Recently I read a story on yahoo sports about Hines Ward who is the wide reciever for the Pittsburgh Steeler saying the NFL needs to clarify what an illegal hit is. He says it could cost a team a game if the referee could make an incorrect call just because he is afraid of getting in trouble. This is definitely something that is important because an illegal hit could cause someone to become paralyzed. Another thing that is interesting is the big issue is players hitting the wrong way or illegally hitting someone so it causes them to become paralyzed. Well just by players are now being flagged for an illegal hit a hit that is perfectly legal could cause someone to become paralyzed. Its just about how the players body reacts to the hit because the simpliest hit could end a player career. The NFL needs to make a decision on how they are going to deal with the whole illegal hits because for me as a spectator its taking away for the game. Its called a contact sport for a reason
Mallori T.
Kin 332I S3200
2 comments:
I agree with you that the NFL needs to make and enforce more distinct rules for this type of situation. One problem with Ward, and other NFL players, is they feel they are being personally targetted by the refs. You can watch a game, and point out which players are getting the personal foul calls for a hit, while another player is given more freedom for the same hit. Clearly, this isnt going to solve the problem of illegal hits. On one hand, it is heart-breaking to see a career end by a hit. But on the other hand, it will be nearly impossible to try to regulate exactly how a player can and cannot make contact in this extremely high contact sport.
Allison Evans
Kin 332I.S3200
I agree with Hines Ward. When playing a contact sport, players are always susceptible to injuries. While it's important to protect players, it's unfair to fine players for legitimate hits that you're taught at a young age. Players are taught to be aggressive and they practice hitting/tackling in practices. Football especially, is a contact sport where you need to tackle an opponent in order to stop the play or get the ball back. There is no such thing as playing "soft" in football. Telling a defensive player not to hit is equivalent to telling a running back not to run. Some kind of clarification needs to be made because players will be holding back in fear of being fined. And in athletics you don't need players holding back, you want players going all out and playing to the best of their ability. Since this issue is gaining a lot of attention, I remember watching Sportscenter and they were interviewing players who were fined and they stated they did not think it was right to be fined because of how hard they hit someone. The football players said that’s just part of the game and they didn’t regret hitting their opponent.
Kimiyo H.
KIN 332I Section 3017
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