal actions being performed on the NFL some felt that these changes that needed to happen would solely be kick started because of the legal aspect of it as represented by this quote, “"I don't think it'll be driven by public opinion, but by lawyers and insurance companies," David Meggyesy, who played linebacker for the St. Louis Cardinals in the nineteen-sixties.” (McGrath, 2011). One of the main concerns by the NFL is the long term affects that concussions have been shown to have...
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...Many injuries happen per year in the NFL. “NFL teams are required to provide injury reports during the regular season after each of the final full practices leading up to games” (“A Look at Common Football Injuries”). There have been more and more injuries each year and they are not stopping. To make most of the injuries stop the NFL will have to be educated on how to stop them, change method or procedure, and change leadership of the NFL. Every year in the NFL there are many injuries to prevent those injuries people need to be more educated about them. But since 2010 they have been higher than ever. “In 2010 injuries increased from 3.2 to 3.7 per week per team and the share of players injured increased to 63 percent compared to a 2002-09...
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...The Latest Controversy The National Football League, or NFL, has recently started enforcing strict rules regarding helmet to helmet hits; they are now fining and suspending players who commit vicious tackles or helmet to helmet hits. Many fans, players, and coaches complain against the helmet to helmet rule and grown upset about these newly enforced rules, while many still have favor for the new rule. This latest dilemma stirred up various amounts of controversies around the news and public. Several meetings and discussions took place on how the officials should officiate and make the decisions of how crucial and legal the degree of the hit made on the field. These new rules and fines should remain in the NFL to help ensure the players’ safety and cause fewer injuries to NFL players giving them concussions and other injuries that could possibly affect their future. The rebels of these new rules obviously express a variety of arguments of why they disagree with them. Numerous amounts of football fans, players, and coaches state that these new rules take the excitement away from the game causing all the football game to become dull and make them lose interest and love for the game. They also protest that the rules will too, take the physicality away from the game and players will not be able to play how the game is supposed to be played. Those against this movement by the NFL argued that these rules might force defenders to aim lower when tackling, and could cause more...
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...Rule changes in the NFL have been made throughout the history of the league to improve the game, make it more exciting and reduce the risk of injury. Safety rules are one of the most important and effective ways in which the NFL and its owners can help protect the health of players. By helping to identify, promote and enforce safe on-field conduct (in concert with off-the-field education and policies), the league seeks to preserve both the health of players and the integrity of the game. The NFL has established a strong set of rules through the years focused on player safety, designed to promote fair competition while attempting to minimize risk of harm to the player. While many of these rules have focused on reducing contact to the head and neck of players, other changes have protected players from orthopedic and other injuries. The development of a thoughtful and comprehensive set of appropriately protective rules and policies has always been, and continues to be, an evolving process. The NFL continually evaluates how rules can best be integrated into the game to address safety and health issues. Each year the NFL Competition Committee conducts a complete review of player injuries and discusses means by which the NFL can reduce them through the implementation of new rules, or by clarifying or strengthening enforcement of existing rules. Rules the league has established or changed for the protection of players have not only had a positive impact in the NFL, but have...
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...Concussions in NFL athletes Daniel Cetnarowski DeVry University Concussions in NFL athletes. Football, a sport of hard hits and exciting plays. Every year you see something in football which is amazing. A player breaks a record or catches a ridiculous pass for a touchdown. Your favorite team goes to the super bowl and wins. Your favorite player has a career season and breaks NFL records. These are the reasons why I love the game of football. But with the good, must come the bad. Players receiving injuries while playing. Minor injuries to major injuries, sooner or later every player in the NFL will experience an injury. The sad thing is, there is one injury that has an everlasting effect. Concussions. Once thought to be no big deal, concussions are now at the center of a huge lawsuit against the NFL and forcing retired players to change how they live. So, are concussions changing the lives of NFL players or is there something else happening to the players that are causing these brain disorders? My vote is the concussions are causing these players lives to change forever. The purpose of this proposal is to show that if something is not done to limit concussions the sport may change the way we know it and love it. I would not want to watch football if the NFL went to flag football and not full tackle. The players would not want that either. If that happens the players’ salaries will get decreased. It will be a trickle down affect. The NFL will lose viewers...
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...National Football League (NFL) or as some people may say, “Not for long” is responsible for some of the greatest athletes. Excellence appears to be their one goal, which is to win Super Bowl championships. Some players perform at a high level for a while, whereas others don’t have a chance at experiencing actual playing time on the field at all. NFL players are less and less likely to have a definitive long-term career in the NFL. On average their career may span for about 3 ½ years (Stradley, 2011). (Workman Pub Co, 2002) The NFL has added several new teams, provided innovative equipment, additional rules, distinctive playing styles, but most importantly there has been a revolutionary change of the NFL culture. The game of football is being played at a faster pace and players are becoming larger, and intelligent (Wharton, 2011). While the sport of football can be stressful, competitive, entertaining and enjoyable, it also poses a dangerous threat of injury. One of the more common injuries within playing or watching football are concussions. Over the past few years concussions have become a more serious endangerment to those who play, from new evidence we have seen on the effects on the brain and how it can affect a player’s future. The purpose of this project is to investigate the current status of football and concussions in finding a solution to reducing head trauma in players as it pertains to the following areas: overall safety for the players, NFL culture, equipment, research...
