Monday, September 1, 2014

The Reality and Neglect of the NFL

The growth of the National Football League has been astronomical since its creation in 1920. The fast pace of action, the incredible athleticism on display, and the intricate strategy the goes into every play are just a few reasons why football is America’s favorite sport. The NFL is not just a sports league, it is also a business, and quit a successful one at that, making nearly 10 billion dollars in revenue a year.The NFL has many difficult challenges ahead that need to be addressed. The media portrays concussions in football as the main problem but in reality, the problem is more serious. Just like all workplaces, the NFL has rules. The problem is, the rules don’t match the crime, in a very serious way.

Domestic violence, especially against women is a chronic problem in the NFL that has just recently become a headline in wake of Ray Rice knocking his wife unconscious. According to a study done by Benjamin Lewis on, Domestic violence accounts for 48 percent of arrests for violent crimes among NFL players, compared to our estimated 21 percent nationally. Domestic violence is a huge issue for the NFL but the bigger problem is the punishment for the crime.Domestic violence has continues to increase due to the low penalties. Only recently did the NFL increase their punishments from just a few games, to six games for a first offence and that was only the result of the Ray Rice incident. The NFL enforces a four game suspension for a violation of their substance abuse policy, but when a player a player violently attacks someone, the punishment is only two games harsher. The NFL is being ignorant to a growing problem that is only furthering the stereotype that the NFL is full of violent thugs.

It is clear that the NFL values increasing their revenue over the integrity of the game and its players. While many past and current players and representatives of the NFL commonly say, "protecting the shield" is the most important goal in the NFL , money is clearly at the forefront. The NFL is supposed to be a sport for only the manliest of men, but in a culture of violence and abuse, how many real men does the NFL really have?













7 comments:

  1. It is true that their punishments are much to forgiving. I believe that domestic violence cases in the NFL are a huge issue. The punishment for such an act should be at least a half a year suspension, including the playoffs. It is a problem, and the problem must be stopped or it will only get worse until it can't be controlled.

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    1. I agree. the harsher the penalties, the less likely it will be for players to commit these crimes.

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  2. Incredibly thought-provoking post in my opinion. It is truly sad to see the NFL's true colors when it comes to its value of morality compared to profits, and even sadder that it is just now being brought to light and the punishments still aren't harsh enough. You mentioned football being a sport for the manliest of men and I think that America has defined that as someone who is among other things, violent.

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    1. I think the NFL is one of the worst cultures in terms of being forced into the box of being "man".

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  3. I agree with your article, it is a shame that the NFL has been too greedy to realize the positive example it could set by cracking down on domestic violence. It is ridiculous that a player receives only two more games for assaulting someone than someone smoking pot. Nice article!

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    1. Thanks. The NFL has to decide if they want to keep improving profits, or their reputation.

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  4. I don't believe that it takes a "real man to play in the NFL because just this year, Michael Sam was drafted as the first gay NFL Player, but I do agree with the article because plenty of NFL Players do get away with things to simple, but i also believe some get things too harsh, like Michael Vick. Not saying I promote the things he did, but I do not believe he deserved the time he did.

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