If legal, players should hit as hard as they desire
Every Sunday and Monday, 32 NFL teams (with the exception of bye weeks) are on the gridiron fighting for a victory and a paycheck. The men on these teams have been working their entire lives to perform as best as they can every week. Recently, the hitting aspect of the game has come under heavy criticism. There have been countless numbers of injuries due to large hits. However, just like most NASCAR fans that watch the sport hope for the “big crash,” football fans watch to see their team demolish the other and occasionally throw a highlight-reel hit.
One player that has been under heavy speculation is James Harrison of Akron, Ohio, a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is known for his physicality on the field and his explicit comments off the field. Last season, Harrison was fined for several hits throughout the season, racking up a grand total of approximately $120,000. Harrison thinks that the league commissioner, Roger Goodell, is targeting him and trying to make an example out of Harrison. Goodell stated that Harrison needs to change his playing style in order to conform to league policy.
Is this right? Should players not be allowed to throw a “big hit” in order to change the momentum of the game? Football is a game of eleven players on each side trying to hit the person across from them as hard as they possibly can. That is why the sport is so interesting to its fan base.
Growing up, players are taught to wrap their arms around the person with the ball and bring them to the ground.
Harrison said in 2010, “When you get a guy on the ground, it is a perfect tackle.” The objective of the game is to bring the person with the ball to the ground, so as long as the tackler is not using his head or hitting the head of the other player, then there is nothing wrong with the play.
Today in the NFL, the officials are beginning to call penalties on what should be great hits. During this week’s Monday Night Football game, a Dallas Cowboys cornerback made a textbook shoulder-to-chest hit, causing the receiver to drop the ball during a crucial time of the game. The officials called a penalty on the cornerback, allowing the Washington Redskins to continue their drive. Even though the Cowboys stopped the Redskins and made them punt, the poor officiating could have cost the Cowboys the game over, what many would call, a great hit.
The officials are watching the games with a different perspective after the 2010 season. Any “big hit” seems to be a penalty. This takes the overall toughness and physicality out of the game, and in turn, hurts the core values of what football is all about. If referees continue to take the toughness out of the game, I am afraid that football will no longer be a sport where only the strongest survive.