Violence in sports

Violence in sports is defined as vicious actions that occur frequently on the field and are, for the most part, unintentional. Such attempts, on the other hand, can be premeditated attempts to injure a coach or any player, as well as physical threats. Most athletes engage in violence and aggressive behavior against their peers, children, and spouses, as reported by the media. According to a study, men who participate in sports engage in violent behavior. Sexual assaults, physical fights, and bullying are examples of these behaviors; athletes have a much more positive attitude toward brutal force than non-athletes. Most athletes engage in violence as a result of this attitude, which can result in physical or mental trauma. Thus, the research paper will dwell on the fact that football players come from a culture in which violence is witnessed through hard hits and injuries; therefore, they are more susceptible to engaging in violent behavior or face chronic health risks.

Sports injuries can be treated by less participation in sports to allow enough time to heal; however, some traumas can cause a substantial physical or mental burden. Some athletes can suffer serious mental health issues such as depression and anxiety due to their psychological response towards the injury. Many players are experiencing dementia due to repeated blows that take place in the head after violence in the field. Dave Duerson who suffered from this condition committed suicide after his retirement in NFL due to depression. Violence is prevalent in players, and they are found to be highly prone to criminality. Physical negative effects of football are that a player is exposed to neurological threats as well as the high risks of joints and ligaments being injured during the game. Also as a footballer ages, he experiences a lot of difficulties with their elbow joints, hips, and knees. The players are also at high risk of inflexibility and movement as they grow older.

The Culture of American Football

Football is important in American culture because it provides unity and brings people together. In the United States, it has been violent and disorganized in past years, and it was played mostly by men than women. It then gradually became more formalized and even more popular, and many individuals participate. American culture, however, values human life than the game, and they find it dangerous to people. They consider sport a barbaric sport due to regular hard hits which can cause an injury to the player. Most Americans, therefore, do not support or engage in the game. People who play football are seen to be rough; it is also believed that players are more exposed to high mental illness which can even be permanent and sometimes life-threating. Nevertheless, football culture is very influential to society as a whole; through football, people can make friends. The more violence, the more finances they can make, since it is very attractive and high-paced game (Ryan).

The culture does not tolerate it because of the perception of the footballers as immoral; some players can be paid by their team owners to cause troubles to their opponents. Football is viewed to be rougher than rugby, since it involves violent acts. It is an aggressive game, and therefore, making people play to be a great fan of fighting, since points are scored by taking hits for the group. If a team is to win, they should score more points than their opponents by using their skills through violence. Via these football acts, football and war can be mutually energizing relation with each other, since both involve the use of the same tactics.

American football is not widely embraced, but it still attracts a significant global audience; many Americans find it to be fun. Football violent hits are captivating to many spectators, and it has given them the energy to support their team. Throughout the game, players experience a lot of injuries; in addition, sometimes violence erupts between players, their coaches, teamers, or even among the spectators. Some of the injuries experienced can be very brutal, and it can cause trauma to people who are weak of the heart (Reuters). Also, the frequent disagreements in the field can cause the repeated blows that can easily result into the psychological problems to players suffer from unstable heart condition.

Long-Term Health Complications

American football players have a high risk of suffering from long-term health risks. Research shows that many American players were diagnosed with brain damage, with vast majority of them being the national football league athletes (Ho). Many of them suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE); it is a term of brain-damaged which transpires after several blows in the head and tackles when playing. CTE is associated with depression, loss of memory, and dementia, and currently, it is commonly met in football (Ho). Sometimes CTE cannot be experienced immediately, but can manifest itself years later or even a decade after an injury to the brain. An accurate diagnosis of CTE can only be made after death, and as it is discovered, most of the footballers have the risk to this health problem. Most players also suffer mental health and anxiety issues, and it has been a great challenge facing footballers currently (Ho).

Depression can also be experienced after the athlete has retired; they suffer from the condition, because they find it difficult to cope with change in life, since they get away from a public life of being seen as heroes and the fascinating lives they live. Through struggle to maintain the team performance, a footballer can also have a hard time, especially when a team is facing challenges of performance. This depression has made many footballers indulge in taking drugs and alcohol. Most players are also at high risk of being paralyzed by hard tackles they get in the field. Since football is a violent game, tackles and tricks used can be the reason of making someone paralyzed; it is because the injury caused might be a brutal one and can take longer to heal (Diamond). The tackle might also cause permanent injury that can make the part affected not to function again. For instance, Australian NRL player, Alex McKinnon, 22, was injured in a tackle and left his leg broken; according to the doctor, he might never walk again (Diamond).

American Football Players and Violent Behavior

Most of NFL players have violent behavior; it is learned through the rough and hard skills they are using in the field. They are regularly arrested because of cases domestic violence; most of the football players are also known to abuse their partners (Reuters). The abusive marriages have led to the breakage in unions, which is driven by the player’s aggressive behaviors. The clashing personalities that the footballers possess are acquired from the violent nature of football which is a very aggressive game. Therefore, the players adopt various characters which make them cause chaos in their homes or even other public places such as clubs. Due to their hyper-activeness, footballers find themselves bored when they are not busy in the field. It can drive them to engage in activities which can result into the negative consequences such as fights and gambling.

Favoring Safer Sports Options

Most of the American parents are against their children engaging in football; they prefer other sports, because they believe that the football game is violent. They are certain that football can expose their children to many health risks such as depression and concussions; more so, many parents value education in their kids’ lives more than football. Most of the American parents, however, believe that such games as football are important for their children health and academics, but it should not endanger the kids’ health. Since the new generation is being discouraged from engaging in football activities, the participation in a football game will then significantly decrease.

Conclusion

Since football is a violent game, many players tend to experience regular negative health effects, with some of them even being long-term. Injuries are commonly experienced in sports, and most of the times, it cannot be avoided. Some traumas can be easily managed, while others take too long to heal. Despite this fact, playing football is a great talent that a person has, and therefore, most men who have started practicing the game do not care about the dangers of it. The urge to become heroes and living a public life drives them to participate in the process despite the dangers it might be posing. Football, however, is a good game that helps keeping the body physically fit and assists one to be active and achieving; it is also a good option for leisure activities.



Works Cited

Diamond, Dan. “Does Playing Football Make You Violent? Examining the Evidence.” Forbes, 2014. https://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2014/09/16/does-football-make-you-violent-examining-the-evidence/#2eed922bfb7e. Accessed 14 Nov. 2017.

Ho, Shannon. “’Bad for Your Brain’: CTE Reports, Concussions Deter Parents From Youth Football.” NBC 5 Chicago, 2017. https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/health/CTE-Reports-Impact-Future-of-Youth-Football-436639243.html. Accessed 14 Nov. 2017.

Reuters. “American Football Study Finds Evidence of Brain Injury in Living NFL Veterans.” The Telegraph, 2016. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/american-football/2016/04/11/american-football-study-finds-evidence-of-brain-injury-in-living/. Accessed 14 Nov. 2017.

Ryan, Bob. “Barbaric Nature of Football Is Troubling.” The Boston Globe, 2014. https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2014/09/21/barbaric-nature-football-troubling/DaBl2jq47uMoz53lQbJBsI/story.html. Accessed 14 Nov. 2017.