Over the past 4 to 5 years the National Football League commonly known as the NFL has really changed the ways it’s played and the way it portrays its product. Any football player in the NFL in the 80’s and 90’s would tell you that football is the most dangerous sport to play. Old school football as it’s sometimes referred as is known by the players and its viewers as hard nose, helmet to helmet, dirty football in which big hits and injuries were common. Also in old school football you would see games being played in all types of weather it was snowing, pouring or below 0 degree temps. I bring this up because anyone who is a common NFL follower saw what happen this weekend and what has been changing in the NFL over the past 4 to 5 years. The NFL has been changing its product the last few years, unlike what I described before as old school football the NFL over the past few years has implemented rules and suspensions for things such as big hits and late hits. Big hits and dirty plays if you ask any old school football player would tell you it’s always been a part of the game but now a day with guys being more athletic and stronger than ever things are changing. Over the past 5 to 6 years the NFL has been constantly adding rules to overly protect its players whether it be hitting the QB to high or too low or even to late and hitting WR’s that are defenseless in the field of play.
The reason I bring this up is because anyone that has been watching football this season has seen the many injuries that have been occurring and specify the amount of concussions. Just this weekend alone 5 players got concussions and 1 even broke his neck and was pronounced paralyzed from his neck down. I will post a video at the bottom of the page of a game I was watching this weekend in which WR from the Eagles Desean Jackson was hit with a helmet to helmet hit which knocked him out and even gave him memory loss. Though the hit was not that dirty and there didn’t seem like there was any intent to cause harm, the helmet to helmet contact is because a major issue in football one which was never even considered in old school football.
The summary of these big hits specifically helmet to helmet hits are being cracked down on and after this weekend the NFL has decided to start suspending players that so called “lay a big hit” or use their helmet to tackle another player. This has started a real buzz around the league because the NFL is changing the whole product of the NFL is a hard nose, dangerous game to it more now being about strategy and just speed.
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It's a shame the NFL has to stick it's nose into the rules concerning "devastating" hits once again. North American football is a aggressive gladiator type sport, which in essence makes it exciting to watch and enjoy. Many decades ago football players only wore leather helmets and hit each-other as hard as they could. This type of "backyard brawl" football is what made the game great. Even as recent as a few years ago football players and the league still had this mentality.
ReplyDeleteNow personally the NFL and american football is becoming a joke! Or what I like to call the "Wussification" of America. First a few years ago the NFL implemented new rules protecting overpaid skirt wearing quarterback from getting hit. Now everyone is crying about the safety of professional athletes via concussions. Heres my two cents If the NFL continues to limit the violent nature of football, I might as well start to watch the European football because these new rules, suspensions, and fines are not only pathetic but sad as well.