Bill Buford's The Firm

Football is America’s go to entertainment sport. The NFL hit its peak in 2015, with an average of 114.1 million television viewers throughout the year (“Statista,” 2017). This sport is loved by all, the players, parents, coaches, and fans. But, is football merely entertainment? Is it just a simple game, teaching young boys the value of teamwork, dedication, and discipline? Are parents spending their Friday nights to support their boys, or is there something bigger happening? In H.G Bissinger’s novel, Friday Night Lights, one can see the true effects of this toxic drug through the mindset of the players and the actions of the coaches. While society sees football as entertainment, it actually functions more like a drug.

The documentary “League of Denial” exposes the expansive concealment of the connection between the sport of football and long-term brain injuries that the National Football long has thoroughly kept hidden for over 20 years from the eyes of the public, as well as the players routinely subjected to these injuries. The emphasis is on how a multibillion dollar industry so keen on acquiring money and preserving its stain free reputation that it would put the health of its players at risk, by denying any means of research that would depict that very action.

“This sport will never die, but it will never again be, as it was until recently, the subject of uncomplicated national enthusiasm.” This thesis statement introduces us to the basis of what this article sets out to convey. Football is a tradition that is loved by America, but previously lacked the issue of concern that it does now. The most concerning issue that the author is talking about is chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. Caused by multiple head injuries, over a span of time, this disease results in atrophy of the brain, mood disorders, and dementia. The hidden damage caused by these injuries is taken into consideration when deciding to play football, however it is believed that this risk will deter players from joining in

Concussion is the true gripping story of one man’s decision to stand up to a multibillion-dollar business. Nigerian pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu works at the coroner’s office in downtown Pittsburgh. Here he made a discovery in the body of one of the greatest football players ever to play the game, Mike Webster. He suffered a decline in his body and started to act very strange by living out his car and tasering himself till he was unconscious so he can go to sleep; he was only fifty years old. Omalu discovered that Webster had a disease caused by multiple blows to the head from his football career, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which could affect everyone playing the game. Omalu felt that everyone should know of this and the harm

The men smelt heavily of english leather and whisky. Bob was asking for a fight but got more than he could have handled, he underestimated the boys and it was even knowing that he has killed someone. Now knowing that the police were chasing them they had to run for their

In journalist Malcolm Gladwell’s New Yorker article “Offensive Play,” he conveys his idea that football and dogfighting are not all that different. He uses testimonies from former players and doctors, as well as statistics and background information about football and dogfighting to support his argument. He begins his argument by setting the scene of former NFL player Kyle Turley at a bar with his wife. He only had a beer and then he began to feel light headed. Next thing he knows, he is lying on the floor with people standing over him. He throws up profusely and is taken to the emergency room for treatment. This incident, however, was not the first time Turley had experienced some of these symptoms. In the year leading up to the incident, Turley would constantly experience headaches and nausea and had severe vertigo for an entire month. Clearly, something was seriously wrong with Turley (Gladwell 50).

Detective Stephens is a small town cop trying to make it in the big city of Birmingham, Alabama. He is haunted by his past and suffering accordingly. His wife left him, his kids hate him, and he struggles with a crippling urge to drink. To help cope with these urges, he phones Andrew Morris, who soothes him and feeds him generic psychic dribble: “…I see a change in

Every year in the United States, there are an estimated 300,000 sports-related concussions (Cuncussions, 2015). Head related injuries have serious consequences in violent contact sports. Players can have injuries that result in lifelong brain trauma, such as post-concussion syndrome. There is a large amount of controversy surrounding safety in contact sports. In the essay “Brain Games: Who is Responsible for Preventing Sports-Related Head Injuries?,” Peter Dewar communicates to players, coaches, referees, fans, and anyone else involved in sports, to argue that a new sports culture should be adopted to create a safer and more profitable playing environment. Through his use of stories, statistics, and a call to take action, Dewar effectively portrays the urgency of accountability in sports.

In the article titled, “Body blows are par for course, but racist boos hit soul deep” written by Robert Murphy, Murphy contends AFL fans and opposition supporters should stop booing Adam Goodes and yelling out racist remarks from the stands. Murphy aims this article at those against Adam Goodes and those who are involved or might be tempted to join in the racial vilification. Firstly, Murphy argues that while football players train for physical injuries, nobody can prepare to receive that kind of emotional abuse. Secondly, he believes that when it comes to the game itself, Adam Goodes is one of the best players of his generation and a hero. Lastly, he compares and points out the similarities between Muhammad Ali and Adam Goodes, how they both were respected by their fellow athletes and how they are both fighters.

Jim Blatt, who recently moved back to Boston after living in Charlotte for 12 years, joined TIAA-CREF in 2012 from Bain Capital. Before Charlotte, the Senior Director of Enterprise Platform Delivery Team spent 15 years in Boston where he received his MBA from Boston College. As he proclaims it is “the best city in America,” there is no question as to his favorite sports teams. “Anything Boston,” Jim exclaimed. And aside from watching sports in his spare time, Jim enjoys listening to a number of different podcasts. His tastes have a broad range across news, sports, and pop culture. “This American Life is probably my ultimate favorite. It takes an in-depth look across very diverse topics and tells the story in a long narrative format. It’s

In Aaron Sorkin’s play A Few Good Men, Dawson’s reasoning was valid because he was following an order, he was being an honorable, and his intentions were genuine. Dawson was a good person and an exceptional Marine, and throughout the play he never once faltered. He held himself accountable for the decisions he made and stood behind them firmly.

In order to enrich my experience with this writer’s work I also decided to read Trainspotting, which is in fact Irvin Welsh’s best known book. It too is set in Scotland, circulating around a life of drugs and squalor (notably the famous toilet scene where Renton, the main character, sifts around a full toilet bowl in a revolting toilet cubicle to retrieve his opium suppositories). Unlike the total darkness and nastiness of Filth, whilst still raw and hard hitting, there are definite glimmers of light and hope and even humour within the story, at times I even found myself laughing out loud. For this reason, although I do rate filth highly, I gained far more enjoyment from Trainspotting. This encouraged me to consider

The North Inn bar was a sleepy little place, the kind of shabby pub that locals liked to congregate in to trade gossip and visit with one another without having to fight scores of inebriated preppies for a table. Memorial Day meant that summer had officially arrived, and even if the town was obscure and unknown, the seasonal swell of tourists to the East End brought a good number of visitors who found themselves within the city limits, and several new establishments had begun to cater to this crowd. But not the North Inn. The well drinks were strong and cheap, and other than a decent view of the water, that was pretty much all it had going for it.

John Branch, in his work, “Derek Boogaard: A Boy Learns to Brawl”, examines the life of Derek Boogaard to inform readers about the difficulties associated with the lives of NHL professional enforcers. Branch highlight the difficult road for NHL enforcers, the physical toll on enforcer’s bodies, and the hidden damages an enforcer deals even after a career.

The ruckus of the crowd pierced the fallen players ears in the form of a serrated knife. Feeling the blood pulsing through his head caused him to clench his eyes shut in agony and grab at his hair, hoping to block out the unbearable waves of pain. The blurry forms of his coach and teammates surrounded his vision and as much as he wanted to get up and tell them that he was fine, he knew that there was no way that he would be able to recover from this injury easily. He had known that something was wrong with him, but he had pushed these thoughts out of his mind, knowing that he could not disappoint his fellow teammates. They had helped him in too many ways and ignoring the clear symptoms of a concussion seemed like the best way to repay them. Now, he knew he was wrong, but it was too late. He was going to pay for his decision, either now, or farther on down the line.