Why The President's Comments About Football Safety Could Be Good For Football

Many people have criticized the president for his remarks this week about football safety but questioning football safety can ultimately be good for football

The president said, "I'm a big football fan, but I have to tell you if I had a son, I'd have to think long and hard before I let him play football" 

Although mean people disagreed with what the president said it's hard to deny the danger football brings and ow much concern a parent must have letting their child play. I myself love the sport of football and has played backyard football as well as organized ball but would also question having my son play.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 765,000 American youth under 25 years of age enter an emergency department every year with a new brain injury -- over 80,000 are hospitalized and over 11,000 die annually. So there should be a certain level of concern for a sport that has so many head injuries.

But is this really a bad thing for the NFL?


This intense scrutiny could be good for the sport because if people continue to question America's most popular sport it will always push Roger Goodell and scientist to figure out ways to make football safer.

It is almost impossible to eliminate the danger that comes with playing the most violent sport in the world. World class athletes running full speed at each other has a tendency to sometimes end badly. But modern helmets have made it much safer although they cannot completely prevent the brain from rattling around inside the skull.

The best way to prevent concussions will be to try to change the way players hit. Players don't have to lounge head first to land big hits, so the game doesn't have to suffer at the expense of keeping players safe.

It's a long process and although I don't always agree with the fines that commissioner Goodell slaps on player for breathing on another players helmet it is done to make the game better.

A safer NFL could keep the it around a lot longer, especially since safety issues are the only stigma attached to the sport and the constant nagging from the media and former players will always pressure the commissioner and owners to make sure the game isn't extinct in 30 years.