Max
Profits Over People, The Arc of the NFL Concussion Crisis
Football is a violent sport, with players experiencing hits comparable to car crashes regularly. While the NFL has implemented substantial reform in an effort to reduce concussions in the league, its response is constrained by commercial incentives rather than player safety. Even though the league has seen a decrease in concussion rates, shortened return-to-play protocols, combined with a reluctance to mandate the most effective protective helmets and padding, highlight that a player's safety is not the league's biggest priority. Since the leagues' practices are often mirrored at the high school level, the NFL's decision not to implement the safest protocols is directly influencing the health and development of adolescent players. If the NFL is to remain sustainable, it must focus on safety standards that prioritize long-term neurological health over short-term profitability.
WATCH HERE
Back
Football is a violent sport, with players experiencing hits comparable to car crashes regularly. While the NFL has implemented substantial reform in an effort to reduce concussions in the league, its response is constrained by commercial incentives rather than player safety. Even though the league has seen a decrease in concussion rates, shortened return-to-play protocols, combined with a reluctance to mandate the most effective protective helmets and padding, highlight that a player's safety is not the league's biggest priority. Since the leagues' practices are often mirrored at the high school level, the NFL's decision not to implement the safest protocols is directly influencing the health and development of adolescent players. If the NFL is to remain sustainable, it must focus on safety standards that prioritize long-term neurological health over short-term profitability.
WATCH HERE
More About Thacher
Interested in learning more about Thacher? Sign up for a virtual visit here.
A college preparatory boarding school for grades 9-12
Thacher is committed to maintaining an atmosphere of respect and dignity free from harassment. Our school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national, and ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability, or any other characteristics protected by state or federal law in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, tuition assistance, and athletic and other school-administered programs, or any other basis in law.