American Football: A Dying Sport

American football has been around in North America since 1869. It is regarded as the one of the most popular sports in the United States alongside basketball and baseball. Due to the sport taking the name of soccer, which is called football in most countries except Canada, United States, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, it made American football have a very local fan base; the sport is not popular outside of Canada and the United States. Because of this reason, American football still has the same amount of popularity that it had in the 1900s, while basketball and baseball are gaining popularity because of the global effect it has.

The NFL (National Football League) is a very well known league for many good reasons, but the league also has a large number of controversies revolving the players. The league has a variety of players that committed dangerous crimes while they were still in the league or after they retired. A good and recent example of this is Aaron Hernandez, who plays a tight end position for the New England Patriots. Between 2007 and 2013, Hernandez had lots of legal troubles due to his involvements in lots of fights and shootings. In the summer of 2013, Hernandez was investigated and arrested by the police due to his involvement in shooting his friend Odin Lloyd to death. He has was found guilty in 2015 with first-degree murder and  5 other firearm charges. He was sentenced to life in prison at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution- Shirley and he hanged himself in his cell on April 19, 2017.

The most famous controversial case from the NFL is the Former player O.J Simpson. Simpson was once a popular figure in the U.S doing jobs aside from playing professional football such as being a broadcaster, actor, and an advertising spokesman. Now whenever you bring up his name, the only thing that people think about is him being an armed robber, kidnapper, and a murderer due to his involvement in the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Even though he was not proven guilty of the murders, the majority of the public still believe that Simpson is guilty.

Another reason for the NFL’s downfall is the rising popularity of the NBA. The NFL feels like a sport that lives in the past, while the NBA reveals the future of American sports. You can clearly see that there is a new generation of star players coming. The Golden State Warriors rose up as champions with Stephen Curry, a player loved by all of America due to his unique style of play. Curry doesn’t have outstanding physical appearances like most of the players that are over 2 meters, but he is still arguably one of the best players in the league and is relatable to the audience. It also may give kids hope and may work as a good motivation for them to work hard to achieve their dreams, even though they are not born with special physical advantages over others. The NBA is also filled with unique personalities that entertain the audience both on the court and off the court.

American football is also seen less in schools today due to its risks. Louie A, a ninth grade student born and raised in America, said “that lots of parents are taking their kids out of the sport due to the risks it has.” Parents don’t want children to be involved in something that is dangerous and could potentially get them injured. American football kids are being exposed to getting concussions and other injuries that could be fatal. This is resulting in more and more parents taking their kids out of the Junior American football league. Overall, American football is slowly declining and will end up vanishing.