Society and Football

In the Offensive Play article by Malcolm Gladwell, scientists have discovered evidence that the constant head on collisions in football may have a correlation with future dementia.  The ethical issue we as a society have to face is whether or not football should still be allowed as a sport.  The research presents that head on collision increased the amount of Tau within an athlete’s brain.  Tau is a substance is also commonly found within individuals with Alzheimer and other mental diseases.  This could possibly mean that athletes have an increased chance of having dementia after playing football.  We were asked in discussion whether or not we would allow our children to partake in a sport that would affect them for the rest of their lives. I feel like I would not deny my child participation in the sport but I would not encourage it by any means.  If my child insisted to want to play I would make sure he/she understood the consequences and the future harm it could cause him or her.  There is a possibility that the research is not correlated, since scientist still have a lot more research to do before they can come to a final conclusion.  I personally believe that even with the amount of research we have now, the situation is serious enough for us to think twice about sending professional athletes to play.  My concern is if society will consider letting go of football for the safety of its players.  Maybe we could come up with different rules to make athletes safer but people have argued if that it would no longer be considered football.  This is a very sensitive topic because football is everything to Americans.  However, social norms have changed before and it would not be impossible for it to change again.  Athletes are going to have to decide whether or not to believe the scientific data and gamble with possible mental dysfunction; while we as a society have to decide which is more important, the game or the safety of our athletes.