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...Question: To what extent should football players be held to a higher standard of accountability than the average person? Should criminal acts on the part of player be punished by the NFL as well as by state? If so, what is adequate punishment for a player who violently abuses their mate? Does gender or sexual orientation play a role in your decision? Under what condition is it appropriate for someone to lose access to their profession? Facts -"The league has consistently turned a blind eye to blows sustained by women at the hands of many NFL players over the last two decades" (Benedict, 1). -"The NFL is in dire need of male leadership when it comes to violence against women" (Benedict, 2). -"The sad fact is that the most memorable hit of the 2014 NFL season will end up being one in which a player knocked out a woman in an elevator" (Benedict, 2). -"NFL spokesman Greg Aiello infamously told the Washington Post: "We're not the criminal justice system. We can't cure every ill in society, You know, we're putting on football games. And unless it impacts the business, we have to be very careful about the disciplinary action we take. A player has rights too."" (Benedict, 2). -"The bottom line is that NFL players aren't like men in the general population, especially in the eyes of children. Rather, NFL players are seen as action heroes who epitomize strength, athleticism and toughness. That’s why so many kids emulate them." (Benedict, 2). -"The instinctive reaction and easy solution...
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...practice. This should limit concussions in practice by 6% or even more they are thinking. The full speed drills with full contact has led to this happening and now people are standing up for their safety of the kids. In the NFL they are trying to implement rules on having just 2 personal fouls per player to limit concussions. This will take effect in the future years. They are also thinking about putting a timeline on when players can return to play after they have gained the ok to return to game form. A concussion is a type of brain injury. It's the most minor form. Technically, a concussion is a short loss of normal brain function in response to a head injury. But people often use it to describe any minor injury to the head or brain. Most of these concussion injuries happen in practice nearly 2 per team. This was 8 percent of all concussions. They have just continued to climb. Nearly 45% of concussions in football happen on pass plays. There are also studies about going to no Helmets in the NFL. Your helmet essentially is the hardest part of your body and now can be used as a weapon. They are trying to limit this. This action could lead to less hard, less concussions and less injuries. Having no helmets would cause fewer concussions and injuries in NFL and in high school...
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...National Football League, most commonly referred to as the NFL, is a $163 billion- dollar professional sports juggernaut that is historically and presently under scrutiny for their league’s diversity policies and practices, especially when it comes to the hiring practices of the integral position of head coach. Frederick “Fritz” Pollard was the first black coach hired in NFL history in 1921 when he was named co-coach of the Akron Pros (at the time, they belonged to the American Professional Football Association). 70 years passed before another black head coach was able to roam the sidelines and lead a professional football organization. Head Coach, Art Shell, of the (then) Oakland...
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...rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes on the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells. Vince Lombardi, a legendary Green Bay Packer football coach, pointed out, “football is not a contact sport; it is a collision sport--one...
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...The NFL’s Policies are Unjust This past offseason, the NFL was turned on its head when news arose that Ray Rice was arrested on charges of Domestic Abuse. Rice and his fiancée, Janay Palmer, started arguing as they left a New Jersey casino on February morning. Palmer became physical with Rice, and soon Rice snapped and knocked Palmer unconscious with a left hook. When the elevator got to their floor, Rice tried to drag Palmer out of the elevator and to their room, but was stopped by a security guard. At first, Rice tried to play it off like she passed out from too much to drink, but video then surfaced of him striking her. This story spread like wildfire and Commissioner Roger Goodell had a big decision to make. At first, Goodell made a gut decision and suspended Rice for 2 games, a term that is shorter than the minimum 4 game suspension for players who violate the substance abuse policy for the first time. As the summer progressed, Goodell received a lot of negative feedback about...
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...possible long-term effects being discovered every year, organizations like the National Football League (NFL) face greater challenges in protecting their athletes. From changes in the rules to the development in safer equipment, new measures are being taken to protect those who compete in the sport. The NFL was founded on August 20, 1920, originally as the American Professional Football Conference before changing its name to the American Professional Football Association (APFA) on September 17, 1920. They finally became the National Football League on June 24, 1922. The organization has since undergone many changes though out the years to become the giant they are today. The NFL currently has 32 teams from the The NFL is a not-for-profit organization; they are considered a trade association made up of, and financed by its 32 member teams. The organization has three officers, the commissioner, the secretary, and the treasurer. The commissioner, Roger Goodell, has ultimate authority. Elected in 2006 he is described as “the ultimate company man, having joined the NFL office 24 years ago as an intern. Now he is the most powerful man in sports, overseeing a league with long-standing labor peace, handsome television contracts and enormous popularity (Maske).” His primary focus is the game and its players as a business. Football has always been violent. “In 1903, before the NFL existed, the New York Times compared college football, then the top of the line, to “mayhem and homicide...
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...made by many TV announcers during NFL (National Football League) games. Hard hits are a major part of football, but they also come with their consequences. All kinds of injuries can occur from devastating hits, but the most destructive injury is the concussion. According to a video done by Sports Science, “100,000 concussions occur in all levels of football, and 60% of these are from head-to-head collisions.” According to an article on NFL.com, “154 concussions were reported in 2010, while there were 127 in 2009. Statistics show a 21% increase in head injuries.” In order to reduce the amount of concussions suffered by players, not only should the NFL put in new rules to protect the players and improve equipment, but the NFL players also need to do their part during and after their careers in order to keep their bodies healthy. When the offensive player is catching the football, he is in a defenseless position. He not only has to catch the football, but he also has to watch out for the defender. Many times, the defender tries to prevent the offensive player from catching the football. As a result, he unleashed a hard hit on the other player. Because of these hits, both the offensive and defensive players are put in a position where they are highly susceptible to a head injury. Basically, this situation is caused because of the defensive player; therefore, the NFL should take action to further discipline these players. Currently, the NFL fines and sometimes even suspends players...
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