Disrupting the game?

There is a unique aspect to each sport that we enjoy: baseball is about a ball and a bat, basketball is a ball and a basket, hockey is about checking and fighting while on ice skates. For football fans, the hard hitting tackles make games memorable.

These tackles often include some form of helmet-to-helmet contact. And the National Football League (NFL) has been trying to reduce this type of contact to prevent concussions among players. The NFL has seen an increase in concussions, but by trying to prevent them they are taking away a large part of the game.

Within the past two seasons, Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, changed the rule about concussions. The rule now states that players cannot return to a game if they were exhibiting certain concussion symptoms. These include an inability to remember assignments or plays, a gap in memory, persistent dizziness and persistent headaches. The previous rule stated that a player could not return to action if he had lost consciousness.

The league has also tried to crack down on helmet-to-helmet hits. There is a 15-yard penalty applied to the play for any violations. Plays also can be reviewed for fines and suspension. This is where there is a lot of grey matter.

How do you decide who was at fault? How can you punish someone who was unable to stop running and collided with another player?

Most recently, Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed was suspended for a helmet-to-helmet hit against Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Emmanuel Sanders. Reed chose to appeal the decision and won. However, his actions warranted some form of punishment, according to the NFL’s hearing officer Ted Cottrell, and Reed was fined $50,000.

I believe that it is important to look out for the safety of the players. However, the players know what they are getting themselves into. They know that football is a violent sport by nature. We should be thankful that they even have helmets.

Yes, I agree if the player is defenseless and just gets hit in the helmet by another player a penalty in the game should be applied. But by fining players and suspending them, a fun aspect of the game is lost: the sounds of helmet clashing and the excitement of a hard hit.

At the same time, I think that the NFL is taking the right steps by donating $30 million to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. According to a press release on NFL.com, Goodell said, “We hope this grant will help accelerate the medical community’s pursuit of pioneering research to enhance the health of athletes past, present and future. This research will extend beyond the NFL playing field and benefit athletes at all levels and others, including members of our military.”

Injuries are part of any sport. I have played hurt before. I understand the desire to keep playing, even more so for professional athletes because they are getting paid to perform on the field every week.

I appreciate what the NFL is trying to do here, but they are taking away my favorite part of the game. An amazing throw from Tom Brady is awesome and watching Adrian Peterson run down the field is pretty spectacular, but nothing is cooler than watching the players tackle each other. Plus, the sound of helmets connecting with one another is the equivalent to the sound of a baseball player connecting his bat to the ball – it belongs in the game.

[WRITER’S NOTE: ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE NOVEMBER 2012 EDITION OF “THE PULSE”]