Football Pro Bowl 2013 featuring Peyton Manning[/caption]Carol Forsloff---Joe Jr is 14 years old and wants to be like his father, playing football and having the recognition that comes with being a star athlete at the local high school. But are the rewards of the sport worth the risks?
In March 2013 the publication USA Today reported a study by Cleveland Clinic researchers on college football and head injuries. What the study found is that football players can suffer brain damage even when they don’t have a concussion.
The study brought to the front a discussion that has gone on between parents, children and the community for generations, as people have observed young athletes carried off the field or watched the slow deterioration of abilities of those involved in football and have been concerned.
Recently ESPN has denied it interfered with a television documentary on brain injuries, catering instead to corporate sponsors of football events. Some have accused the network of succumbing to the pressure of the National Football League and the might of the money brought by way of advertisements and support. That discussion mirrors those that happen even in small town America where football brings money to the local college by way of tickets to the games. So when a college is having financial difficulty they are often more likely to cut an academic program than an athletic one.
In 2009 Dr. Randall Webb, then President of Northwestern University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, pointed out to a local reporter, “Sports pays the bills” when asked about the cuts to the academic programs even as the athletic department flourished. Vic the Demon is the image of the town known by its citizens as emblematic of the interest paid locally to the game of football.
As ESPN sorts out the criticisms it has received over their withdrawal from the documentary on football and head injuries it has offered the observation that the discussion from the NFL has brought mixed messages. On the one hand, the organization acknowledges that head injuries are a risk for those who play football. At the same time there is the pressure economically and socially for the sport to continue as a top attraction for the public. And there have been lawsuits that have led to the denial and statements in the past that maintained that for the most part football has not caused head injuries, even though it presently faces lawsuits from former players.
When a community suffers from economic stress, sports offers diversion and some financial support. On a personal level, it offers young people an opportunity to compete, be recognized and have an opportunity to attend college. But it also brings a lifetime of problems for those who suffer brain injuries.