Common Culture: Reading And Writing About American Popular Culture
The Rules of Football
Football is one of the most popular sports in American history and culture. Whether a person’s favorite team is the Dallas Cowboys or the Denver Broncos the rivalry of football seems to never cease. Almost everyone knows about football Sunday. But some people only see the game as a violent, unpredictable sport that can only cause harm to the boys that decide to play. Some mothers dread their child going on the field. They worry about concussions and other major injuries that can occur. They say the coaches are too harsh on the boys and the practices are too long and rough. However, these mothers do not understand what it takes to be a coach or what it takes to play football and the mental stability a player needs. These people want to change the rules of football and make it a safer …show more content…
game. But, by changing the rules they will change the entire game. People come to watch tackles; they do not come to watch a kid pull off a flag like they did when they were little. It may be cute when they are little, but everyone has to grow up, even in sports. The NFL would make no money whatsoever if it was changed to flag football. I could argue that if America were to change the rules and obligations of football and coaching because of the fear of injury it will no longer be “football;” also the players who chose to play know the risk they are bringing upon themselves when getting involved with the game.
Firstly, mothers find it ridiculous when the coach is hard on their child; however coaches must be harsh in order to have a good team. They cannot go along holding their hand; they must push them to their limits in order to show them that mind is greater than matter. As the coach for the Aledo High School football team Tim Buchanan said, “I would never ask our kids not to play hard. That’s not what you want to teach kids” (Lucia). They want to push them to be good, because they know being the loosing team, does not make the kids feel good. They love the kids, they just show it in a different kind of way than some mothers would like. But, a person does not truly understand unless they have been on a team themselves. When a player makes a good play, the coach will tell them it was great, but then tell them to make a better one. Not to hurt their feelings, but to push the players farther than they think they can go on their own. But, the coaches not only want to make them good players, they want to give them a good future. “Effective coaching is about changing the future. Every coach is a coach because at some point in time he determined that he could make a difference for the destiny of a team and in the lives of individuals” (Swanson). These coaches realize that their success can cause others to be successful and they get their joy from seeing their players succeed. So although it seems wrong to the mothers, the coaches are harsh in a healthy way to make the players better.
Football teaches children certain morals and gives them certain character; if they change the rules, this opportunity could be taken away, because they would not have to work as hard. Football is a contact sport, so it helps the players to take out their anger in a healthy way. If the tackling in football is taken away, they could resort to getting into fights or something much more violent than football. But, other than just controlling anger they learn about the emotions of getting close to someone. Every single player is like brothers to each other, and they stick with each other no matter what. “Football requires a pretty unique brand of teamwork. The emotional ups and downs that a team will experience help to build trust over time” (Lewis). There are many values that go along with football. Players must decide what is important to them and see how to balance their lives with football, which prepares them for the work world. Being able to balance social life and football is like being able to balance work life with home life when they get older into the real world. They will learn how to discipline themselves and work hard. From being evaluated by different coaches from high school football and up, the players learn about accountability and it allows them to grow and learn. Yes, it is a hard sport and a player must love it to stick with it, but once they decide their football days are over, everyone will continue to see the growth that came along playing the game. “These are all things that will challenge your son emotionally, and might tempt him to quit. But if he sticks with it, there will be a payoff in the end” (Lewis). If the rules of football are changed, a player may no longer have the opportunity to learn all the values that come along with the game, which will cause them to be more successful in their lives.
Players get injured every day from football, some severe and some not, however, when a player decides to go into football, they know the risk they are taking and how badly they can become injured. Even when they are little boys, they admire the amazing tackles made by Miles Austin, they want to be like the NFL players and take the risks of being injured. They know they can get concussions and break bones, but that just brings even more thrill to the game. Boys love to be violent, and in football they get to be as violent as they want as long as they do not break any rules and get a flag on the field. The love of the sport is bigger than the fear of injury for any football player out there. Richard Sherman of the NFL had a concussion during a game and did not say anything because all he wanted to do was play in the game. Yahoo sports writer, Frank Schwab, talks about Sherman’s writing column where he says, “Sherman starts the column by saying that he suffered a concussion in his first start, could barely see afterward and played two quarters ‘half blind,’ but got an interception later and stayed in the starting lineup” (Schwab). Not telling about an injury is not good, but it shows the importance of the game to a player. Schwab continues stating, “Not telling anyone he had a concussion and playing through it paid off. It’s hard to tell Sherman, now one of the game’s top cornerback, that he did wrong” (Schwab). The Americans that want the rules changed only see the bad side of the injures, but they do not understand, the players understand they can be hurt and it could be their last time on the field, but if it is going to be the last time they play, they want to play their hardest. “Sherman isn’t speaking for every player, but it’s naïve to think that others haven’t done or wouldn’t do exactly what he did and be quiet about a concussion, knowing that the next chance [to play] might never come” (Schwab). Another thing people do not understand, the players see the risks that can take place if they chose to play football, but they also see the same risks in other sports, such as boxing, NASCAR, etc. If the players are willing to take the risks then why change the rules when the people that are not even in the game are the ones that think the game needs to be changed.
