Speech- Scott Street

Concussions: The Ugly Truth                                                                         Scott Street

            Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Logsdon: I have come here today to present a solution to an issue that we all know is an issue throughout the National Football League: Concussions. A concussion is “a traumatic brain injury that affects the way your brain functions.” Judging from that definition, you can infer that this is a serious matter. Lives are affected because of concussions, whether it’s in the short run or in the long run. The NFL has attempted to cut down on the number of concussions inflicted by instituting safety measures, yet the concussion rates have not declined since these regulations were implemented. So what can we do? And how can we help to decrease this number and improve the lives of the people who put their very lives in danger for our own entertainment?

            Junior Seau was a professional football player. He had 19 year tenure in the NFL with three different teams. 19 years is a long time for anyone to be playing in the brutal National Football League, and as a result, concussions will come into play in the life of a player. This was especially true for Seau. He suffered from CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) immediately after he retired from football, and he suffered from this damaging brain disease for the rest of his life until he committed suicide about two years ago. His death was directly linked to this disease, and his death has prompted a drastic increase in safety protocol in the NFL. New policies, such as penalties in the game and fines outside of the game, have been implemented, but the numbers have not decreased as commissioner Roger Goodell had thought they would. According to The Washington Post, concussions in 2013 were down 13% from 2012, but bear in mind: The number of concussions remains astronomically high in the NFL, and a much larger drop is needed for an impact to be made. My proposition is for tackling to be prohibited completely and the NFL reverts to a flag football league. (Pause) Wait, do I hear Roger Goodell in the room? I’m totally kidding about that. All jokes aside, I believe more policies need to be implemented in order to help decrease the number of concussions. In addition to implementing new rules and regulations, I believe some new, safer equipment could be used. For example, I heard that the NFL was trying to get more protective helmets to be used in gameplay that reduce the impact of hits to the head. If everyone were to use these more protective helmets, along with more policies and rules regarding violent collisions during games, I believe the number of concussions could be cut into.

            Now, there’s only one thing about doing all this safety stuff, and that’s taking away from tradition of the game. I could not find a poll to back up this evidence, but I would say a rather large portion of people watch football partially for the violent collisions. Take that how you like, but I personally believe it says something about your typical American football fan. Anyways, if all of these supposed policies and new regulations were to be implemented, there is a good chance that the NFL could lose these viewers that enjoy seeing violent collisions. That would be a detrimental hit to ratings and revenue, which is why I believe the NFL has been reluctant to immediately implement these safety precautions. But, the way I look at it, if we are putting the very lives of players in danger, we should do whatever we need to do in order to ensure the safety of these players. Take, for instance, Jovan Belcher. He was a starting linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs and he seemed to have his life in order. He proved us wrong one early morning in Kansas City, where he killed his girlfriend at his home and then drove to the Chiefs’ parking lot and killed himself as well. Autopsies of his brain were done, and after they were completed, he showed signs of CTE, similarly to Junior Seau. This is just another example of how deadly concussions can be not only to the people directly affected by CTE, but also by people associated with a person with the disease, such as the life of Belcher’s girlfriend.

            Concussions will be a part of the NFL; there’s nothing anybody can do to completely eradicate the NFL of concussions. However, there are certain measures that could be taken that could assist in bringing the numbers down from what they have recently been. These measures would be difficult to implement all at once because of the public opinions of many people that watch football, as they would not approve of the league eventually leaning against heavy contact. But I strongly and firmly believe that if we are providing these people their jobs, lives, and incomes, we should also try to accommodate them in a way that would be proper for any other work environment. We wouldn’t want to put a businessman to work in an office and not give him a computer to work on; that would be rather unproductive. The same thing goes with the NFL. If we cannot provide adequate work conditions, then eventually people will stop applying. As a matter of fact, this is already happening. According to an NBC News/ Wall Street Journal poll, 40% of Americans would rather their child play another sport other than football due to the risk of concussions. This is a massive increase from before, as far less parents would have said the same thing previously. At this rate, there will be drastic decreases in the number of kids who grow up playing the game. If regulations are not implemented, the league could be in danger of losing the talent that it is so perceived to have. If we follow my proposition, we could not only help cure the issue of concussions in the NFL, but we could also save the NFL as well.

Works cited

1. "Concussion." Definition. Mayo Clinic. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/concussion/basics/definition/con-20019272>.

2. Frontline: League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis. PBS, 2013. Film.

3. Holloway, Lynette. "NFL Player Jovan Belcher’s Body Exhumed for Brain Exam." The Root, 15 Dec. 2013. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2013/12/nfl_player_jovan_belcher_s_body_exhumed_for_brain_exam.html>.

4.  "Number of Concussions down 13 Percent This Season, According to NFL Injury Data." Washington Post. The Washington Post. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/football-insider/wp/2014/01/30/number-of-concussions-down-13-percent-this-season-according-to-nfl-injury-data/>.