The NFL, a highly esteemed organization that has been a dominant force in the American television industry, is slowly coming back from its lack of viewership that hit in 2017. With only 15 million then, the lowest of the past 13 years, they are now experiencing one of their highest peaks with 18.6 million viewers in just three weeks of the 2024 season.
However, the recent rise in popularity has caused more bad than good due to the media making the problems known. The NFL is claiming that they care about their players’ safety, but it’s quite the opposite. This year, the Houston Texans have three games all within ten days. This would be an average of 3000 injuries in the NFL and multiple rules to make the players safer, but nothing they have done helped players like Tua Tagovailoa, Chris Olave, and, just last year, Aaron Rodgers.
Year after year, the NFL has chosen its fans over its players. They have changed multiple rules to benefit the viewer only, like the dynamic kickoff one rule that has failed overall by making the kickoff component of the NFL boring. There have been many players and fans angry following the rules of the hip drop tackle. This is because the officials have a lack of seeing it. In other words, they are extremely lenient in calling things. This makes it easier for ankle and or lower body ligament tears, leaving the players’ talents in the past and their lasting pain in the future.
I make out that the NFL is starting to fail, although others may assume otherwise. If the NFL is “not failing,” then why would they start changing the rules to make the viewers more interested? I would think they would keep things the same and make necessary changes when there is a problem. Meanwhile, the NFL is creating problems and making everyone angry with their hires and their trainers who falsely diagnose players to make them play, which is partially a team organization’s fault.
To bring up a previous point, Tua Tagovailoa, a Miami Dolphins quarterback over the past two years, has had three concussions. Two of them resulted in a fencing response, which is a reaction to a traumatic head injury. He had been evaluated shortly after the initial concussion and the next week played in the next game which ended in him being out for another concussion, lying on the floor with another fencing response.
In all, the NFL has been growing and declining throughout all of its years. I think they need to take more precautions for safety. The NFL has made many careers of good people go to waste because of their lack of new injury prevention innovations to help them. Now, the NFL deserves to have that backlash and have the players talk bad about it because maybe then they will come to their senses and find a way to work with said players.
The final thing is a question for you. How would you feel if you were playing the game that you love in the organization that you dreamed of playing in, and they don’t think about you or your friends’ safety? It makes you wonder: should these dreams not be there at all? The NFL has been a sanctuary for many football players, but, by the way things are going, there is not going to be a league if there are this many injuries.
