By Cameron Strawhacker
In the sports culture of the United States there are only so many events that could fill up a stadium with 156,000 people. Or fill stadiums with over 100,000 every Saturday in the fall. Obviously, this is football. No other sport comes close to the amount of fans coming to games on a consistent basis every week for close to 4 months straight. This displays the love, devotion, and passion people have for the sport of football. Due to this large exposure, it naturally has the most media coverage out of any sport. With this abundance of media and recognition there also comes criticism.
In recent years, with an increase in research and focus on dangers and head related injuries. People have started to ask-should we stop watching football because of its dangers? No, we should not stop watching football simply because of the dangers it poses. The sport has so many more important positives that come from it such as the love for the game as well as the positive stories that come from it.
Although there is lots of evidence and numbers showing those who play football in college or professionally are more likely to suffer from CTE, some of these numbers are skewed. In a recent autopsy study they found that 345 of 376 brains observed had signs of CTE. If you do the math, you would find that 90 percent is alarmingly high. Nobody is disagreeing with that, but you have to take into account the source of the 376 brains.
The majority of the brains they viewed were of retired NFL players who died in their 70s and 80s who played football in the 60s and 70s where there was no rules protecting the players, no technology to develop and improve helmets and equipment, few doctors or trainers on the sidelines evaluating players for injuries, and had no training or knowledge of diagnosing, treating, and preventing head injuries. Those others’ brains they studied were those that passed at younger ages with clear signs of CTE or other mental illnesses.
Another reason we should continue to watch football is the positive, heartwarming, stories that come from it. One example is the University of Iowa’s “wave” at the end of the first quarter of home games, everyone in the stadium, fans, coaches, the home team, and the opposing team stop and wave to the kids staying in the Stead Family Children’s Hospital that looks over the stadium, who in a rough time like that love to feel support from thousands of people.
Another example of this is the story of Tyler Trent, the Purdue football superfan who was 22 at the time of his death in 2019. Trent grew up loving football and Purdue before becoming diagnosed with osteosarcoma (a form of bone cancer) in 2014. From then on his life changed as he had his arm amputated and went through a series of surgical procedures and chemo to attempt to improve his health. By the 2018 season Trent was a student at Purdue but was still living with his parents, due to his serious health problems. College Gameday, a famous college football show shared his story with millions ahead of the October 20th Purdue football game against Ohio State. Trent was to be an honored guest at the game with him and his family in a suite. Trent had just one wish for that night-a boilermaker win. Purdue, a severe underdog just 3-3 going into the game, absolutely dominated undefeated No. 2 ranked Ohio State beating them 49-20 which later came to be known as the Tyler Trent game.
These are just a few examples of the dozens of reasons why we should continue to support and watch football. There is no doubt football is a dangerous sport and if it’s not for you there’s nothing wrong with that. But for the hundreds of millions of fans who watch football every year, don’t judge them because they partake in the celebrations and antics of football fans all over this country that has been passed down for generations. For those football fans, take some time and think to yourself what it is you love about the game, and what it would take for you to stop watching it.
Works Cited
Press, Associated. “Battle at Bristol Draws Record Crowd of 156,990.” The Tennessean, The Tennessean, 11 Sept. 2016, www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/ut/2016/09/11/battle-bristol-draws-record-crowd-156990/90218348/.
Mann, Denise. “In Autopsy Study, over 90% of Former NFL Players Showed Signs of Brain …” U.S. News, 9 Feb. 2023, www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-02-09/in-autopsy-study-over-90-of-former-nfl-players-showed-signs-of-brain-disease-cte.
Schwarz, Alan. “Before Suicide, Duerson Said He Wanted Brain Study.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 Feb. 2011, www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/sports/football/20duerson.html.
“The Hawkeye Wave.” University of Iowa Athletics, https://hawkeyesports.com/, 22 June 2022, hawkeyesports.com/wave/.
Kravitz, Bob. “The Tyler Trent Game: What It Still Means to Those Who Were There for Purdue’s Enchanted Night.” The Athletic, 20 Oct. 2022, theathletic.com/3679771/2022/10/20/tyler-trent-purdue-ohio-state-tom-rinaldi/.
“Welcome to ESPN College GameDay.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 2023, promo.espn.com/collegegameday/.