The NFL season came to a close on Monday morning Australia time with the New England Patriots beating the defending champions Seattle in what can only be described as a classic Super Bowl.
The play offs leading up to the big match had also been entertaining, with the Seahawks edging past the Green Bay Packers in a thriller of an NFC match, with the Packers having put up a valiant effort despite quarterback Aaron Rodgers sustaining a torn thigh muscle.
The state of play on-field for the USA’s biggest sport then looks as healthy as ever. The sport is brimming with young talent and the old guard are still impressing – Tom Brady’s win on Sunday was his fourth as the Patriot’s quarterback.
Off the field however, there are issues that need to be looked at. For years the NFL ignored the issue of head injuries, but near the start of last season, the league seemed to snap to attention. They published incredibly worrying figures that three in ten former players would eventually suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or some form of dementia.
Even more worrying is the fact that these numbers do not take into account the former players who develop mood and behaviour disorders. The message of these figures is that playing NFL just isn’t safe for the human brain – or the rest of the human body for that matter.
These devastating statistics beg the question – why do players bother going into this dangerous game? Well, when you’ve put your life into attempting to play the game you love, the threat of injury just seems to pale into insignificance.
Cyclists, cricketers and rugby players alike also risk significant injury but carry on playing.
The fact that the league is publishing the injury figures is a good sign, it shows they are aware that something needs to be done – but what? It would be hard to enforce the idea of not hitting players too hard, it would be just ridiculous.
The next idea would have to be to improve the equipment. NFL players are already heavily protected when they walk on to the field, but these statistics show more definitely needs to be done.
Exactly what improvements to the equipment would have to be left to the experts, but if nothing is done, and the statistics stay the same, or get even worse, the future of the very game would surely be in danger.
I’m not saying that the NFL will be going anywhere in the next few years, but attitudes change, and eventually it could be that instead of cheering when a player makes a big play and hits an opposing player to the dirt, the crowd may wince knowing that if he is hit, or lands, wrong, it could be serious and life-changing injury.
Times change, and with them the mindset of the public. A lot of people would struggle to watch a boxing match now, having seen the effect it has on even the biggest names in the sport such as Muhammad Ali.
If a lot of footballers go on to have similar illnesses and injuries, could the attitudes change toward American football too?
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