Football Injuries Paper ANTH

8/10/2019 Football Injuries Paper ANTH

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Anthropological Analysis of Head Injuries in the National Football League (NFL)

The National Football League (NFL) supervises the play of professional football, the

ost popular gae in Aerica, but one that at its core is based off of violence! The gae

re"uires individuals to run full speed #hile tac$ling each other in order to prevent scoring plays!

Although football players #ear pads and helets to protect theselves, the gae often ties

becoes vicious and even life threatening! %eports have sho#n an increasing nuber of retired

NFL players #ho suffered concussions during their football careers to have developed cognitive

brain issues such as Al&heier's, depression, and chronic trauatic encephalopathy (T)! In

*+*, *+++ forer NFL players filed a unified la#suit containing ultiple concussion reports

#here the players accused the NFL of negligence in failing to properly notify players of the lin$

bet#een concussions and brain injuries (NN Library)! -espite the ris$ involved for players,

football reains the ost popular and profitable sport in Aerica, being #atched by illions of

people each #ee$! In a country #here gun control and censorship of violence fro videogaes

and ovies is at the forefront of the national conversation it is interesting that a violent sport li$e

football continues to retain its popularity! An analysis of the culture, ethics, huan decision, and

econoics of football along #ith head injuries #ill see$ to e.aine the sport through an

anthropological lens!

Football in the NFL is a highly copetitive sport #ith uni"ue cultural characteristics that

reseble an alost /partan li$e brotherhood! 0layers talented enough to be drafted into the NFL

consider theselves to be part of an e.clusive fraternity #here ebership is spurred fro

talent and hard #or$! 0layers develop strong $inship ties #ith their teaates and attept to

a$e a livelihood through their perforance on the field! In the fierce culture of football, players

strive to a$e hard, aggressive tac$les or 1big hits2 on opposing players in order to help their


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tea #in despite ris$ of injury! In the past decade, the NFL has alerted players and edia ali$e

that it e.pects nearly a third of retired players to develop long3ter cognitive probles (4elson,

Ne# 5or$ Ties)! 0layers no# understand the ris$ of playing football and ta$ing 1big hits,2 but

also appreciate that in the cutthroat nature of the NFL players are replaceable if their

perforance does not fit a tea's needs or onetary investent in that player! -ue to this, any

players #ill do#nplay any injuries or concussions they ay have in order to be put bac$ into the

gae so they ay support their livelihoods and gain prestige in the eyes of their teaates

through helping the tea #in!

%ear$ably, the 1big hits2 and high velocity tac$les that have potential to cause serious

injury to players are #hat e.actly #hat gives football its appeal and a$es it entertaining to

#atch for fans! For e.aple, during gaes fans loudly cheer in a#e and adiration after a 1big

hit!2 0layers often sho#boat or taunt after a 1big hit2 and edia outlets such as /0N celebrate

such hits in video features such as 16adeveon lo#ney's 4iggest Hit,2 #hich are produced for

the pleasure of a the edia audience (5ouTube)! No other sport provides vie#ers #ith high

intensity action li$e football and therefore the concern of violence in football and the ris$ of

serious brain injury have not ipeded the gro#ing econoic success of football! /tri$ingly, the

annual revenue for the NFL is the ost of any sports league in the #orld, rising fro 78!9 billion

in *++8 to 7:!* billion in *+;, (4ur$e, Forbes)!

In the past 9+ years, #atching football has becoe a #ee$ly /unday ritual for illions of

Aericans and an integral part of the Aerican e.perience despite the violence it sho#cases!

Football is often associated #ith "uality faily tie and pleasure!


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that the entertainent of #atching football coes #ith the potential ris$ of serious peranent

injury to other huan beings, ho#ever in today's #orld people are priarily concerned #ith the

#ell3being of their nuclear faily, #hile the health of strangers is soeties a second thought!

Ho#ever, there is gro#ing concern over safety in football because of the fact that any failies

have children that play in youth or college football leagues, #ho could develop the sae

injuries that professional athletes have! Fro *++ to *++: the enter for -isease ontrol and

0revention reported a 8+= increase of trauatic brain injuries in athletes under the age of :

(Att#ood, Athletic 4usiness)! This concern has echoed into pop culture #here sports icon and

forer football star, Le4ron 6aes recently stated that he does not allo# his sons to play

football, e.plaining that only bas$etball, baseball and soccer are allo#ed in his house (baa has coented that although he is a big

football fan, 1I ?>baa@ have to tell you if I had a son, Id have to thin$ long and hard before I

let hi play football2 (Foer, Ne# %epublic)!

In an effort to balance the brutal nature of playing football against gro#ing public

sentient over the dangers of the gae as #ell as e.3player la#suits, the NFL has started to

proote player safety regulations! The NFL supported concussion a#areness by bac$ing a la#

adopted in ;: states that andates that any young athlete suspected of having suffered a

concussion be reoved fro the gae and not be allo#ed to play or practice until cleared by a

edical professional (Farrey, /0N)! The NFL has also changed gae rules in order to proote

player safety, #here players are no# penali&ed and fined for helet collisions (0rice, Ibties)!

Bnfortunately for the NFL, concussion a#areness is a atch3** of sorts because of the fact that

any parents no# $no# of the full e.tent of the ris$ of peranent head injury fro allo#ing

their child to play football and ay be reluctant to do so!


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>verall, it is evident that the copetitive the culture of football fosters a violent

environent in #hich players are at high ris$ for injury fro 1big hits!2 This ris$ ho#ever, has

not ipeded players fro playing the gae or fro vie#ers ta$ing pleasure in the intense action!

The gro#ing popularity of the NFL in spite of the negative press fro football injuries reflects

Aerica's insatiable desire for the sport! The orality behind #atching football is justified in the

conscious of soe by the fact that players $no# of the ris$s, and are copensated in the illions

for putting their bodies on the line! Nonetheless, it is note#orthy that huans ta$e still pleasure

in the theater of violence that is football even #ith the ris$ of injury, #hich possibly underscores

a basic huan need for high intensity entertainent and stiulation!


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A.elrod, Ear$! C0opular ulture and the %ituals of Aerican Football!C 0urdue Bniversity 0ress

;! (*++) n! pag! L

Football Injuries Paper ANTH

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