Recently, I was discussing sports with a good friend of mine when he mentioned that his father believed that football is headed towards a similar fate to that of which boxing has become.

His quote made me think about how the current state of football has changed since its inception into United States pop culture almost forty years ago, a time in which heavyweight boxing had reached the pinnacle of its popularity amongst viewers in America, as well as much of the world. It was a time when Muhammad Ali had regained his title belt in 1974 after it was taken away from him previously.

Football had just come into its own, with the Pittsburgh Steelers winning the first of their four Super Bowls during the 1970s. Kids and teenagers alike had just begun to explore their interest in the hard-hitting game that we know today as football. When a player was hit hard enough to see stars, like many stories that my father told me, he was told to simply “shake it off” and get back into the huddle. Nothing seemed wrong at the time as kids went on about with their normal lives without any signs of abnormalities.

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As football began its sharp rise in popularity in the United States, justly earning the title of “America’s Game,” viewers and followers of boxing were startled by the news of Muhammad Ali’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in 1984. When more research was conducted around the disease itself, people soon discovered the dangers surrounding the sport of boxing. Boxers left and right were coming out with side effects of brain damage suffered from the sport and slowly, towards the end of the 20th Century, heavyweight boxing almost completely fell from the pedestal from which it once stood. Sure, the ‘Average Joe’ on the street can probably identify Floyd Mayweather Jr. (the welterweight champion of the world) but I doubt that he / she would be able to state who the current heavyweight boxing champion is (Ruslan Chageav of Russia), a position once revered worldwide.

The underlying factor with both of these sports is the issue revolving around head and brain trauma. Countless former NFL players have come forward claiming to have suffered from the effects for many years. Far too many have taken their own life as a result of concussions like Junior Seau, Dave Duerson, and Ray Easterling. With the lawsuits currently in place against the NFL, it seems that more and more kids and teenagers will slowly start to shift away from the sport that has reigned king in the United States for many decades.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dcs9RS7Hi0

From a former football player who has suffered brain trauma from participating in this game, I fully understand the risks involved when strapping on a helmet and running on to the field. Precautionary moves have already been taken to ensure that safety comes first when a head injury could be present. Organizations like USA Football with its “Heads Up” campaign have sparked awareness around coaches and players all across the country to play the game the right way. But with so many parents and former players coming out and saying that football is a dangerous game that they would not let their children play, one can only speculate on how the game will change in the next thirty years.

It’s 2014 and football is still the number one sport in America. In the year 2044, who knows if it will still be able to claim this position.