Introduction:  American football is one of the most brutal and violent sports in the world. Football players in the NFL put their bodies on the line week in and week out, aiming to perform well and make a living for their families. Unfortunately, athletes will often become injured in ways that can have lasting effects. Injuries are seen as part of the game, but injuries to the head can be extremely dangerous and cause harm to athletes for the rest of their lives.  In the past, football players and coaches have neglected to focus on these issues and play through these injuries despite the dangerous. Mental and physical health, specifically long term, were afterthoughts to athletes. Times are changing and more and more research on head trauma is being developed.

Thesis: Football changed from a game with no concern over injury, to one where concussion awareness changed the game and how it is viewed in the public eye.

Body Paragraph:

• History of football and the NFL

 

• The old approach and mindset on football

 

• Shift in concussion awareness

 

• Player concussion horror stories

 

• How rules have changed

 

• How technique has changed

 

• Concussion awareness initiative to promote players health

 

• What the future of football looks like

 

Conclusion: Football is and always will be dangerous, it’s just the nature of the sport. Although it may be dangerous that doesn’t mean the risk of playing can’t be reduced. The biggest risk to playing football is the head trauma and the lasting impact it can have on an athlete’s life. Looking at the older style of football athletes would play through anything and were unaware of the consequences. Overtime and more recently, doctors and athletes have become more aware of the problems of this approach. Countless football players have experienced health problems because of head trauma, and it can even have fatal effects. Football at all levels has addressed this issue and continues to improve to fix this problem in the best way possible.