Helmet to Helmet essay (football)

Helmet to Helmet essay (football)

Albert Itula
Conan Kmiecik
ENGL 20
27 Sep 2013
Helmet to Helmet Contact
For decades, football has been the most watched sport in America. It offers a fast paced, hard hitting, action packed source of entertainment. The National football League leads the sport in viewers, sales and attendance. Not only is it the most elite level of football, it’s also the most dangerous. Helmet to Helmet contact was a very controversial topic of discussion throughout the football community whether it be at the college level, the high school level or the professional level. Helmet to Helmet contact is the number one cause of head and neck injuries in football and has become a scare to a lot of players who may endure these injuries. Head and neck injuries can be life threatening making the sport extremely dangerous especially at higher levels as people get stronger and deliver more devastating hits. Not only are the players worried but their families are too, along with coaches. How can coaches protect their players and how can they get the parents to sign their children up to play a sport that may be life threatening? Something had to be done.
In October 2010, after a weekend of gruesome NFL hits, several players were suspended for hospitalizing other players, which was a result of helmet to helmet contact. At this point in time something had had to be done to keep players safe. Large amounts of money would be taken from players who delivered helmet to helmet hits which later lead to ejections and game suspensions at every level. This new rule had several players questioning whether or not they should play the sport anymore. James Harrison, an outside linebacker for the Pittsburg Steelers quoted in an ESPN article, “Why even play the sport if I can’t do what I do best, I never thought I my abilities would be restricted.” Fans argue that the rule takes away a lot of excitement from the sport. If players can’t hit as hard and fans don’t have the opportunity to hear the “pop’...

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