May 13, 2012. Bill Szydlowski
When evaluating the severity of injuries and the frequency of injuries occurring in a sport, you would find the National Football League deals with this problem more than any other professional sport. Football injuries are far more rampant and severe in nature when compared to other leagues.
Football athletes expose themselves to more dangerous and risk inducing circumstances due to the nature of the sport. It is not just the professional athletes in the NFL that risk life and limb, the issue trickles down to the collegiate ranks, high school football and even youth football.
Research suggests that parents are less likely to allow their children to play football versus any other sport available in youth organizations. The problem involving the increased chance of injury can be partly attributed to the growing obesity rate regarding children and adolescents. Young girls and boys who are out of shape and try to play a sport of such a physical degree are more injury prone than kids who are already fit.
The National Football League has taken notice of the growing issue of child obesity, and has created an organization known as the NFL Play 60. The NFL Play 60 encourages boys and girls of all ages to be active for at least an hour (60 minutes) everyday to promote a healthier lifestyle. Many of the professional athletes have committed to joining the Play 60 clubs in their hometown, or the city in which they play as part of a community service effort to urge these boys and girls to participate in sports.
NFL Play 60 has so far been successful in its attempt to gather the youth of America for physical activities for an hour each day. Organizations like these are needed throughout the country not only to prevent childhood obesity, but also to reduce the risk of football injuries to young people. It is a fact that a person is less likely to experience injuries if that individual takes part in an exercise regimen on a daily basis. If the National Football League can reach a majority of the young men and women across the nation, the number of injuries will start to dwindle.
Updated May 13, 2012. Published June 18, 2011. Bill Szydlowski