American football has had the same rules over centuries and people continue to try to change them, for unnecessary reasons. The mothers are worried the coaches are too harsh, the work is too hard, and the risks are too high. But, why would they put their children in the sport in the first place if they are so worried about it. Football makes a child work hard and they learn values and character from their coaches on and off the field. There are more pros than cons to football. Yes, football players can be seriously injured, but they love to play more than they care about being injured. The people that want to change the rules only look at the cons of football, but if they would look into it more, they would see how much players grow and how much they learn to love something, their coach and the game. Changing the rules of football to make it less violent will only upset the players and upset America as a whole. The football players are willing to take risks because they love the game and do not care for the consequences of injury. They want to be happy with what they do, and what makes them happy is playing football. Coaches are harsh because it makes the players better people, and makes the players work harder and the love of the game overcomes all. So why would America change the rules because some people think it is dangerous. Really, only the player’s opinions matter and they will play whether they are injured or not. And like I said before, the good outweighs the bad, and the love of football will never have a downfall.
Works Cited
Gopnik, Adam, and Madeleine Sorapure.
"The Unbeautiful Game." Common Culture: Reading and Writing About American Popular Culture. Ed. Michael Petracca. 7th ed. Boston: Pearson Education, 2012. 436-446. Print.
Lake, Thomas. "The Boy Who Died of Football." Common Culture: Reading and Writing About American Popular Culture. Ed. Michael Petracca and Madeleine Sorapure. 7th ed. Boston: Pearson Education, 2012. 396-412. Print.
Lewis, Jobe. "Five Life Lessons to Learn From Football." About.com Football. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.
Lucia, Andrea. "Local: Bullying Complaint After Lopsided Football Score." CBS Dallas Fort Worth. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.
McGrath, Ben, and Madeleine Sorapure. "Does Football Have a Future?" Common Culture: Reading and Writing About American Popular Culture. Ed. Michael Petracca. 7th ed. Boston: Pearson Education, 2012. 414-434. Print.
Schwab, Frank. "Richard Sherman Says NFL Players Know Physical Risks, Once Hid a Concussion to Keep Playing." Yahoo Sports. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.
Swanson, Eric. "Cru Press Green." Being an Effective Team Coach. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct.
2013.
Football is one of the most popular sports in American history and culture. Whether a person’s favorite team is the Dallas Cowboys or the Denver Broncos the rivalry of football seems to never cease. Almost everyone knows about football Sunday. But some people only see the game as a violent, unpredictable sport that can only cause harm to the boys that decide to play. Some mothers dread their child going on the field. They worry about concussions and other major injuries that can occur. They say the coaches are too harsh on the boys and the practices are too long and rough. However, these mothers do not understand what it takes to be a coach or what it takes to play football and the mental stability a player needs. These people want to change the rules of football and make it a safer …show more content…
game. But, by changing the rules they will change the entire game. People come to watch tackles; they do not come to watch a kid pull off a flag like they did when they were little. It may be cute when they are little, but everyone has to grow up, even in sports. The NFL would make no money whatsoever if it was changed to flag football. I could argue that if America were to change the rules and obligations of football and coaching because of the fear of injury it will no longer be “football;” also the players who chose to play know the risk they are bringing upon themselves when getting involved with the game.
Firstly, mothers find it ridiculous when the coach is hard on their child; however coaches must be harsh in order to have a good team. They cannot go along holding their hand; they must push them to their limits in order to show them that mind is greater than matter. As the coach for the Aledo High School football team Tim Buchanan said, “I would never ask our kids not to play hard. That’s not what you want to teach kids” (Lucia). They want to push them to be good, because they know being the loosing team, does not make the kids feel good. They love the kids, they just show it in a different kind of way than some mothers would like. But, a person does not truly understand unless they have been on a team themselves. When a player makes a good play, the coach will tell them it was great, but then tell them to make a better one. Not to hurt their feelings, but to push the players farther than they think they can go on their own. But, the coaches not only want to make them good players, they want to give them a good future. “Effective coaching is about changing the future. Every coach is a coach because at some point in time he determined that he could make a difference for the destiny of a team and in the lives of individuals” (Swanson). These coaches realize that their success can cause others to be successful and they get their joy from seeing their players succeed. So although it seems wrong to the mothers, the coaches are harsh in a healthy way to make the players better.
