Former NIU linebacker Renard Cheren is another example of how football’s violent nature has had an impact on current and former players. Cheren grew up in Lake Worth, Florida and loved to play football. As a Senior at Park Vista High, he suffered his first concussion. In an article written by Dan Krauth from NBC affiliate WPTV-TV, Cheren recalls that same experience. “My head was just ringing at the time,” said Cheren after the varsity football player hit his head during a play. “I just had a big headache, I was just out of it basically,” he said.” From that point on, he just unfortunately could not escape them. Standing at six-feet even and weighing 215 pounds, Cheren was considered “undersized” for a linebacker, but that didn’t stop him from making an impact on the field. As a redshirt freshman in 2015, Cheren played in thirteen games and started in all but one. He ended up with 63 tackles, which ranked fifth most on the NIU defense and top among all freshman players. With things looking up for the huskie alum, he began to suffer more concussions. As a redshirt Sophomore, Cheren suffered a career-ending head injury. After the gruesome experience, he ultimately decided to step away from football and pursue a different path as a videographer. In a recent classroom visit to his alma mater, Cheren discussed his journey and outlined some of the skills he possesses as a Steadicam/Cam operator, editor, etc. As a high schooler, Cheren would make dance videos and football highlight videos of himself and others. Cheren would then post them on his YouTube channel, to which he still owns, as more of a hobby. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California and loves his profession. Cheren noted that football has helped him transition into his current profession, as it requires a lot of physical movement and a “steady back.” Multiple head injuries forced Cheren to turn his hobby into a reality; his path to success partially came from the impact football had left upon him.

As concussions, future brain damage and all other injuries weigh in the minds of most players, there are many who ultimately choose to continue to play, and for various reasons. However, even with that desire, football’s violent nature continues to push more and more young Americans away from the sport. A good example of this can be found on the racetrack. Former NASCAR pit crew veteran Dion “Rocko” Williams spent thirteen years as a pit crew member performing various tasks for big-time drivers such as Jeff Gordon and Chase Elliott. Prior to his career in racing, Williams spent his entire life focused on football. He played as a linebacker for Wake Forest University from 2001-2003, and managed to reach the N.F.L. level as a participant on the Minnesota Vikings preseason roster in 2004. However, multiple head injuries, including one in particular, ultimately forced him to leave the sport behind. In an article written by Joe Rodgers from Sporting News, “Williams suffered an NFL career-ending seventh concussion three games into his pro career, during the 2004 preseason with the Vikings, his agent reached out to a NASCAR recruiter hoping to keep Williams’ athletic career going.” In another article written by Ryan Bergeron from CNN, Williams recalls how everything took place. “It was a special teams play. I was running full speed down the field and got knocked out again. I was dizzy. I had blurred vision. I knew I was done as a football player after that hit.” Williams was able to find a great deal of success as a pit crew member, and ultimately retired from his role in 2017. He now serves as a national recruiter for pit crew development in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, mainly seeking for “college athletes with the skill sets that could transition to NASCAR.” Although Williams was able to find success outside of football, it came involuntarily. This further exemplifies the overall impact of injuries in football, particularly those to the head, and how many are forced to find success outside of the sport.

Retired and former National Football Players should receive more health benefits than what they are currently getting. With a majority of studies on previous players showing signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, benefits should be enhanced to secure their long-term health. Yes, a lot of these former athletes such as Randy Moss or Shannon Sharpe have gone on to work for big-time sports corporations like ESPN and Fox Sports, finding a way to support themselves financially. However, although they, along with many other former athletes, have gone this route, many of the less prominent players don’t necessarily have the same opportunities, especially from a mental aspect. As mentioned in my previous blog titled “How CTE is Affecting The Lives of Many Current and Former Football Players,” CTE  “was found in 99 percent of deceased NFL players’ brains that were donated to scientific research,” in an article written by Daniella Emanuel from CNN. I also said that in another study conducted by JAMA, “Out of 202 deceased former football players total — a combination of high school, college and professional players — CTE was neuropathologically diagnosed in 177, the study said. The disease was identified in 110 out of 111 former NFL players. It was also found in three of the 14 high school players and 48 of the 53 college players.” The evidence further demonstrates the risks these athletes take when playing football, as most of them probably develop CTE or some form of brain trauma along the way. Thus, they should be compensated by the N.F.L. To play devil’s advocate, the league has made efforts in taking care of its former NFL players, the ones making them a lot of money, in its history. N.F.L. players have received pension support from the Bert Bell Plan, named after a former league commissioner, since it was founded in 1959. In an article written by The New York Times, “the 1993 collective bargaining agreement, a 401(k) plan to which players also could contribute was established, and in 1998 an annuity program followed.” The N.F.L.P.A.’s senior director of benefits Miki Yaras-Davis has also acknowledged an increased pension support with every collective bargaining agreement in the sport’s history. He says that “during the 2011 labor dispute and lockout, one of the main issues was establishing a fund for pre-1993 players. In that collective bargaining agreement, a “legacy fund” was established, with a $620 million increase in benefits, with team owners contributing out of their share of revenues for the first time. The union has increased pensions twice for former players since 2011.” Even with these efforts, an increase in support must come about. With several Hall of Famers such as Eric Dickerson, Kurt Warner and others in agreeance (see my previous blog), the time has come for the Nation Football League to properly secure the safety of those who helped make it into the most popular sport in America.

