National Football League

Many U.S. universities had bands before the twentieth century. The first modern halftime show by a marching band at a football game was by the University of Illinois Marching Illini in 1907 at a game against the University of Chicago. That same year, the first formation, breaking traditional military ranks on a football field, was the "Block P" created by Paul Spotts Emrick, director of the Purdue All-American Marching Band. Spotts had seen a flock a birds fly in a "V"…

Concussions are a very serious, non-visible injury that involves some type of trauma of the brain. In sports, there are higher chances of someone sustaining a concussion. Since concussions are non-visible, trainers and doctors rely on people to report whether they think they may have sustained a concussion or not. Symptoms vary from person to person, and sometimes symptoms may not show up until 24 hours later. Without the proper treatment and recovery period, if someone were to sustain a…

In high school, I played football. It was my identity. My days were scheduled around practice, my weeks were scheduled around the Friday night game, and my months were scheduled around the football season. My friends were football players. My mentors were football coaches. My heroes were football legends. I did not, in other words, have a whole lot else going on. I thought it was a strangely cruel twist of fate that my career ended with a severed ACL in the first game of my senior year. When you…

may occur if a concussion should arise such as Anxiety, attention problems, balance, behaviour problems, brain fog, cognitive decline, depression, language and speech difficulties, memory and learning problems, movement disorder and sleep problems. Football players that wear helmets have either chosen to wear them or they have been advised to wear them because of previous head injuries,…

Polly Shulman’s article “Blowing the Whistle on Concussions” focuses on care to be taken by athletes in case of a concussion. Shulman introduces his topic by telling the story of hockey player Eric Lindro who obtained a concussion in a game that he did not recover well from. Finishing the season with four concussions, six total in the past two years, Lindro was forced to retire prematurely. Shulman then goes on to state that thousands of high school athletes have had the same problems as Lindro.…

are just few of many examples of putting your life on the line for your country. Up until those September 11, 2001 attacks Patrick Tillman had set up a life, that most of us could only dream of. Coasting off the success of leading his high school football team to a state championship Pat went on to receive a scholarship to Arizona State. But this was merely the beginning, Pat progressed to receive several…

become a very serious and common injury among professional and amateur athletes who take part in contact sports, such as football and soccer. A concussion is defined as, “A traumatic brain injury that alters the way your brain functions. Effects are usually temporary but can include headaches and problems with concentration, memory, balance and coordination” (Mayo Clinic). Football, with a concussion risk of 75%, has become the most common sport in which a male athlete can receive a…

the Patriots still sit atop the AFC East with a 3 game lead and are currently the number 1 seed in the AFC along with being atop most NFL power rankings. Since week 5, Tom Brady has returned to the starting lineup for the Pats and has torched the league for 12 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in 4 games. Along with the return of Brady was the return of Gronk, the Patriots top tight end and one of Brady favorites recovers. About a month ago as we were wondering how the Red Sox would do in the…

Iditarod The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is an annually held, long distance sled dog race that begins on the first Saturday in March. The distance of this race is about 1150 miles. Each sled is pulled by 16 dogs. The length of the race can last 9-15 days, sometimes even longer. The race generally causes the teams (each dog sled) to race through blizzards that are causing whiteout conditions, and the wind-chill can to drop to as cold as −100 °F. The winner of this race is frequently…

amounts of pain. The league tries to help, but is what they’re doing the best for the players? Although most painkillers are effective, they come with deadly effects. The NFL needs to ban harmful painkillers. Of course painkillers relieve pain very quickly, but their long term effects outweigh that relief. According to Dr. Nathaniel Berman and Dr. Frank Toradol can increase the risk of internal bleeding and issues with cardiovascular system as well as kidney problems. So should football…