The High Risk Professional Sports League, Research Paper Example

The NFL is the most popular professional sports league in the United States. Recording an average attendance of 67,604 in 2012, the major sports league has attracted some of the highest paid athletes in professional sports. While all the teams currently pay out millions of dollars in player salaries, the sport has since been riddled by injury issues. NFL players have been generally found to have the shortest career lifespan as compared to other professional sports leagues. The average NFL player has a career shelf life of 3.3 years, the lowest in any sport in the United States (Statista). This is largely due to the high rate of injuries they are associated with various aspects of the game.

The Most Common Injuries

Football is largely a physical and athletic game, regardless of the position one plays. However, most injuries result from tackles during open play, involving the much sturdier cornerbacks and pacey wide receivers. Contact usually involves high impact collisions that affect different parts of their physiology. The most common career threatening injuries are knee injuries. This sentiment and concern is shared by most NFL players as depicted in a study conducted by USA TODAY in 2014. The survey revealed that 46% of NFL players are most concern about knee injuries, 26% showed no concern for injuries and 24% were most concern about the head and neck areas (Barzilai and Brady).

The Most Vulnerable Positions

Football is a strategic and athletic sport that is defined by various player positions. Each position plays specific role, some of which are more prolific. The most renowned positions include the Running backs, quarterbacks and wide receivers. These players are generally considered to be potential game changers, and as such, attract high salaries. However, these positions are the most prone to injuries as a result of the nature of gameplay relative to their positions.

Running backs are generally the most exposed to high-impact physical hits. They have a career lifespan of 2.57 years, the shortest in any professional sports in the United States. Wide receivers have the second shortest career with an average of 2.81 with cornerbacks generally lasting for an average 2.94 years (Statista). This is in high contrast to their counterparts, quarterbacks (average careers 4.44 years) and kickers and punters (average careers 4.87) who get hit the least during practice and games.

Disposable Players

Despite the fact that the NFL is characterized by a short career spans, the sport still continues to attract hordes of players from college football leagues. The highest prone positions to injury attract the highest salaries. This has created a general mentality within the sport that players get into the NFL to make as much money as possible within the amount of time they can last in the sport (usually less than 3.3 years). This is further compounded by the elevation of certain players to indispensable status, relative to other team members. Quarterbacks are the heaviest guarded players owing to their technical prowess and importance in the game. This makes other players, such as wingbacks, generally dispensable and replaceable.

In conclusion, the NFL is the most loved professional ports league in the United States. Despite the fact that the sport attracts some of the highest aid athletes, it is riddled with numerous injuries which makes for a short career lifespan. The most prone players are running backs, wide receivers and cornerbacks. Owing to the high number of players flooding the NFL most players are considered disposable after suffering an injury.

Works Cited

Barzilai, Peter and Erik Brady. Knee injuries worry NFL players more than concussions. 27 January 2014. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2014/01/27/nfl-players-injury-survey-knee-head-concussions/4918341/>.

Statista. Average playing career length in the National Football League (in years). 10 June 2014. <http://www.statista.com/statistics/240102/average-player-career-length-in-the-national-football-league/>.