Is Football Worth the risk?

   

  Written by Taylor Odenat

After one season, former rookie of the San Francisco 49ers Chris Borland retired from the National Football League at only 24 years of age. The average NFL retirement age is 28 years old, but Borland has decided to hang it up due to concerns about future brain issues. Many football enthusiasts wouldn't have blinked an eye at this announcement if this was about an irrelevant player, bound to be out of the league within a season or two regardless. However, Borland had an impressive season for the 49ers and seemed to have a future in the NFL at the linebacker position. So with this shocking decision, a frequently asked question is resurfaced: Is playing football worth the risk?

Young athletes normally choose between the popular sports they see on the bigger television networks and tend to gravitate to one of three sports: baseball, basketball or football. Now all of these sports can leave with you with a medley of injuries from a rotator cuff tear to a torn ACL; but football is known to be the most dangerous and cause the most health concerns further down the line. Many retired football players are now living with dementia and serious brain issues caused from playing football for a numerous amount of years. As recent as April of last year, Pro Football Hall of Famers Tony Dorsett and Joe DeLamielleure were diagnosed as showing signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This is a deteriorating condition that scientists say is caused by head trauma and related to depression and dementia. Injuries like this are caused by the helmet to helmet contact that takes place in football and the frequent concussions that players get while mid game. Football is a violent and risky sport to play and makes parents everywhere cringe when their son or daughter says they they are interested in playing.

A young athlete should be able to decide for themselves if they want to play football, but with that decision comes possible consequences. Not many NFL players retire unscathed, injuries will happen that will most likely affect the players long term and short term health. However, if the athlete is able to come to terms with that reality then football isn’t a bad sport. It’s the most popular sport in the country so it will always attract new players to its sport. Through training and hard work, people become very skilled football players and should not necessarily let the downfalls affect their decision to play. Some Americans are born with a natural agility, body build, and acceleration that would allow them to participate in contact activity; that is talent that should not be wasted or taken for granted.

Chris Borland is naturally going to spark the minds of many American parents and children on whether or not football is really worth the risk. Is it worth the grind and concussions, or the leg injuries and future health concerns, or the non guaranteed contracts? Theses are all questions that the player must decide for themselves; just like Borland decided that football wasn’t worth it, its up to the youth to decide if it is.

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