Football. The sport of America. As everyone from around the world knows, football is one of America’s most significant pastimes. Since it was invented in the late 19th century by Yale University’s own Walter Camp, it has been a staple of American society for over two centuries. 

Football as we know it today originally stemmed from Soccer and Rugby; until in the late 19th century, Walter Camp adapted rules from both of the sports to create what some might argue as the world's greatest sport. Then in 1892, the first professional football game was played with William Heffelfinger being paid 500 dollars. The sport continued to grow with more and more local independent leagues and games being played until eventually the NFL was founded in 1920 and coined the “American Professional Football Association.” The APFA then continued to grow exponentially with teams from across the east coast and the midwest. Eventually in the 1960s, another league started showing a rise in popularity called the AFL or American Football League. Throughout the 60s both the APFA and the AFL kept simultaneously growing until in 1970 they combined. When the AFPA and the AFL combined they called themselves the NFL, with the new structure of two different divisions called the National Football Conference (NFC), and the American Football Conference (AFC). 

Since the 70s the NFL has continued its rise in popularity in American society, with an average of more than 17 million people viewing every regular season game!

I was introduced to the sport at a very young age, and I have been blessed enough to have grown up around football my whole life. My father was an inside linebacker for Stanford University. My brother was a 3-year captain for his high school team and could have very well pursued football at a higher level but chose to do so for baseball instead, and I have been playing football ever since I was old enough to walk. There is nothing else like it. I appreciate it mainly for the idea that it is a battle between men that relies solely on one's mentality, hard work, and will. Whenever anyone steps on the field any man’s previous status or achievements disappear. Any advantage disappears. It turns into a battle of pure will between you and the man lining up across from you. For so many people it is their outlet for violence. You can go out on the field and do things that would be highly illegal anywhere else. The feeling when you lay your first big hit or score your first touchdown is second to none.

In recent years though, there has been one big thing that has been brought up repeatedly: head injuries. A game with such roughness comes with its risks. More than 40% of retired NFL players suffer from brain damage, caused by repeated hits to the head. Furthermore, researchers at Boston University studied 165 deceased players and found that 97% have chronic traumatic telepathology, or more commonly known as CTE. CTE is when your brain has taken so much repeated blunt-force trauma that it starts to degenerate causing many symptoms including memory loss, erratic behavior, difficulties using motor skills, and in extreme cases death. All of the recent discussions have raised the question: are parents going to keep letting their kids play football? 

To make more sense of these matters, I will call upon an ancient Chinese philosopher named Lao-Tzu. My opinion on these recent matters can be connected to Lao-Tzu’s philosophy of Daoism. Daoism has multiple main ideas but the one that speaks to me the most is going with the flow of nature, or just living your life. Lao-Tzu once said, “Life is going forth; death is returning home.” We need to go forth with our life by continuing to play football, and if eventually, it causes death we will just be returning home. Lao-Tzu also said, “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” This shows how we need to go with the flow of our lives, and if we resist them by restricting kids from playing football it will only create sorrow. 

I believe that nowadays since these issues with head injuries are so commonly talked about, everyone knows the risk when they step on the field. At this point in America, football is practically nature. It is so deeply ingrained in our culture, that I can’t imagine a society without it. Players or parents should go with Daoist belief and let life live by accepting the risk when they step out on the field. Yes, we should keep looking for safer technology with better helmets or other safety features but we must keep the integrity of one of the greatest games ever. We know the risks when we step out on the field, it is not like we are forced to. We need to go with the flow of nature and enjoy the nature of football while we can.