Head Trauma: An NFL Player’s Worst Reality The ideal autumn Sunday, for many of us, involves dedicating time to watch football with friends or family─we consider this a great source of relaxation. Whether it be a classic rivalry or a sensational divisional matchup, people across America enjoy football. However, most viewers do not examine the safety of the players providing entertainment. Head trauma, a major problem battled by countless present-day and former football players, is substantially impacting the league. Head injuries are becoming more common each year; they can lead to greater struggles such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is similar to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. In order to protect its current and upcoming …show more content…
In the past, the NFL had denied any link between head trauma and football before a case had even been identified. Recently, the NFL admitted to the connection between CTE and football. The realization developed gradually, as these injuries had become more common throughout the years, causing more long-term issues in the players’ lives. According to The New York Times, Greg Aiello, a spokesman for the league, had claimed: “It’s quite obvious from the medical research that’s been done that concussions can lead to long-term problems” (Belson NP). Numerous lawsuits have been filed against the NFL due to no actions being taken in regards to the repetitive cases of head trauma. A total of 4,300 players of the league’s alumni is suing the NFL, claiming it concealed the connections between repetitive head trauma and CTE cases, while profiting billions of dollars on violence (Jenkins NP). Because of this, the NFL strived to develop safety advancements such as helmet testing and clinical for advanced imaging to better identify concussions. However, the association proclaimed that it aims to alter rules of the game instead of undergoing reinforcements (Beck NP). The NFL has had several attempts on refining safety issues but has failed to do so in several …show more content…
The league has been encountering head trauma issues for years─it is a disease ruining the careers of present and future players. Even after realizing the issues, the league has been unsuccessful in trying to improve problems that lead up to head trauma. Allowing the game to be played as it currently is, having players tolerate surgeries throughout their careers, and ruining their future lives is ruthless. Whether it be a significant change of rules, upgraded helmets, or sports-tech innovations, providing greater safety for the players is a necessity. For the past few years, the NFL has acknowledged how serious these occurrences are; still, they stabilized the game as it is, and have failed to take action. Fans ignore how impactful head trauma can be in players’ lives because the players earn millions of dollars in return of enduring the hardships. Due to this, popularity for the sport has never decreased. Many children dream of becoming football players. However, they do not conceptualize the cruel reality that comes with this dream. Overall, the NFL must take major safety precautions regarding head trauma before America’s most favorite sport develops into a complete