In the article “Does Football Have a Future?” Ben McGrath writes about an issue that has been plaguing football since the late 1800s. The issue is the controversy over the NFL and their football players’ health – both physically and mentally. It is most specifically over the concussion crisis. McGrath provides information from his experiences with the NFL, the players, and the doctors. Throughout the article, there are also many quotes from these experiences with the people who are involved with football. His overwhelming use of logos is what makes his position uncertain. This creates a fallacy because he does not compel the reader to have the same opinion as him. McGrath’s own opinion is unclear from the reader’s standpoint due to that fact that he presents evidence behind banning football, reforming football, and keeping football the same Firstly, McGrath defends the argument that football does not have a future. After introducing his topic with a story of his first football game and first favorite player, he uses this to present this question, “Was Ironhead a role model for a sport with no future?” This question introduces the topic and also sets the mood for the duration of the article. He gives several examples of football players with traces of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (C.T.E.) in their brains. This condition is what results from a person who has had a multitude of concussions or …show more content…
He does not answer the question “does football have a future?” His lack of a stance allows whoever reads this article to analyze the data and develop their stance on football. I think his reason for showing every side was for this purpose - the side of keeping football, banning football, and reforming football. He does not say it has a future because it is unknown – it is up to the fans, football players, and the NFL to decide the fate of this loved and tough
“This sport will never die, but it will never again be, as it was until recently, the subject of uncomplicated national enthusiasm.” This thesis statement introduces us to the basis of what this article sets out to convey. Football is a tradition that is loved by America, but previously lacked the issue of concern that it does now. The most concerning issue that the author is talking about is chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. Caused by multiple head injuries, over a span of time, this disease results in atrophy of the brain, mood disorders, and dementia. The hidden damage caused by these injuries is taken into consideration when deciding to play football, however it is believed that this risk will deter players from joining in
Concussion is the true gripping story of one man’s decision to stand up to a multibillion-dollar business. Nigerian pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu works at the coroner’s office in downtown Pittsburgh. Here he made a discovery in the body of one of the greatest football players ever to play the game, Mike Webster. He suffered a decline in his body and started to act very strange by living out his car and tasering himself till he was unconscious so he can go to sleep; he was only fifty years old. Omalu discovered that Webster had a disease caused by multiple blows to the head from his football career, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which could affect everyone playing the game. Omalu felt that everyone should know of this and the harm
American football is an intense sport in which two teams of 11 tough players endeavour to bringing the football to the opposite team’s end zone in order to succeed a touchdown or a field goal. The quarterback, who carries the ball, scrambles to avoid being sacked by the defense. Their aggressive behaviour on the football field causes them to act roughly at home, notably by using brute force against their wife or girlfriend. Louisa Thomas, the author of the essay “Together We Make Football”, published on September 17 in 2014, argue that domestic
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy also known as C.T.E is a degenerative brain disease found in athletes, military veterans, and others with repetitive brain trauma (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2017). The Editorial Board wrote the article “The Scars From ‘Bell Ringing” Football Tackles,” publish July 29, 2017 in the New York Times, the Board argues that C.T.E is linked to football with the research help of Dr. Ann McKee. The Board uses pathos and logos effectively but when it comes to ethos, they do not build up their credibility.
In Steve Almond’s essay, “You Knock My Brains Out This Sunday and I Knock Your Brains Out the Next Time We Meet,” he starts off by describing a haunting memory from his childhood. He explains how when he watched Jack Tatum collide with Darryl Stingley, he enjoyed the thrill of the violence, yet felt ashamed about the way he felt because Stingley was now a quadriplegic. He goes on to explain why he felt that way, and also why he still kept watching the game, He talks about his childhood and about how his family seemed perfect on the outside, however behind closed doors they were a troubled family with little boys running around with forks and knives and stabbing each other. He goes on to talk about aggression and how soothing it was. He then moves on to talk about the life expectancy of football players and how they live shorter lives, and that Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is common among football players. Almond focuses on how football players suffer long-term brain damage due to the sport. He gives an example of former players saying how they have memory loss and how they see stars frequently. Almond addresses the issue of how the NFL tried to hide the actual facts about what was really going on, and manipulate the players as well. And that even when the truth came out people put
Multiple deaths from a degenerative brain disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is what the true culprit of the NFL is. This disease is caused from repetitive blunt force trauma to the head, leading those who are effected to struggle later in life and even turn to suicide. People are writing about these safety concerns in football nowadays because of the multitude of deaths related to this disease and the way the NFL choses to deal with it. The NFL disregarding its players is a subject at hand currently because people continue to suffer from CTE without even confirming they have it before they have already deteriorated. “Football Has Become Too Real to Watch” by television writer, Eric Buchman, describes these realities of the NFL and how it went from being a safe haven to a place where the NFL pretends to be oblivious to the realities of the game. Buchman’s argument is that the joy of football is gone due to the reality of current issues within the NFL. The NFL getting away with awful things is what Buchman wants the reader to take away from this article. His contribution to this debate is that he offers a perspective of the fans for why this issue is important without any biases towards the NFL.
