Last week after several hard hits in college and pro football, the NFL announced that it would start penalizing players for helmet-to-helmet hits with suspensions.
While you will find virtually nobody making the pro-head injury side of the argument (The closest you will get is Steelers linebacker James Harrison saying he wants to hurt people not injure them), avoiding head injuries is easy. Don’t play football.
The league minimum salary in the NFL is $325,000. Keep in mind that is the guy just barely making the traveling team and spending most of his time on the practice squad. The average American only makes less than one sixth of that. (Approximately $50,000).
But your big name guys who to not only actually get be on the field, but sometimes even touch the ball get paid a lot more. Football is a young man’s game, and typically a millionaire’s game.
The question is, for a million dollars how hard are you willing to be hit in the head? Keep in mind if you are capable of reading this far down on the page you probably don’t currently have a concussion. But that is essentially one of several factors in the high rate of pay of professional athletes, especially football. It’s hazard pay!
It’s the same reason an oil rig worker makes more than a first year law school graduate.
Why do these guys on defense hit so hard? The simple answer, because they’re paid to do so. Why to the guys on offense let them? Because they’re paid to also! If you want to be safe in your job for a long time, be an accountant.
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