Although football is fun, I think that it is still one of the most dangerous sports even with all the gear that players wear. Many football players not only gain muscle and strength in certain areas to perform better but also gain muscle in order to take a hit. When a three hundred pound lineman is hurtling toward you, it is reassuring to know that since you have muscle you will not shatter right when he takes you out. Football is not uncommon to injuries. In fact, there are so many injuries during football that it would take a while for me to list them all. Some common ones are concussions, sprains, and pulled muscles. There is a more detailed list if you follow this link.
My advice to avoid unnecessary injuries would be to always wear protective gear, no matter how strong you think you are. This way nothing will surprise you and you will still be able to play. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
Willy
I'd be interested to know the frequency of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) in any given season of professional football. Football seems like an incredibly dangerous sport, but is it more dangerous than say, driving a car? Not that I think you need to do this at all, but since you brought it up, it would be interesting to assess the cost-benefit analysis between injury and the physical gain of playing football.
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested to hear what you think about this article:
http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2010/12/football-and-the-limits-of-conscience
Studies have shown that there averages around 300,000 concussions per year but that is for college and high school football players. As for professional football, I will have to look into that a bit more. Honestly I think football is a dangerous sport but the benefits and costs all depend on the people that play it. Some people are so obsessed with football that they are willing to put their bodies through all that pain and suffering just to play the game. Others who enjoy football just as much but are not willing to hurt themselves for it like watching others play. I think how much you give up or gain while playing is also relative to the person who is doing it. Hurting themselves to that extent might be horrible to certain people but some might think it is worth it in the end. I have had injuries from playing football as well. Granted I did not get a concussion but I still broke my finger. Since I am not going to play professionally, I do not think it was worth breaking my finger for a game of fun. If however I was good at football and could consider it as a future career, I would definitely think of it as worth it. I think the game itself is fun to play but because I will never become a professional football player, I will never truly know if it is worth it. Based off my observation now as the audience, I probably would say it is worth it since I personally have not experienced any TBIs. After reading this article, I do feel that football can be very detrimental to your health but I would still play it as a recreational sport. I would not play as seriously as professional football players do though. And as for football being more dangerous than driving a car, I am not sure but all I can say is that sometimes shit happens. Car crashes are not planned nor are TBIs. Its just a matter of how lucky you are I guess. I am not sure how common car accidents are but you could probably compare that rate to how common TBIs are in professional football and get a good view on it.
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