Steve Almond’s story “You Knock my Brains out This Sunday and I Knock Your Brains out the Next Time we Meet” speaks to the underlying truth about America’s Sunday pastime and how concussions can be prevented not only by the industry, but by its viewers as well. Football is well known after having been brought to the public’s eye as study after study was released proving that there was a link from football to head injuries. Although in our modern society we have already subconsciously made the connection between football and concussions. The fact that this problem is not decreasing, could be surprising, as the lack of understanding about who has control and the ability to influence change. We hear that football helmets and pads, are getting better, but that does not stop concussions. We do not hear how helmets make players feel and change their play style based on the feeling of invincibility that people feel while wearing a helmet. Pads and helmets do help protect the players but false senses of security due to lack of knowledge on what
Imagine being member of a football team on the field while the crowd is cheering for their favorite team. You are probably wondering, “WOW, I never thought that I will be part of this team.” Football is not for everyone and being part of a football team does not mean that you are going to be in the spotlight. A person can learn much from playing football. Football teaches strength, discipline, and how to be a team player.
Peter Park 2/6/2016 Language Arts 6-6 Football Argumentative Essay Final Draft Football and Concussions: the Crisis on Our Hands Football is America’s banner sport. Every year, millions of people watch the National Football League either genuinely on stadiums or live on televisions. The NFL is treated like a golden piggy: fragile, but all-powerful in money making. However, it seems that America’s front-runner sport is in a crisis. Concussions are having a seismic effect on youth football.
Concussions, injuries, and suffering- those are what always happen in football games. Football is the most popular sport in America, people like the sound of “uh....” when football players hit each other. In the documentary “League of Denial: NFL’s Concussion Crisis” by Frontline, the connection between playing football and brain injuries is analyzed. Steve Almond’s, “Against Football: One Fan’s Reluctant Manifesto” shows how football impacts his life and how evil the NFL is. Also other books that say the same things are “Ban College Football” by Intelligence2 Debates. They want to show how much impact human beings can receive when they play football and how football’s safety rules change to protect their players. Most of the time, resources always talk about CTE -Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy- an injury that can result in a memory loss. The illness comes from brain trauma that is caused by violent concussions and makes the tau protein, which actually is not supposed to be in the brain, stay inside the brain and kill all the neurons. The documentary by Frontline focuses on how many people are being affected by this problem and how the NFL reacts to all the allegations
In 2015, a movie starring Will Smith as a doctor named Bennett Omalu who is researching how a former football player died when he discovered a brain disorder that is related to Alzheimer’s disease and attempted to warn people about the head-related dangers of football. This nonfiction movie is about just the beginning of the football concussion problems, but the problems still exist today. All players are at risk, not only professionals, but kids as well. Countless concussions by football players have lead to trauma and even death. Officials in charge of these games need to make the game safer for all players and better equipment is required or football may go extinct in the future.
In this article, “The End Of Football,” Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass states that football will surely end due to the severe physical and mental health issues that football creates. He writes about the connection between football and brain damage;
In today’s day and age, baseball is no longer considered the past-time of America. Football has gradually become more and more popular and is nothing short of the most watched and anticipated season in America. In the nation today there are 3 million kids who participate in youth football, which consists of children age five to 16. Also, there are an estimated 1.1 million high school football athletes, and 100,000 players at the collegiate level. While the sport is arguably the nation’s most popular sport, it may come with consequences. Over the past few years, concerns have been raised about the risk that players may face from taking repeated hits to the head. Studies show that more than 50 former professional football players have suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disease caused by impact. The question is, how can these possibly life-ending risks be lessened or even ended.
Over the past several years, concussions and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) have become hot topics in the world of football. The long lasting effects of concussions and CTE experienced
The history of football is interesting as well as exciting, from the first forms of the game ever played, to the multi million dollar organizations of today. The game continues to evolve and change with the times.