Experts will tell you that the game of football is evolving. But one could ask, at what cost? With the influx of new information regarding brain injuries, concussions, and CTE, the NFL has implemented new rules on personal foul penalties. But many detractors say that these new rules, the fines and suspensions that come with them, takes more away from the game America loves.
The Backlash From Their Biggest Fans
It has been said that what appeals most to the average football fan is the game’s carnage. The uninhibited violence that accompanies every whistle. With the new penalties, that violence will be toned down considerably. Supporters have become disgruntled and have went as far as turning off there sets. They feel the sport they love has been neutered and has lost its masculinity. The Twitter-sphere is full of those who accuse the NFL of reducing its product to nothing more than flag football. Viewership is down already as it is. However, this new way the game is being played could see it vanish completely.
A GM’s Nightmare
An NFL general manager’s job is tough enough without having to worry about the physicality of its roster. Talent evaluation is not an absolute science. You have to weigh the risks and rewards. Those risks now grow exponentially when you are forced to factor in a player’s tendency to commit hard hits and personal fouls. Now you have ask yourself is player x’s talent worth the gamble of them being fined or ejected. As we all know the best ability is availability.
Shifting The Public Perception
The NFL’s supposed reason for the shift in rules and adding of stiffer penalties is to make the game safer. To appear to show empathy for the 1500 plus men they employ and their families. But beneath the thin veil of compassion lies a layer of hypocrisy that threatens to poison the league to its core. The claim to want to decrease head injuries. However, on several occasions teams have thumbed their nose at the concussion protocol, with no real repercussion. Just last season in a game against Arizona, Seattle QB Russell Wilson was thrust back into game after undergoing treatment so quick if you sneezed you’d miss it. Consequently, the Seahawks paid a fine of $100,000 and it was never mentioned again. With the latest changes they want the public to believe they care but in reality they’ve just been careless.
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