The National Football League (NFL): A Source Of Entertainment

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.

Even though football players are aware of the dangers the game can bring upon them, they take part despite it. The passion, the joy it creates; for professionals it’s also the devoted fans and compensation they receive is what keeps the players motivated. Today players are much bigger, faster, smarter, bigger, better. The game is more physical. The sport has never been so competitive. The popularity has reached new peaks, as much that the NFL has thoughts of moving a team to London, England. Additionally, Super Bowl XLVII (47) was one of the most watched television events of all time; an astonishing 108.4 million viewers (The Associated Press). Fans worship their teams and love to see big hits. Football is a contact sport; injuries are no

The NFL has become the most popular sport in the United States. It is watched my millions every weekend. The NFL is only growing in popularity. With new fans joining the fun every day. The NFL has faced its share of problems too. With concussions scaring away many future players, the NFL is hoping to lower the possibility of concussions in the future. Each NFL team plays a total of 16 games over a span of 17 weeks. There are two conferences in the NFL, the AFC and the NFC. There are four divisions in each conference, each with 4 teams. The playoff teams are decided by the division rankings. The winner of each division makes the playoffs, with the two best 2nd place teams making it in as a wild card.

The NFL generates crazy amount of revenue by marketing the violence. Many people buy into the “King sized” hits propaganda and think nothing of the actual physical damage. The documentary “A League of Denial” reveals how detrimental masculinity can when placed upon a nation stage such as the NFL. Mike Webster, an offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers is considered patient zero, his brain started the investigation which prompted this two hour special on PBS’ “Frontline” series. He was diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and was dead by 50.

Most people understand that football is a violent sport, and one must be very tough in order to compete. Injuries NFL athletes suffer can affect, not only the player, but also the fans and family members watching. Over time, many have become increasingly disturbed by the violence that routinely occurs in

An increasingly popular topic in the realm of sports fans has begun to unravel. The National Football League recently has begun to introduce new rules and regulations for their athletes to start abiding by to ensure the continued safety of the player’s health. Although most find this change in the game of professional football as a positive step forward, others see this as a diminishment of the sanctity of NFL football. New rules and regulations that have been introduced into NFL are vital to athletes involved in the sport and help them to play with lowered risks of long term injuries that could possibly affect not only them but also the league in the future as well. The reasons for these

The national football league has stiffened its policy on legal hits. The hit zone has shrunk, while player frustrations have grown. The policy is enacted in an effort to reduce the number of concussions in the game of football. The enforcement of these rules has strayed away from being all about safety. The policy on hits has created a divide among its players and fans alike. The policy of hits being enforced so strictly has had a significant impact on the sport. The sociology of the NFL and the rule itself drive this argument. By stepping on the field as an NFL football player, it is accepted that it is very dangerous. The players make enough money to make the concussions worth it. Profiting from the fine money for these hits has caused the NFL to be enforcing these rules unethically, the rules and the impact they have had on the sport have been detrimental to football.

American football is very popular in American culture today. Professional football games bring a lot of people together and are something little kids dream to play when they are older. When it comes to the topic of Professional football, most will agree that it is a violent sport. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of is it worth playing or not. Some are convinced that it is and others feel that the sport is too dangerous. However people feel they usually still watch NFL football in person or on television. Even though the NFL is exciting to watch and America’s favorite past time, it comes with a physical cost to the players.

The overarching question in this study was answered because in the results there was a decisive conclusion that the NFL doesn’t not in fact consider player health as they should. All five participants in the study believed this to be true. Ava Norman is one of the participants who felt the NFL should take more initiative to look into the safety of its players. In her interview she felt strongly about the issue by saying, “the NFL is put on a pedestal and gets away with too much, the league needs to look more into the issue now before it’s too late because you cannot undo a concussion” (Norman). Moreover, I believe this research symbolizes that fans are even worried about player’s health. While they love the game of football, they understand that at the end of the day it is just a game. Don Thomas felt strongly about this particular issue by saying, “I love the game of football and football is a major part of my life but after the game is over everyone should be able to return to their families safely” (Thomas). On another

One of most dangerous sports in the world is also one of the most loved. Professional football has been America’s favorite sport since the NFL was founded on August 20th, 1920 and, its popularity is growing with Super Bowl XLIX raking in 114.4 million viewers to become the most watched telecast in U.S. history. The record they broke was previously owned by the 2014 Super Bowl, which received 112.2 million viewers. It also is one of the biggest markets with players, owners, general managers and TV networks, making millions of dollars each time a game is aired. But with this comes a consequence, something millions of American and international viewers are willing to ignore, the physical and mental health of the athletes that play the sport. Professional

The NFl is a place where fans can go and forget about their worries but, the NFL has now been corrupted with political opinion and many fans are unhappy about it. The recent stunt is proving nothing to change the causes that is” supposedly” trying to stop. In the blog “Now I have had enough” by Brandon

Football is a rough sport. Many fans of the game watch it for the hard hits. These hard hits and the potential for injury is part of what makes the game so exciting. Some people say that football is too brutal and should be banned. Parents all over the United States don’t allow their children to play because of the risk of head injuries. Others allow their sons, and every now and then their daughters, to play and risk injury for a chance to earn a college scholarship and for a small percentage of players, the chance to play in the National Football League (NFL).

The beloved American sport that consists of tackling others to the ground and trying to make a touchdown to lead the team to victory has become too dangerous to play. We let our children play the risky sport at a young age and think it is just for fun. Meanwhile, they are falling in love with the game and soon will develop dreams of playing in the big league. At that point it is too late, just as some families were too late when their football player get a concussion on the field, grow old with Alzheimer's disease, or even CTE, the chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Although America is aware of the issue, the sport is continuing to ruin lives.

Personal conduct in the NFL, National Football League, is an issue that is starting to spiral out of control. Late September, 2014, “the league [had] suspended at least 20 players for actions including assault, substance abuse and use of performance-enhancing drugs” (White); this was only a few weeks into the regular season of play for the league. The NFL has grown enormously since it was founded on August 20, 1920 in Canton, Ohio. But, this league has become more and more lenient with its players and personnel. Many professional athletes in the NFL receive special treatment regardless of their improper actions, thus allowing them to elude the consequences and in turn setting a misleading example for their young fans. In order

Since the introduction of organized team sports into American culture, numerous sports have stepped into the limelight for certain periods of time but none have stuck around as long as football has. Just as with everything else in life, football has had it’s fair share of drawbacks since its invention in the mid-19th century. Despite the drawbacks and criticism football has faced, its role and influence on American culture between the 1890’s and 1930’s far outweigh the negative aspects of its past.