The double-edged sword that reflects the American publics love-hate infatuation with NFL football has once again cut into the uninhibited excitement and surface joy that the league, fans and players promote during the sports entertainment entitys most lucrative time of the year.
Super Bowl 52 is a time when the NFL takes center stage and traditionally draws more eyes than any sporting event of the year.
Suppressed under a PR machine driven by all of the glory, media interest, the parties, the player-worshipping and the fantasy football popularity, is the reality of the sport.
In addition to the torn ACLs and MCLs, in addition to all of the horrible broken bones, the NFL diagnosed a record 281 concussions from the NFL preseason until today, according to the leagues own aggregate statistics. Thats the most concussions since the NFL started keeping track six years ago.
No document has ever quite displayed the horror of it all like Concussion Protocol, a film by Josh Begley and Field of Vision.
Shaun King on Twitter
All 281 concussions (a record) from this NFL season, in one film. https://t.co/hcXMuJKr6x
Unfortunately, the game has become one littered with conflicted spirits of late, from the players who risk injury, to the fans who think players are robots and display a lack appreciation for the long-term health risks of the sport, and the owners, who to some degree lack a concern for those players well-being beyond the gridiron.
Shaun King on Twitter
Ladies & Gentlemen, This is the film the @NFL does not want you to see before the Super Bowl. But you must. A violent ballet. Film by @JoshBegley My written accompaniment: https://t.co/6U4Iij9i6q https://t.co/LxbIi2xPou
The NFL as a business and entertainment property that broke records again this season, but the humane society wont be awarding them any accolades anytime soon. Despite of all of the claims about protecting NFL players, there were hundreds of traumatic brain injuries this year.
Lawsuits by former players against the NFL are still rampant and CTE remains the pink elephant in the room that is now roaring with angst and agitation. It is a problem thats not going away. All we can continue to do is mask it in the moment and milk it for another thrill, until the research is so overwhelming and the cases pile up to the point that real changes are made in the game.
