Football is a sport that just might have the most body to body contact in the world. Some say this contact can cause negative health effects, and some do not mention the contact and say football is not just a sport but something that prepares the players for life. Being a football player also helps players with very important life skills and attributes. It seems as if the bad health effects weigh out the good, but lessons are learned in football that will skyrocket the success rate in a player's lives. 

Football has been labeled as a dangerous sport in the past years with injuries happening frequently to the head. There is no doubt it could be very dangerous, researchers at Purdue University proved that high school football players received hits to the head equal to 300 times the force of gravity. That is fifteen to twenty times the force of a rear end car collision (Hartline, Kenneth D)! Taking hits with that force repetitively can certainly cause injuries to players. Nine in ten players admitted to receiving concussions during a game. Two in three also said they experience continuing symptoms from these hard hits (“Do no harm: Retired NFL players endure a lifetime of hurt.”). Sometimes these hits do not produce concussion like symptoms that trainers on the sideline can see. This can be very dangerous to players of the game that still play with concussions. Being hit again on the field prior to a concussion, can lead to serious injury, or sometimes even death (Hartline, Kenneth D). A growing concern for players who repeatedly take these hits is CTE. “CTE is a chronic neurological condition that is believed to lead to depression and dementia among other neurological disorders” (Hartline, Kenneth D). This concern has grown because several former players showed CTE at the time of their death. There is a report of a man who played for the Chicago Bears that killed himself after suffering depression. It was later proven that the man suffered from moderate CTE, which supports the case that neurological disorders in former players can cause death. Concussions and brain injuries that football players sometimes get can lead to lifelong injury, and in very slim cases death.

Adding to the list are a number of health risks for joints and ligaments damaged during activity. These injuries come when player’s body parts such as knees, arms, legs, and other parts bend or are hit a way they are not supposed to. It has been shown that more than 9 out of ten former NFL players have suffered one or more major injuries throughout their career. Greater than half of former players reported three to four injuries in their career. Sticking out the most was that one in five former players suffered five or more injuries during their career (“Do no harm: Retired NFL players endure a lifetime of hurt.”). These numbers are staggering thinking of how many individuals have played in the NFL. These injuries suffered from the players do not just affect the players for weeks or months after occurring. It has been shown that forty-four percent of former players had a joint replacement or have been told they will need one (“Do no harm: Retired NFL players endure a lifetime of hurt.”). One man who played in the NFL has gone through about 20 surgeries rooted from football. He has had surgeries all over including eleven on his ankle, three on his shoulder, and two on his back. This man can no longer hold down a job for himself. He can no longer stand for long periods, and when he sits down from the pain of standing he still feels pain. It seems as if the only word that people think of when they hear football is pain. The number of players who get hurt and have permanent health issues is staggering, and sometimes limits what players can do in their future life. 

On top of physical hold backs, football also has a huge time commitment drawback. During the season, players are limited with free time to do what they want. There are many priorities players have including film breakdown, games, and practices. These 3 priorities take more than three fourths of their week up leaving little time for student athletes to do homework and other school related work (R. Goldsmith, Bobby). During the season, player’s have a very small social life, because of the little time away from football. On top of in season struggles players are obligated to work out the whole off season to be in the best possible shape for the next season. The amount of work to be an outstanding player is deathly. They must workout at least five to six times a week to make sure they get great results, or they may not be fit enough for the team (R. Goldsmith, Bobby). The hardest part about football is that it is a full-time commitment in all seasons. The meaning of that is players must work on improving all year round and be willing to do plenty of work on their own. The fact that it is an all year sport cause it to not suit many people because of time issues (R. Goldsmith, Bobby). Football has huge time commitment drawbacks on top of injury drawbacks.

Besides some very serious drawbacks, football can actually have a very positive impact on a player’s life. By playing football, players open themselves to a much broader world of academic opportunities. Some colleges are just too expensive for middle class children. With hard work and determination, good high school football players can turn their talents into a free education at a college they may not have thought they could ever afford (Thompson, Van). Football offers more opportunities for scholarships than any other sport. The number of scholarships given out at each Division 1 colleges is outstanding! In 2013 it was announced that each school could give out 85 scholarships for football. What was even more interesting was that all of the scholarships had to be “full rides”. This means that the scholarship pays for full tuition (Thompson, Van). This is very helpful for the football players because education can be very expensive depending on the school that is attended. These football players that receive full scholarships have a strong back bone if they do not carry their football careers on professionally. Paying off student loans for college is a very stressful task in life (R. Goldsmith, Bobby). Earning a scholarship for football can make the difference between having to pay hundreds or even thousands a month on education.

Another very obvious positive attribute of football is how much it promotes physical fitness. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, football is a physically demanding sport (R. Goldsmith, Bobby). This sport requires constant motion during games which calls for extreme training (Thompson, Van). To be able to stay on top of the game, you must work to obtain the best speed, strength, and agility possible. There are millions of football players in the world that can be strive to be the best. This makes players must work year-round so they can keep up with their opponents (R. Goldsmith, Bobby). Training can be anywhere from four to six times a week to guarantee fitness. On top of training, players must attend practices during the week keeping them in even better shape. Football players are some of the most fit people in the world because of the demands of the sport (R. Goldsmith, Bobby). It has been proven that people that have played football in their life tend to stay in shape throughout it. Seven out of eight NFL players are more likely to be in shape for the rest of their active lives because of being used to constant workouts (Thompson, Van). Football is a sport that does not only promote physical fitness for players during their career, but also for years proceeding.

