Image by technologyreview.com By Caiden Biege-Wetherbee
Staff Writer American Football is a hard hitting, fast playing, injury prone sport. But can it be worse than actually imaged? A count started in 2009 until 2013 on injuries in the NFL. This tally received over 992 injured players over the course of those four years. Should football fans be surprised? Many readers now are probably thinking “Oh that's just because those players are rookies, They're not actually used to the NFL’s hard hitting players,” but this is not true. Even NFL legends are getting injured. Joe Montana, who retired from the league two decades ago, is still feeling pain. “The mental part was initially hard when I first retired. Because it quit cold turkey the game is gone, then the physical stuff tries to catch up with you.” Montana also stated “My hands have been, Oh my gosh, in the middle of the night they hurt like crazy”. He then started talking about a nerve in his eye and how it doesn't work anymore.“It acts like a lazy eye to some degree because every time you’re tired, it kind of goes wherever it feels like a little bit, not dramatic but just enough where you can’t read or you have to refocus.’’ The cost of him being in the Hall of Fame seems like his life. Injuries aren't just for the pros but can happen to kids as well. Over the last decade, almost 100 kids have been killed because of high school football. This is because high school teams use old or bad equipment, but even if they did have great equipment like the NFL or the NCAA, kids could still get hurt on the field. So how can people involved with the sport change this? Luckily there are many companies asking the same question. Football equipment is getting better and better each year for all ages and positions. Big companies like Riddell and Xenith are making helmets that can absorb the hit so the players heads don't have to. A company called Guardian made a cover for football players helmets. This cover acts as a pillow and when hit the player feels no harm. New contraptions are popping up too to help players. A man once made a cushioned rib protector for player’s ribs that protects them like a truck. He tested his design on stage by having somebody hit him in the ribs 20 times with a metal bat and he didn't feel a thing. Although the fancy football gear, not just the equipment, can save the player's lives and minds, there needs to be something to help the players survive whether it could be a change of rules or a change to have more trainers on the field to keep the players safe. Whatever it is it needs to happen and happen fast. The sport of football needs a change. Comments are closed.
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LJHSLakeridge Junior High School is an award- winning academic institution located in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Archives
October 2018
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