"Future of Football": Outside the Lines Report

AP Photo/Scott Audette

The story of Tom McHale is a tragic one, one that seems to be happening far too often in recent years. Concussions are at the forefront of NFL football and rightly so; suspensions, heavy fines, upgraded testing, and even the collective bargaining agreement negotiations are all constant reminders of what seems to be an epidemic in football.

For what it is worth, I feel that football players have an inherent risk of injury, serious injury, when they lace up their cleats and strap up their helmets to take the field. Players are bigger, faster, stronger, and more vicious now than they have ever been. James Harrison, Terrell Suggs, Bob Sanders, and Brandon Merriweather are just some of the names we associate with explosive hits on the field at the professional level. But as we see in this story, that is traveling down the ranks into youth leagues.

I can remember my first practice in sixth grade; we spent the whole practice going over proper tackling form to help prevent injuries as well as make sound plays on the field. I had played in a Junior Football League some five years before that, but it was still a good lesson. What I wonder now is simple: Does the style of play in the NFL dictate how kids are playing the game today?

The video above shows a pretty stark example of a helmet to helmet hit and the kids are young, too young, to be hitting that way. From a journalistic standpoint, this is a great piece. It is investigative and insightful; it shows a torn family to draw somber emotions from its viewers. The imported video pieces are great and the early shots are sequenced together for a great effect. I think it shows both sides of the equation with the Lavar Arrington interview, seeing as he is a guy who played football at a high level at both Penn State and with the Washington Redskins as a linebacker. It is captivating and informative; everything you want from a sports piece.

In the end, I wonder how long the shelf lives of players are going to be heading into the future. If an 18 game schedule is approved by the NFL, players may see their careers cut by 2 or 3 years, that's how serious this concussion problem can be. For fans and players alike, I hope this does not continue; seeing a player stabilized during a game is nothing we wish to see.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6091106&categoryid=3286128