As youth participation in football continues to steadily decline in America due to health concerns, it seems to be affecting the current lives of many current and former players. According to an article written by Daniella Emanuel from CNN, CTE  “was found in 99 percent of deceased NFL players’ brains that were donated to scientific research” from a study published in the medical journal JAMA. In another study conducted by JAMA, “Out of 202 deceased former football players total — a combination of high school, college and professional players — CTE was neuropathologically diagnosed in 177, the study said. The disease was identified in 110 out of 111 former NFL players. It was also found in three of the 14 high school players and 48 of the 53 college players. The study included brains of individuals who have been publicly confirmed to have had the disease, including Ken Stabler, Kevin Turner, Bubba Smith and Dave Duerson.” With studies (and the naked eye) constantly showing a correlation between the rough nature of the sport leading to severe brain damage, more athletes are seeking compensation. Back in September, retired players and legends of the game including Eric Dickerson, Kurt Warner, and others sent a letter to commissioner Roger Goodell, N.F.L.P.A. executive director DeMaurice Smith and the Hall of Fame president David Baker seeking better health insurance and a share of N.F.L. revenues at the threat of boycotting future Hall of  Fame induction ceremonies. Time will tell as to whether the league decides to meet the demands of its former players and to what extent. For current athletes from all levels of football, it’s something worth keeping an eye on.

The amount of football players in America are diminishing, especially amongst the youth. With football being one of the more dangerous sports, the decline doesn’t come as a complete surprise. According to data by the National Federation of State High School Associations, fewer than 1.04 million high school students played football in 2017. In an article written by Jacob Bogage from The Washington Post, he points out that the decline includes “20,000 fewer athletes, a 2 percent drop from 2016.” He also notes that “in the past decade, football enrollment has declined 6.6 percent, according to NFHS data.” What’s even more astonishing is the fact that twenty schools across America have decided to drop football completely, including junior varsity and freshman programs. Even with the participation issues, the sport somehow remains as the number one boys participatory sport in the nation. According to Bogage, the number currently sits at roughly 1.36 million, nearly 500 thousand more than second more popular sport, Track & Field. Even so, the falloff has caught the attention of all levels of football, including the N.F.L. With injuries seeming to be the main cause for concern, the National Football League has decided to change some of its safety protocol. They recently adjusted their “roughing the passer” penalty where defenders are no longer allowed to bring down or fall on top of quarterbacks, regardless of intent or how severe the impact may or may not be. While this certainly doesn’t make defenders happy, just ask Clay Matthews, it further shows how even the N.F.L. is doing everything in its power to make the game becomes safer for better viewership, and to ultimately keep kids from switching over to a different sport. It’ll be interesting to see how the issue continues to affect football at the youth and N.F.L. level, as well as other echelons of sport such as the NCAA. Time will only tell.

My name is Martin Sotelo and I am currently a Senior Journalism student at Northern Illinois University with aspirations of becoming a sports journalist. All throughout my life, I have been extremely enamored with athletics. Coming from Gurnee, Illinois, my passion for Chicago sports teams, ala the Chicago Bears and others, goes without question. I grew up rooting for everything Chicago, outside of the Cubs, and my father is the main inspiration behind it all. While I may root for the White Sox, my two favorite teams stem from what I enjoy the most: basketball and football. I have developed a special appreciation for all levels of each sport outside of just the Chicago Bulls and Bears. Thus, my interest in writing about the drop-in youth football participation across America comes naturally. I will fully examine how and why this has come to be, as well as what kind of impact it may or may not be having on the National Football League and college football. Based on what I’ve found so far on Forbes and other media sources, television ratings have steadily declined over the years in viewership for televised games at the professional and collegiate level. This isn’t to say that football is no longer recognized by most as the most popular sport in America, especially since people still watch the NFL more than any other game. However, the decline in viewership is there and simply cannot go unnoticed. Based on what I’ve analyzed thus far, participation seems to be decreasing mainly because of major health and injury concerns from the parents of these athletes. In other words, more Americans are deciding that the risk involved with football simply doesn’t outweigh the potential reward. Parents would much rather have their children partake in other activities such as basketball or soccer where there’s a significantly less chance of suffering any serious, life-threatening brain symptoms/injuries down the line such as CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. As a former youth football player, I definitely feel a level of connection with the overall concern. I basically quit playing football because the risk simply wasn’t worth the reward in my mind, even after having never suffered a concussion or dealt with any other serious health conditions. Thus, I want to analyze where everyone from all levels are in regard to the issue, and what people are doing about it. These are all elements that I simply cannot wait to touch on. I am looking forward to sharing my research, thoughts and analysis with you all in the coming weeks.