The Science of Football: Which Positions Take the Hardest Hits?

The article that I read was about football and which positions take the hardest hits. In this research, 33 Division 1 NCAA football players were tested and given both GPS receivers and accelerometers. These devices measure the intensity and the number of hits a player will take. They then took this information measured it against the different positions and which take the most impact.  They measured the hits in “G” or force of Earth gravity.  To give you an idea of the effect of G’s, it takes 3 G’s to pin people against walls of a spinning carnival ride.

            After analyzing the data, running backs were the ones to experience the most severe impacts, measuring above 10 G’s. It was thought that since the running back carries the ball so often during a game, they could account for the impacts. Another reason for the impacts is because while running full speed, they can be hit by multiple players in one play. Another high impact player would be the quarterback. Often times, the quarterback isn’t as big as those trying to tackle him. Also, the quarterback experiences many blind side tackles when he doesn’t see his attacker coming at him, giving him no chance to brace the hit.  The reason why this is such a huge topic as of recent is because impacts about 7 G’s are associated with a decrease in neuromuscular performance. This is the complete opposite of why these athletes are attending classes in college. They go to school to learn when football can take that opportunity from them. There is still a lot of information to be studied but we can learn much from this article.

            This article taught me a lot about the positions in football and which would be safer for my kids to play. One thing I have to consider is that linemen and receivers don’t take as intense of impacts as running backs or quarterbacks, but they experience lower impacts more often. I also learned about the importance of not playing with concussions.  Recently, there has been a lot of talk of the NFL and change that needs to take place with concussions. People are starting to become aware of how dangerous football can be to the athletes.  I learned in this article that the impacts that these players can have serious affects to their brains.

            I find this article so interesting because during my high school football career, I experienced a high number of concussions from various impacts on the field. I was always taught to “hit with my head”, and was never taught the signs of a concussion. What I was taught was to “fight through the pain”. This has lead to minor cognitive issues including dyslexia and blurred vision. Had I known some of the consequences of these high impacts, I would not have chose the position I played, may not even playing football at all. It’s important to realize that all the positions of football will experience different levels of impact, but I feel that we need to make better equipment and stricter rules to protect the athletes. Also, it’s interesting after years of playing football, only recently have we had more scientific research done on the athletes. I believe things need to change in order to protect the players and their futures.

-N.A.P

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-of-football-which-positions-take-the-hardest-hits/