The Future of Football
Football is violent and players risk their long-term health each time they step onto the field. The National Football League (NFL) is under siege from fans, doctors and media regarding safety concerns, specifically physical injuries and the correlation between head contact and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). To mitigate these injuries, the NFL has come up with new safety rules, including a helmet contact rule to limit head trauma and a body weight rule to protect physical safety. While measures taken by the NFL to prevent injuries such as CTE are necessary, the league has gone too far with the new body weight rule.
Amid growing concern about NFL players suffering head trauma, the league has implemented a new rule for the 2018 season that appropriately attempts to curb such injuries. Any tackle in which a player lowers his head to make contact with his helmet against an opponent will now result in a flag. The penalty results in the loss of 15 yards, and if the defense commits the foul, it is an automatic first down. Furthermore, if an official concludes that a player is targeting another’s head, that player may be ejected from the game and face a fine. Essentially, it is now illegal to use the helmet as an offensive or defensive weapon.
Not only does this rule protect players’ safety, it also attempts to preserve their mental health beyond their time on the gridiron. Even though it might change the nature of the game, making it less dangerous, it is also a smart business move by the NFL. The rule change is meant to ensure the future of the league amidst vehement criticism. Indeed, outside of offensive pass interference, 15 yards is the furthest possible distance for a penalty, showing the seriousness with which the NFL is taking helmet contact.
Furthermore, since helmet contact is a major infraction, an automatic first down penalty for the defense is also appropriate. While opponents of the helmet rule would argue that this rule changes the nature of the game too much, the penalty is necessary to prioritize player safety over dangerous traditions, thereby ensuring football’s future.
Unlike the helmet rule, however, the new body weight rule is going too far. Heading into the 2018 season, the NFL is attempting to curb the negative stigma surrounding physical injuries. The body weight rule aims to protect quarterbacks by penalizing any hit in which a defensive player uses his weight to tackle and land on top of the quarterback.
Already, this rule has faced significant backlash. In an early matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers, Clay Matthews, an outside linebacker, rushed Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and delivered what initially looked like a clean hit in the final minutes of a close game. However, since he used body contact to bring the passer down, the official threw a flag. The Packers likely would have won the game, as they were leading at that time and the flag extended the drive. Instead, the game ended in a tie, with players from both sides protesting the penalty.
Cousins later admitted that the flag was “probably a generous call,” and that “two or three years ago, [the hit] probably doesn’t get flagged.”
Some question whether the rule actually makes the game safer. Williams Hayes, a Defensive End for the Miami Dolphins, tore his ACL in an attempted tackle when he tried to take an awkward side step during impact to avoid a flag. The rule therefore not only disrupts the flow of the game but also potentially compromises its own intention of making the game safer. Therefore, the body weight rule should be removed after its pilot run in 2018.
Mirroring the NFL, safety in high school football has been a hotly contested topic over the last few years. Even PEA’s starting linebacker, senior Isaac Choate, agrees. “I don’t think the NFL is safe, and I am glad they have started to put rules into place to curb late hits and head contact.”
He went on to say, “Football is a pretty demanding sport, and just getting through the season without injury is probably not going to happen.”
While the NFL includes the hardest hits by the strongest and fastest athletes in the world, high school football can be safe and enjoyable. In addition to Choate’s assertion that PEA’s league rules help keep players safe, he explained that “coaches go over tackling everyday and really help ensure that tackling is done properly. That way we avoid a lot of injuries.”
With proper technique and implementation of rules, the game should continue to be an American favorite. As we grow more aware of the negative effects of football, however, the sport will have to adapt to survive.