Football is undoubtedly a very large part of American culture. The sport is played enthusiastically at the elementary, high school, college, and professional levels. The game is closely followed by millions of fans. In 2014, football was named the most popular sport in America. A debate has arisen over banning the sport because it is risky to the health of the players due to the aggressive nature of the game. In my opinion, football should be banned. It may be the beloved pastime of our nation, but it should be done away with for the health of the athletes. Whether or not football is bad for its players is not a debatable issue.

There is a clear correlation between football players repeatedly getting hit in the head and brain trauma. Concussions are a very common injury in football. There are cases where football players have died due to brain trauma from playing football like in the case of Kevin Turner, who died at the age of 46. Thousands of retired NFL players have sued the NFL for neglecting to take actions to protect the players despite knowing of the dangers. Football should be banned because of the inability to correct the problem of brain injury. It is simple; there is no way to make the sport safer to protect the players. The players are too strong and too quick, hitting their helmeted heads into each other incredibly hard.

The injury occurs within the skull when the brain slams into the inside of the skull. It is immoral to allow members of society put their health at risk for our own enjoyment. The argument has been made that taking away football will not only do away with the sport but a whole culture and social scene. Is it fair of us, the fans, to put our own enjoyment before the safety of the lives of the players? No, it is not. We are supporting activity that has the potential to ruin players’ lives. We even promote it by enticing football players with multi-million dollar contracts. One solution to this problem, which may sound crazy, is that the players not wear helmets. If the players don’t wear helmets, the players will play safer. They will avoid head to head collisions and make a point to protect their heads.

Compare football to rugby. Rugby is a high intensity, contact sport like football. Both of the games are centered on big hits and aggressive play. One big difference between the two sports is the equipment. Football players are decked out in head to toe protection while rugby players wear almost nothing. According to numerous studies, the concussion rates of rugby players are the same, or lower than football. The case can be made that rugby players are more conscientious of their health without the helmet. If a change cannot be made for the safety of the players, the sport of football should be banned. The entertainment of the fans is not equal to the lives of the players.