Whether you’re watching your favorite television show, listening to a radio station or reading a newspaper it seems impossible to ignore the upcoming annual arrival of one of America’s most popular spectacles: the Super Bowl. This year, the highly anticipated event features The New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. As a Boston native, I am, of course, belligerently rooting for the Patriots, but my goal here is not to vehemently express my overwhelming confidence and support for the Patriots (as I can do that elsewhere). Instead, I want to draw attention to a more pressing issue: the double standard the National Football League (NFL) imposes on its players.
Super Bowl commercials attract fans by highlighting spectacular catches, unbelievable runs and, most importantly, jaw-dropping hits. NFL advertising specialists specifically pair bone-crushing hits with computer-generated earthquake effects and catchy songs in order to fuel their sport’s popularity. But we must ask: why? Why use the biggest hits, which so often end in lasting injuries and hospitalizations, to attract fans? For the NFL the answer is obvious: to make money.
The world has always loved collisions, crashes, catastrophes and all other violent attractions. Think back to the gladiators who faced death, or rather bloodthirsty tigers in the face for the sheer purpose of entertainment. Or more currently, turn on FOX News to see the highlights of the latest deaths, fires and other tragedies in your area.
America's admiration for professional football perfectly embodies this universal desire. Professional football players risk their health to entertain the general public, and while they do earn large sums of money in the process many debate whether these risks are truly justified. The NFL, in an effort to combat these opponents, has implemented several restrictions and precautionary measures for their athletes, yet at the same time its commercials continue to promote the most violent aspects of football. In other words, the NFL currently promotes the same behavior it is claiming to eradicate.
The NFL specifically claims to focus on preventing and treating head injuries as effectively as possible. For example, the organization’s most recently outlawed actions include: hitting a defenseless receiver, hitting the quarterback after he’s thrown the ball or spearing another player with your head. If violated, these infractions bring penalties and at times may even yield massive fines for the assailant. In a further effort for concussion prevention, the NFL has also mandated players suffering concussion symptoms must undergo a mandatory five minute concussion testing before re-entering the game. These rules indisputably promote players’ well-being, but upon further scrutiny, the motivation for such implementation seems flawed. In all their seemingly noble actions, the NFL continues to highlight and promote big hits to attract fans.
Instead of adopting this dangerous double standard, the NFL must resolidify its brand. It must either actively promote football as a barbaric gladiator-like sport, or — on the contrary — must wholeheartedly promote the health of its players, thus changing the sport entirely. Currently, the NFL sits in limbo by both promoting and seeking to prevent big hits.
I would argue American football players represent our modern day gladiators and therefore should be treated like them. Several years ago players lacked the knowledge regarding possible health risks, but in this era, the health risks are obvious to all players. Players now completely understand the dangers of the NFL. They are willingly putting their health at risk when they sign contracts granting them millions of dollars, and thus should not beg for pity when injuries occur.
Take an oil rig worker as a relevant comparison. An oil rig worker makes roughly $100,000 a year, but his days are long and grueling. Perhaps most shocking is that oil rig workers face an abnormally high injury rate. Whether it be the loss of an arm or death, threats are ubiquitous. Professional football players face a much lesser likelihood of serious injury, yet make ten-fold more money. In terms of numbers, their trade is more than worth the risk.
The NFL is gruesome. I am not denying that. But at the same time, that’s why it’s the NFL. It’s the culmination and the accumulation of the baddest, toughest athletes in the nation. That’s why we watch it; that’s why we love it. If officials continue to overly prevent injury, the game will drastically evolve into something quite different. If this happens, professional football will certainly lose much of its popularity.
Nate Menninger is an Opinion Columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at n.menninger@cavalierdaily.com.
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