Football teaches children certain morals and gives them certain character; if they change the rules, this opportunity could be taken away, because they would not have to work as hard. Football is a contact sport, so it helps the players to take out their anger in a healthy way. If the tackling in football is taken away, they could resort to getting into fights or something much more violent than football. But, other than just controlling anger they learn about the emotions of getting close to someone. Every single player is like brothers to each other, and they stick with each other no matter what. “Football requires a pretty unique brand of teamwork. The emotional ups and downs that a team will experience help to build trust over time” (Lewis). There are many values that go along with football. Players must decide what is important to them and see how to balance their lives with football, which prepares them for the work world. Being able to balance social life and football is like being able to balance work life with home life when they get older into the real world. They will learn how to discipline themselves and work hard. From being evaluated by different coaches from high school football and up, the players learn about accountability and it allows them to grow and learn. Yes, it is a hard sport and a player must love it to stick with it, but once they decide their football days are over, everyone will continue to see the growth that came along playing the game. “These are all things that will challenge your son emotionally, and might tempt him to quit. But if he sticks with it, there will be a payoff in the end” (Lewis). If the rules of football are changed, a player may no longer have the opportunity to learn all the values that come along with the game, which will cause them to be more successful in their lives.
Players get injured every day from football, some severe and some not, however, when a player decides to go into football, they know the risk they are taking and how badly they can become injured. Even when they are little boys, they admire the amazing tackles made by Miles Austin, they want to be like the NFL players and take the risks of being injured. They know they can get concussions and break bones, but that just brings even more thrill to the game. Boys love to be violent, and in football they get to be as violent as they want as long as they do not break any rules and get a flag on the field. The love of the sport is bigger than the fear of injury for any football player out there. Richard Sherman of the NFL had a concussion during a game and did not say anything because all he wanted to do was play in the game. Yahoo sports writer, Frank Schwab, talks about Sherman’s writing column where he says, “Sherman starts the column by saying that he suffered a concussion in his first start, could barely see afterward and played two quarters ‘half blind,’ but got an interception later and stayed in the starting lineup” (Schwab). Not telling about an injury is not good, but it shows the importance of the game to a player. Schwab continues stating, “Not telling anyone he had a concussion and playing through it paid off. It’s hard to tell Sherman, now one of the game’s top cornerback, that he did wrong” (Schwab). The Americans that want the rules changed only see the bad side of the injures, but they do not understand, the players understand they can be hurt and it could be their last time on the field, but if it is going to be the last time they play, they want to play their hardest. “Sherman isn’t speaking for every player, but it’s naïve to think that others haven’t done or wouldn’t do exactly what he did and be quiet about a concussion, knowing that the next chance [to play] might never come” (Schwab). Another thing people do not understand, the players see the risks that can take place if they chose to play football, but they also see the same risks in other sports, such as boxing, NASCAR, etc. If the players are willing to take the risks then why change the rules when the people that are not even in the game are the ones that think the game needs to be changed.
American football has had the same rules over centuries and people continue to try to change them, for unnecessary reasons. The mothers are worried the coaches are too harsh, the work is too hard, and the risks are too high. But, why would they put their children in the sport in the first place if they are so worried about it. Football makes a child work hard and they learn values and character from their coaches on and off the field. There are more pros than cons to football. Yes, football players can be seriously injured, but they love to play more than they care about being injured. The people that want to change the rules only look at the cons of football, but if they would look into it more, they would see how much players grow and how much they learn to love something, their coach and the game. Changing the rules of football to make it less violent will only upset the players and upset America as a whole. The football players are willing to take risks because they love the game and do not care for the consequences of injury. They want to be happy with what they do, and what makes them happy is playing football. Coaches are harsh because it makes the players better people, and makes the players work harder and the love of the game overcomes all. So why would America change the rules because some people think it is dangerous. Really, only the player’s opinions matter and they will play whether they are injured or not. And like I said before, the good outweighs the bad, and the love of football will never have a downfall.
Works Cited
Gopnik, Adam, and Madeleine Sorapure.
"The Unbeautiful Game." Common Culture: Reading and Writing About American Popular Culture. Ed. Michael Petracca. 7th ed. Boston: Pearson Education, 2012. 436-446. Print.
Lake, Thomas. "The Boy Who Died of Football." Common Culture: Reading and Writing About American Popular Culture. Ed. Michael Petracca and Madeleine Sorapure. 7th ed. Boston: Pearson Education, 2012. 396-412. Print.
Lewis, Jobe. "Five Life Lessons to Learn From Football." About.com Football. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.
Lucia, Andrea. "Local: Bullying Complaint After Lopsided Football Score." CBS Dallas Fort Worth. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.
McGrath, Ben, and Madeleine Sorapure. "Does Football Have a Future?" Common Culture: Reading and Writing About American Popular Culture. Ed. Michael Petracca. 7th ed. Boston: Pearson Education, 2012. 414-434. Print.
Schwab, Frank. "Richard Sherman Says NFL Players Know Physical Risks, Once Hid a Concussion to Keep Playing." Yahoo Sports. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.
Swanson, Eric. "Cru Press Green." Being an Effective Team Coach. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct.
2013.