Review by Amy Spring in SRM 334 (section 1)
The Future of the NFL has been a topic surfacing, especially now that it is the end of the football season. The issue was recently brought up by Baltimore Ravens’ safety, Bernard Pollard, who made many comments about the safety of the NFL. During a Ravens vs. Patriots game, quarterback Tom Brady slid with his leg up, barely missing Ravens defensive player, Ed Reed. Very often, players are being taken off the field for concussions, blown-out knees, and other very serious injuries. Pollard, a hard-hitting player, who he himself has been fined for unnecessary roughness, was quoted saying, “Thirty years from now, I don't think it will be in existence. I could be wrong. It's just my opinion, but I think with the direction things are going -- where [NFL rules makers] want to lighten up, and they're throwing flags and everything else -- there's going to come a point where fans are going to get fed up with it.” Like Pollard, President Barack Obama also has strong opinions about the safety of football; President Obama has discussed with a magazine that if he had a son he would think long and hard before letting him play football. Ex-professional player Junior Seau committed suicide after suffering many concussions, leading to depression and then death. Junior’s family is suing the NFL so they could possibly be more aware of the risks of the game. Lastly, we touched on the financial aspect, that even though it is mostly about safety of the players, without the NFL, we would be out millions of jobs and billions of dollars.
Personally I feel that Pollard and Obama are correct, the game is becoming a danger to many and there needs to be something done about it. However, I don’t think the NFL will go under; I think there will need to be changes and stronger enforced rules if injuries keep getting worse and more frequent. The NFL brings in a wide range of interest and have many people deeply invested; it is an American past-time and a top favorite event to attend or to watch and to take that away would be a severe loss financially, as well as the millions of fans out there.
This topic is something that can be portrayed in a positive or negative light by the media. If the media supports those who think it is dangerous, and can interview people on their injuries post playing professional football, then they can show the public who are unaware of injuries. Instead of ESPN and other sports broadcasters and radio shows talking about and showing the hard hits and violent plays, they could focus on the positive offensive plays and good things that are going on. Even though the public often looks for the negative, it is up to the media to put a positive spin on it. Social media could be an even bigger factor if people suggested how to make football safe but still interesting and fun; as well as showing support of those injured. Something needs to be done in the NFL before there are more serious injuries.
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Review by Katherine Lampa in SRM 334 (section 1)
The future of the National Football League is bleak according to some current football players, such as Bernard Pollard and some ESPN commentators. After the second week of NFL playoffs Pollard announced his thoughts on the future of the League and stated he did not think it would exist in thirty short years. Many have been questioning this because of the safety of the game as more and more serious injuries and consequences are occurring. Rules are constantly changing to try to keep the game safe, but the players continue to get more aggressive and powerful leading to injuries that previously had not been considered. Players are getting fined for moves that may have not injured someone at the time, but could in the future if they continue to play that way. All of these steps are moves to make the game safer, but some people believe it is becoming too safe and less interesting to watch or participate in.
This topic is relevant to this course because it has been all over the internet since it was brought up back in week two of the playoffs. There have been many interviews with players such as Pollard and other players that have actually been fined. Twitter has been blowing up with peoples reactions to his statement about the future and many people have been commenting on articles on ESPN and other news articles. People are easily able to make their opinions known about the topic because of the increase in media coverage and the opportunities to locate it online and converse with others who also have strong opinions. It is not often that players or people within the League get involved in these conversations, but it does give people an outlet for frustrations and changes that they think would make the NFL a continuing success.
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