Essay on NFL Stars Domestic Violence Scandal
I believe that there is indeed a connection between playing NFL and the development of abusive behavior among its athletes. But should playing American football become a factor for athletes to develop personality problems and abusive behavior in the long run? There have been lots of scandals involving NFL superstars not only in terms of using performance enhancing drugs in the field, but also in terms of having bad conduct in and out of the stadium. This problem should be prevented, though, because many youths idolize NFL superstars for their outstanding plays. We should know that if their attitude eventually becomes negative for the public image, it may also affect the way they are viewed by their fans. There are a lot of reasons why players become violent and abusive during their career, as evidenced by facts and personal experiences of the athletes. During an entire season, NFL players receive tackles a hundred of times; they also suffer from repeated blows, concussions and other serious contact sports-related injuries. With these, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that all the hits and blows received by athletes have an effect on their brains, increasing their likelihood of committing violence and developing abusive behavior. Personality problems and abusive behavior among football athletes are not a new topic of interest, because it has been an issue for several years already. In my opinion, this issue is of particular concern because there are still many athletes who are allowed to enter the field despite charges and their questionable conduct. Now, the question that lingers in the mind of many psychologists is that if these actions can be medically preventable. And considering the fact that traumatic injuries and blows to the head can be linked with an abusive behavior – and eventually domestic violence – there might be a way to understand what is on the mind of athletes as they abuse or assault somebody. This way, we can have a good and in-depth understanding of how personality problems develop resulting from sports-related trauma.
The link between trauma and development of violent behavior is possible mainly because athletes are taught how to deal with different kinds of high-pressure triggers and stressors, and being aggressive is a good way to do this. Aggressiveness inside the field is what makes NFL players become superstars, especially when this is combined with a sky-high potential plays and pick offs. NFL player Ray Rice is the latest addition to the long-list of superstars accused of domestic violence and assault. The 27-year old Rice is now suspended and paying a price for doing acts of violence towards his wife, Janay Rice. It is a good thing that the assault was caught on video, so Ray was immediately given the necessary sanctions while Janay was spared from death (Abcarian, np). This was just one of the many issues of domestic violence haunting – and will continue to haunt – the American football industry. And although there are many other factors that might contribute to a player’s likelihood of developing an abusive behavior, it cannot be denied that the aggression linked with his career is a good contributor as well. So far, there are other factors to be considered to determine the psychological state of an athlete and if he should still be allowed to play following a case of domestic violence. The suspension and legal sanctions applied to Ray Rice is a good way for the NFL industry to show the public that they are doing something to not tolerate violence and aggression outside the playing field. But medically speaking, further research should still be conducted on this one to determine the actual relationship of past life experiences and in-game injuries and trauma to an athlete’s aggression and negative personality.