Injuries won’t stop the love of the game

By Jason Arevalo @flamingtoxic622

Despite the number of injuries each year, football is one of the most popular sports in America, drawing millions of viewers each week. The Super Bowl is the crown jewel of The National Football League (NFL), with last year’s game attracting about 99.18 million viewers.

I love watching football, especially the NFL games. I grew up watching the NFL games which is something I share with my family. My family had two people who played high school football. My 16-year-old younger cousin plays for the Chatsworth High JV football team. He got hurt badly last year and sprained his ankle, causing him to miss out on a couple of practices and games. My 18-year-old cousin played for his Clark High School football until sophomore year.

Besides watching my cousins play football, my family watches each new NFL season. I’ve lost my voice sometimes screaming at the TV screen wanting my team to make a different play or messing up on a touchdown.

With 32 teams across the country, football has the most injuries compared to any other sport. The NFL had about 129 injuries as of 2021. Two recently injured players are Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered from commotio cordis and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered from head and neck injuries.

To protect players football equipment has changed over the years. The first football helmet was only made out of leather straps and moleskin, now it’s made out of light and durable plastic. The teams wear thigh, knee and shoulder pads to limit the damage a player takes.

If any player is not wearing this equipment, then they are not allowed to play. If a player is injured too many times they might be dropped from the team. With the safety equipment they are still prone to injuries on the field.

Despite the criticism of the sport because of the injuries, my family and I still plan to gather around the TV and watch the Super Bowl on Sunday.