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Friday, March 29, 2024

Right now, the big buzzword for the NFL is “concussion.” It’s hard not to hear about it. Ever since the book and documentary “League of Denial” entered into the sports media arena, concerns for player safety and head-related injuries intensified. The word is in the back of every fan’s, coach’s and player’s mind. I challenge you to find a game where the word “concussion” has not been brought up by the play-by-play or color commentator.

When the Chiefs took on the Colts in the first week of the playoffs, the Chiefs’ star running back Jamaal Charles remained on the ground, motionless, during an opening drive play. After a few uneasy moments, the training staff checked him out. The result: concussion.

When the Saints played the Eagles, a Saints cornerback tried to lay a punishing hit on an Eagles wide receiver, only to have induced a concussion himself.

Fast forward a week to when the Saints took on the Seahawks. Seahawks wide receiver Percy Harvin passed a concussion test after a hard illegal hit by a Saints safety. Later in the game, he slammed his head on the ground trying unsuccessfully to catch a touchdown pass — concussion. This time, he remained on the sideline for the rest of the game.

Forget hearing about players getting concussions. We can see it happen every game.

This season in particular, many NFL watchers — myself included — saw the league through a different lens. It was hard not to see or read about a former player talking about his debilitating health condition and deteriorating mental capabilities because of his once-grand football career. And when you’re in the stands watching the games, you begin to worry about it yourself.

I sat in amazement watching player after player struggling to pick himself off the ground, staggering off to the sidelines, then tripping over himself and falling back down after a play is whistled dead. In the not-so-distant past, some players would sit on the sidelines after such an act and get back on the field a few plays later. Yes, the league has taken steps to making the game safer. It changed the rules about how a player can tackle, prevents hits on the quarterback, and such. But fans are still amazed at the amount of head injuries players take.

In the postseason, it is a completely different game. Whether you think NFL players lack passion for the game, you play to win when you are in the playoffs — emphasis on the word “play.” Regardless if you will regret going back on the field after a bone-crushing hit or hitting your head hard on the turf, you want to play in some of the biggest games of your career. Nothing, not even concerns of concussions, will get in your way.

Despite the concussion scrutiny, football remains the most popular game in the country. Though we balk at admitting it, we watch the game for the big hits. We want to see two grown men hurdle themselves at each other at top speed. We want to hear the crowd cheer in unison after a fullback runs over a linebacker for the game-winning touchdown.

We fans live in this paradox: We advocate player safety yet complain about the “wussification” of the game. But the players too live in a paradox — they want to hit and play hard, yet they want to be immune from injury in later life. Concussions will be a problem for the league and its public relations team for years to come. Until this problem is solved for good, we have to accept this unfortunate reality.

[Michael Beato is a UF economics sophomore. His columns appear on Wednesdays. A version of this column ran on page 6 on 1/29/2014 under the headline "Football and the concussion paradox"]

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