In Psychology, we watched a two hour documentary on football and its damaging effects on the body, specifically the human brain. Studies found that football is statistically the most dangerous sport, with 500,000 reported injuries per year. Out of every 3 NFL players, one suffers from some form of brain trauma, and according to http://www.concussiontreatment.com/concussionfacts.html, football players are at a 75% higher risk of being concussed at some point in their lives than someone who doesn't play the sport. Just from these few statistics alone, football proves to be a dangerous sport. If you have ever been to a game in your life, which more than likely you have, you've seen the physical contact involved with the sport. It seems as though each quarter, the sports med team is rushing out with their stretcher to save a victim of a sprained ankle, fractured wrist, cracked rib. John McCurtry, author of "Kill Em, Crush Em, Eat Em Raw" was a football player himself once upon a time, and he recognizes the violence associated with the sport. In fact, McMurtry feels so strongly towards the brutality and violence of football that he has the audacity to compare it to engaging in war.
McMurtry introduces the article with an anecdote. He himself suffered from injuries inflicted upon him thanks to the great sport of football. As a matter of fact, an old teammate of his was undergoing back surgery in the same hospital on the same day McMurtry was diagnosed with acute herniation. He leads the next paragraph with a comparison: football is strikingly similar to war. He backs up this opinion with several analogies, a block or tackle is comparable to a kill, a coach is related to a military general, team advertisements are essentially propaganda. Then he simply lists the similarities. Terms such as "blitz", "front line", and "pursuit" are used in both situations. Both practice the idea of territorial aggression, and absolute command. Lastly, they both require bravery and aggression. In the following paragraph, McMurtry provides a single contrast between the two: there is little to no protest against football. In a ways he is correct, but according to "Brain Trauma to Affect One in Three Players, NFL Agrees" published in 2014 to the New York Times, over 5,000 former NFL athletes have sued the company under the allegations that they have suffered injuries inflicted upon them by the sport, injuries in which they were not informed of the dangers of. There IS protest against the sport, regardless of its effectiveness.
McMurtry, John. "Kill Em Crush Em Eat Em." (n.d.): n. pag. Web.
McMurtry introduces the article with an anecdote. He himself suffered from injuries inflicted upon him thanks to the great sport of football. As a matter of fact, an old teammate of his was undergoing back surgery in the same hospital on the same day McMurtry was diagnosed with acute herniation. He leads the next paragraph with a comparison: football is strikingly similar to war. He backs up this opinion with several analogies, a block or tackle is comparable to a kill, a coach is related to a military general, team advertisements are essentially propaganda. Then he simply lists the similarities. Terms such as "blitz", "front line", and "pursuit" are used in both situations. Both practice the idea of territorial aggression, and absolute command. Lastly, they both require bravery and aggression. In the following paragraph, McMurtry provides a single contrast between the two: there is little to no protest against football. In a ways he is correct, but according to "Brain Trauma to Affect One in Three Players, NFL Agrees" published in 2014 to the New York Times, over 5,000 former NFL athletes have sued the company under the allegations that they have suffered injuries inflicted upon them by the sport, injuries in which they were not informed of the dangers of. There IS protest against the sport, regardless of its effectiveness.
McMurtry, John. "Kill Em Crush Em Eat Em." (n.d.): n. pag. Web.
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