Football:Risky Business
Katye Gilliland
September 28, 2009
Filed under Fall Sports, Sports
Teammates James Wilson, left, and Matt Patchan (71) look over Florida quarterback Tim Tebow after he was sacked during the second half of their NCAA college football game against Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009.
Most American men spend Saturdays from August to January in front of the the t.v. watching their favorite college football teams work hard the gridiron. Sunday and Monday nights are spent with beer and hot wings to accompany the grunts and cheers of an NFL stadium on the big screen. Football—college and pros, has been an American pastime since any of our living relatives can remember. But with recent on-field injuries, such as Tim Tebow’s concussion-causing blast from Kentucky defensive-end Taylor Wyndham, is it time to re-think the sport we so dearly love?
The game of football has been traced back to 1892, and in 1920, the American Professional Football Association was formed. The association would become the National Football League (NFL) two years later and America’s favorite game would be born. As the years passed, the sport has become increasingly more dangerous.
The equipment has changed with the sport in an attempt to decrease injuries. Helmets have evolved from a leather “aviation” style, to the hard leather, to the new plastic, to a now sleek, double padded plastic style that is worn by the players today. The pads have changed as well. New advancements have been created to prevent injury too, such as the “cowboy collar”, rib vests, protection girdles, shoulder cushions, and extended facemasks. Even with all the advancements there are to prevent injuries, they still occur at an alarming rate.
Most would consider football one of the most dangerous sports in the world. Giving a skull-splitting hit to an unaware quarterback is a linebacker’s goal, and during every play, that is what he’s preparing himself for. In a game where hurting somebody, stopping somebody with your own body, and defending your end zone are your players’ goals, what is the limit to the physicality?
Coaches often tell players, football isn’t for everybody; you’ve got to be tough. Toughness is a factor in the sport because the players have to be prepared for the beat down. Varsity football player Conner Atkins has the heart to play, “You’ve got to play the game on the edge and let people (coaches) know you’ll put your body on the line as soon as you put those pads on.”
The NFL and College football have a rules against helmet-to-helmet hits. Rules like this help prevent some head injuries, but they do not eliminate them. Many players that retire from football will do so with permanent brain damage from all the “bell-ringers” (a term used when a football player is hit so hard, it is said that they hear bells ringing in their head) they have received throughout their career. The average NFL career lasts only 3.8 years. Injuries sustained by football players are often permanent. Many former football players experience pain, sometimes severe, that lasts for the rest of their lives. Many players require surgery, even multiple surgeries, for injuries experienced years earlier.
Boobie Miles had to stand on the sidelines for good after he permanently damaged his ACL.
On a lower level, high school injuries can also be career ending, or lifelong. Many high school players develop knee injuries during their four years in high school and the injuries get worse, limiting their chances for college play. In the movie Friday Night Lights, Boobie Miles tears his ACL and chooses to ignore the doctors orders and play, instead of sitting out for surgery and healing. Because of this choice, he ruined any chance of playing college football and permanently damages his knee. Many real American players are faced with the same choices. Most high school and college players have had many football injuries throughout their career, many starting as young as 5 in “pop warner” leagues.
A North Augusta Yellow Jacket standout, who is now a star on Newberry College’s football team, Karson Reed suffered injuries early on in his career. “I’ve had knee problems and shoulder injuries, but they were all worth it.”
Injuries are a part of football and the sport is only becoming more popular. There is no way to stop the injuries from occurring, the only thing to do is try and prevent them the best way possible and rehabilitate them when they occur. Football is designed for the tough and to be healthy and play football is virtually impossible. This is a risk players take every time they step onto the field, but to them, it’s a risk well worth the reward.
No matter how dangerous the sport, the players with true heart, love the game. A former middle school standout and star quarterback on the rise, junior Tyler Young is now unable to play the sport he fell in love with long ago. After his eighth grade year in middle school, ready to play high school, he suffered from knee problems, and severe spine and pelvis injuries. He is now home bound, has to have pelvic realignments, and cannot play football anytime soon, but still wishes he could play. “The thrill of playing football is worth the price of a lifetime of frequent pain.”
Hard hits like these make football what it is. North Augusta Yellow Jackets play to win, one hard hit after another. (Photo from Spotted, Augusta Chronicle)