Playing football can also help teach players the value of teamwork, which can help them largely in future endeavors.  Players can work their butts off to get in the best shape possible. These factors include physical strength, speed, and agility (Thompson, Van). The main factor though in football, and life is being able to work with a team and others. You must be able to play the game knowing your teammate will be there to help you. This will come when players learn to do everything for their teammates. Saying this, players each have a job they are assigned, and if they don’t all do their job they will fail (R. Goldsmith, Bobby). For example, a field goal kicker can’t make a field goal if his center does not make a good snap (Silverman, Steve). Players also learn the lesson of putting their own bodies on the line for the overall wellness of the team. This teaches selflessness which gives football character that most people that don’t play do not attain (R. Goldsmith, Bobby). Teamwork is a huge part of football that all players must have, and helps them accomplish large tasks in later life.

Throughout their careers, players also acquire reasoning skills that are outstanding attributes on and off the field. One skill players acquire are spatial reasoning skills. Having to learn specific plays you must know what everyone else is doing so you do not go to the wrong spot. In that case, you must see a play in your mind before it happens. Spatial reasoning skills acquired in football give players an advantage in many life tasks when it comes to rearranging things in your mind. These tasks usually relate to important roles in math and science (Thompson, Van). Other attributes attained include responsibility. When on a football team you are given a great deal of responsibility, when it comes to the great amount of time you must put in talked about in previous paragraphs. But you also learn to become responsible and respectful students because of the people surrounding you (Thompson, Van). Coaches of football teams are usually great people and well respected. With this said, most players start to act like their coaches because they’ve looked up to them for years. This makes it clear that players are surrounded by great people and acquire strong attributes from them (R. Goldsmith, Bobby). Some attributes learned in football are not just for the good of the sport or the team but are good for your life. 
Being a player of the sport football also teaches you social kills, and even increases your social status. Players must be able to strategize and communicate in extraordinary ways. They must all be on the same page at all times to avoid failure like talked about last paragraph. To achieve this, they must learn about each other and almost everything about each other. Doing this teaches social skills for later in life when meeting new people for jobs, or socially (Thompson, Van).  These social skills translate to listening skills when plays are being called out because they have to hear each other to stay in order. A small amount of football players seem to make It to the pros, but just being a football hero in a small town can raise a player’s social status. When you have a high social status, it gives players a sense of pride on the inside which makes them feel as if they’re hard work is paying off. This can give players self confidence that will make them succeed more than fail throughout their life experiences (Thompson, Van). Playing football gives players social skill, and can make them feel like a star at points. 
Football builds stronger work ethics than most activities in life, and teaches players to never give up. Teams may only play one game weekly, but these games only slightly show the work done in football. Most of the work in football is done during practice. These practices can start in the middle of the summer in ninety-five-degree heat (Silverman, Steve). Not only that, sometimes players have to practice twice a day in this heat (Perry, Susan). The work done in practice can be extremely challenging at times, so players must push their limits until they’re broke. Once players do this, they realize how much they can accomplish. This can lead to players accomplishing extraordinary things in life, that people who never played cannot because they do not have the mental push. Football shows players that hard work pays off too. When a player works hard, and makes himself look special compared to others they are rewarded for their accomplishments (Silverman, Steve). When this player gets rewarded they get confidence to complete obstacles they never thought they could. With this comes a player’s strength to overcome adversity. Throughout a player’s career they will lose a game at some point because you do not succeed all the time in life (Silverman, Steve). Learning this in a football environment is great because losing a game is not the worst thing in the world. It does prepare you for later obstacles such as: losing loved ones, not getting a job, or even failing at a simple task like a preparing a meal for guests. The attribute of overcoming adversity that football players attain is often seen as the greatest attribute to some because of how punishing life could be at times (Silverman, Steve). Building a strong work ethic and being able to overcome adversity are attributes that are needed to be successful in life and can be learned in football.

Finally, football improves your ability to plan and be prepared for everyday tasks. Hall of Fame quarter back Steve Young of the 49ers once said “I learned under Bill Walsh(Coach) how important a game plan is, It helped me become a better football player and also helped off the field” (Silverman, Steve). Game plan skills are gained in football because the only way to win games against teams with similar competency is to construct a better strategy. Players and coaches must work together by looking at films and depicting each play ran over film. After doing this they must find the weaknesses of their opponents and use it against them in the game. Just by doing this weekly for years it trains your mind to always have a plan for things in life. Including, taking care of kids and work at the same time once players are done with football (Silverman, Steve). Playing football for years gives the athletes the skill of planning for everyday tasks that can take years for others to gain once reaching adult-hood.
In the end football can be a very dangerous sport that can cause major head injuries that can lead to fatalities. That is on top of many broken bones and torn ligaments that very large amounts of athletes suffer from. Besides the injuries, there are life lessons, and memories in football that shape normal people to be extraordinary. Some things learned in football will never leave your head and will always steer you in a good direction. Throughout this research there is evidence that football can be both good and bad for player's futures. Judging whether it has more positive than negative impacts on life is almost unattainable