In recent years, the exposure of how dangerous football can be has been coming to light. I think back in the day men lost teeth and kept going, but I suppose at the same time seatbelts were optional, so yes, progression does occur. However, are we taking it to a new level of paranoia?
Current players such as Drew Brees has said that he and his wife won’t allow their kids to play football until they are old enough to make the decision themselves, which is how all kids should choose a sport. But that’s a parenting issue, and far be it from me to judge daddy for taking his son out at 3 years old to play ball.
We are at an interesting time in sports where the climate is one centered on injuries and injury prevention. With a litany of new rules to consider now, professional players and referees are learning to adjust to these new rules. Sometimes they get it and other times they don’t. Fans seem to understand, certain players willing change how they play understand, though there are certainly those who either don’t understand or else are willing to dish out thousands of dollars in fines to get some competitive edge by ignoring the rules. Referees sometimes throw the flag while other times they are left fending for themselves as fans cascade colorful names down upon them.
Let’s take the “no helmet to helmet” rule for example – players cannot lead with their helmet and make contact with another player’s helmet. Sounds like a reasonable rule, right? Wrong! Now we have players hitting low, more specifically at the knees of other players and causing them to miss the season with major knee injuries such as torn ligaments. Washington Redskins defensive back Brandon Merriweather was recently criticized for vocalizing the point that the new rules are forcing him to hit lower and exposing players to a risk of knee injury. So if helmet to helmet is against rules and low hits are causing knee injuries, shouldn’t the entire torso be fair game?
Research shows that in the long run having experienced multiple concussions can lead to serious medical problems for the player, with lasting implications for the player’s family. One case has suggested Parkinson’s disease, others include memory loss, severe headaches, loss of motor skills, and numerous other complications are a direct result. Brain injuries are no joke but neither is a knee injury. Players are losing entire seasons with knee injuries when maybe it would only be a few games with a concussion – I am not arguing that a brain injury is more favorable, obviously, but in the NFL, players have a mentality that they need to be on the field whenever possible.
So we can agree no one wants a brain injury but no one wants a knee injury either, which assumes that hitting at the torso is most favorable? It sounds good in theory but opens up a discussion on rib injuries. Football is a dangerous, physical sport and anyone in connection to a player and even fans want the players to be as safe as possible. We need to make the game safe within reason though.
Are the new rules causing an increase in injuries? Perhaps head injuries are down, but is it at the expense of other serious injuries? Is this a conditioning and training issues?
I find it hard to believe it can be caused by a lack of conditioning. Anyone who follows a player on social media sees the recovery process many go through such as dry needling, ice baths and massages.
Players have trained a certain way for their entire careers, and as in the case of veterans. So to now have to change the entire way they play the game might be too much too have expected in such a short period of time. Many players have stated they do not go out to play the game with the intention of hurting another person; these are a band of brothers. Same team, different team, division rival they are all brothers in a sense. They understand the work and drive needed to succeed and they thrive on competition. The competition may be taking a back seat though as the players become more cautious in their playing for fear of fines and injuries. My problem is that we have traded one host of problems for another.
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