Real World Problem
The National Football League (NFL) has slowly taken over America as the most popular sports league, averaging 16.7 million viewers per game and raking in a mammoth $14.2 billion dollars this past season (Eckstein). That said, the NFL has always had to shake off its reputation as being a dangerous sport, with players constantly suffering concussions and other traumatic injuries. Data from Football Outsiders show that injury counts have steadily risen from about 1500 incidences in 2007 to over 2200 in 2015, while concussions increased from 229 in 2013 to a record 281 in 2017. Over 200 ACL and MCL tears have been recorded each season since 2012 (NFL.com), and on average, injured players have missed anywhere from 1.75 to 2.25 weeks per season, with some sitting out the whole season altogether (Binney). These numbers quantify the main problem of the NFL - is it sustainable? If so how can player safety be improved while maintaining viewership/profits? Given my aspirations of becoming a sports medicine surgeon for the Dallas Cowboys, this problem has major ramifications for not just my career, but for society as a whole. Without the NFL, thousands of players and coaches, who are people with families to feed after all, will become unemployed, while ancillary industries and markets will suffer.
Perhaps the biggest reason for high injury incidences is the lack of rest, as players only have a week to recover between games, sometimes even less depending on scheduling. While every player in the NFL understands the inherent risks that come with the violent game, players like Richard Sherman of the San Francisco 49ers have stated that they “just don’t understand why the NFL says it’s taking a stand on player safety, then increases the risks its players face by making them play... before their bodies are ready.” (Sherman) The lack of change has led to some locker rooms fearing the absolute worst case scenario: a death on the football field (Kruse). As collisions continue to become more violent, it may sadly be a question of when, not if.
That said, the NFL has taken measures to improve player safety. Despite the high number of concussions in 2017, self-reported concussions peaked as 47% of all concussions were self-reported in some way (NFL.com). A targeting rule implemented now penalizes players for leading with the crown of their helmets when initiating a tackle, and this has led to concussion numbers decreasing from 281 to 214 from 2017 to 2018 (NFL.com). Other rules such as fining players for blindside blocks and unnecessary roughness have also aided in reducing injury numbers, and changing kickoff rules have decreased the number of injuries occurring on special teams. It is a promising sign to see that these new rules have led to positive results, but the league still should not be satisfied, instead looking for ways to further decrease these numbers.
What is the outlook of the NFL? Is it possible that the NFL eventually adopts two-hand touch or flag football? If so, how will viewership and ratings be impacted? If such drastic changes are not made, will the NFL be content living with its share of criticism for jeopardizing the health of its players for the sake of entertainment? Such secondary questions arise from the main problem of sustainability. I believe the best course of action is to continue valuing player safety, even at the expense of audience satisfaction and revenue, as health should always be valued over entertainment. Of course, clinical and biomechanical research is critical before making such a profound declaration, as there may be a future where the intensity of the NFL remains but player safety is tremendously improved. I hope to become actively involved in such research by studying the long term effects on concussions in the brain and researching how to optimize CTE rehabilitation for those diagnosed. While the outlook of the league is still not clear, I look forward to contributing to the future of the NFL and sports medicine as a whole.
References:
Binney, Zachary O. “The Truth Behind Rising Injury Rates.” Football Outsiders, www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2017/truth-behind-rising-injury-rates.
Binney, Zachary O. “Untangling the NFL Injury Web.” Football Outsiders, www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2018/untangling-nfl-injury-web.
Eckstein, Jakob. “How The NFL Makes Money: TV Is King, Streaming and Gambling on
Horizon.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 5 Feb. 2020, www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/062515/how-nfl-makes-money.asp.
Kruse, Zach. “Are Player Safety Concerns Putting the NFL's Future in Jeopardy?” Bleacher
Report, Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, www.bleacherreport.com/articles/1504886-are-player-safety-concerns-putting-the-nfls-future-in-jeopardy.
“NFL Releases Injury Data for 2017 Season.” NFL.com, National Football League, 26 Jan. 2018, www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000911123/article/nfl-releases-injury-data-for-2017-season.
Sherman, Richard. “Why I Hate Thursday Night Football | By Richard Sherman.” The Players' Tribune,
www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/richard-sherman-seahawks-thursday-night-football.
Perhaps the biggest reason for high injury incidences is the lack of rest, as players only have a week to recover between games, sometimes even less depending on scheduling. While every player in the NFL understands the inherent risks that come with the violent game, players like Richard Sherman of the San Francisco 49ers have stated that they “just don’t understand why the NFL says it’s taking a stand on player safety, then increases the risks its players face by making them play... before their bodies are ready.” (Sherman) The lack of change has led to some locker rooms fearing the absolute worst case scenario: a death on the football field (Kruse). As collisions continue to become more violent, it may sadly be a question of when, not if.
That said, the NFL has taken measures to improve player safety. Despite the high number of concussions in 2017, self-reported concussions peaked as 47% of all concussions were self-reported in some way (NFL.com). A targeting rule implemented now penalizes players for leading with the crown of their helmets when initiating a tackle, and this has led to concussion numbers decreasing from 281 to 214 from 2017 to 2018 (NFL.com). Other rules such as fining players for blindside blocks and unnecessary roughness have also aided in reducing injury numbers, and changing kickoff rules have decreased the number of injuries occurring on special teams. It is a promising sign to see that these new rules have led to positive results, but the league still should not be satisfied, instead looking for ways to further decrease these numbers.
What is the outlook of the NFL? Is it possible that the NFL eventually adopts two-hand touch or flag football? If so, how will viewership and ratings be impacted? If such drastic changes are not made, will the NFL be content living with its share of criticism for jeopardizing the health of its players for the sake of entertainment? Such secondary questions arise from the main problem of sustainability. I believe the best course of action is to continue valuing player safety, even at the expense of audience satisfaction and revenue, as health should always be valued over entertainment. Of course, clinical and biomechanical research is critical before making such a profound declaration, as there may be a future where the intensity of the NFL remains but player safety is tremendously improved. I hope to become actively involved in such research by studying the long term effects on concussions in the brain and researching how to optimize CTE rehabilitation for those diagnosed. While the outlook of the league is still not clear, I look forward to contributing to the future of the NFL and sports medicine as a whole.
References:
Binney, Zachary O. “The Truth Behind Rising Injury Rates.” Football Outsiders, www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2017/truth-behind-rising-injury-rates.
Binney, Zachary O. “Untangling the NFL Injury Web.” Football Outsiders, www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2018/untangling-nfl-injury-web.
Eckstein, Jakob. “How The NFL Makes Money: TV Is King, Streaming and Gambling on
Horizon.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 5 Feb. 2020, www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/062515/how-nfl-makes-money.asp.
Kruse, Zach. “Are Player Safety Concerns Putting the NFL's Future in Jeopardy?” Bleacher
Report, Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, www.bleacherreport.com/articles/1504886-are-player-safety-concerns-putting-the-nfls-future-in-jeopardy.
“NFL Releases Injury Data for 2017 Season.” NFL.com, National Football League, 26 Jan. 2018, www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000911123/article/nfl-releases-injury-data-for-2017-season.
Sherman, Richard. “Why I Hate Thursday Night Football | By Richard Sherman.” The Players' Tribune,
www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/richard-sherman-seahawks-thursday-night-football.