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Change is inevitable. Some people believe that without change, the human race would not be in the place it is today, which is true. But change can be bad. According to Edmond Burke in his book Reflections on the Revolution in France, change is bad when the thing that is being changed becomes unrecognizable. This could be used to understand a lot of things, government, climate, but recently, there have been many proposed changes in the NFL that could change the way football is played forever.
There once was a time in the National Football League when field goals were 5 points, forward passes were illegal, and there were only 10 teams in the league. While this is very different from the game and league we all know and love today (unless you are a Raiders fan), football was still football. There were still highlight worthy runs, crazy, bone crushing tackles, and feats of amazing athleticism being shown on the field.
Recently, with many former players suffering with long term problems because of concussions and other things related to their time playing in the league, the NFL has decided to possibly change the rules of the game. In class, we read an article in The New Republic, an American magazine, that plots out the different rule changes that are possibly being adopted in the league, among them being banning ball carriers from lowering their helmet to break tackles, getting rid of tackling during preseason camps, and getting rid of the kickoff to start a drive entirely.
Change
These rule changes are absurd. Edmond Burke would hate that the NFL is changing these rules because it not only changes the way the game is played, it changes the strategy behind being successful in the game. Banning ball carriers from lowering their helmet would get rid of amazing plays like this. Never again will we see the NFL’s elite ball carriers running right through the defense and moving the ball farther than expected. This not only changes the way how people carrying the ball will behave while running, but could also change the type of player carrying the ball. A strong player, like Eddie Lacey or Marshawn Lynch who run the ball while being very aggressive, could be hindered by this rule and could lose their starting spot to a player who runs with a style that caters better to this rule change. If this rule is changed, then football will not be football.
There will be a lot of penalty flags being thrown if these rule changes are made
If kick offs were eliminated from the game, then that would not only put a lot of players out of a job, but it would also change the whole strategy of the game. It would eliminate the need for a coin toss starting the game, it would eliminate teams starting in different areas on the field, and it would eliminate the amazing 99+ yard runs that players somehow achieve on kickoffs that give their team an extra 6 points on the board. If kick offs are eliminated from the game, then football will not be football.
I understand that these specific rule changes are being made to lower the possible concussions and other long term effects that playing in the NFL has on players, but if a player wants to play football, they should play football as it should be played. I hope the NFL realizes that changing these rules will result in a dramatic negative change to the sport and the possible annihilation of the sport of football as we know it. Without hard hitting runs and a kick off to start each possession, football will cease to be football.
Touchdown Theory 
Dear Blogger.
Good Post. You engage both the ideas from burke and the football article regarding change rather thoroughly, and I personally loved the AP hit that you included.
Regarding the regulation of hard-hitting tackles, i believe that regulation is necessary. There is a difference between a intense, bone-shattered, safe hit and one that puts both players at the risk of life-long disability. We need to teach people how to tackle strongly without being risky so that we can keep the games gladiator roots without the gladiator bloodshed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf9VfpyCNOk Here is an example of a hit that may show you where my fear is rooted.
However, what other aspects of the game do you think cannot be changed? What about the different formations that have developed over the years, such as the wildcat formation that Manziel and Oregon offenses throughout college have mastered? Do they count as part of the impermissible and change that you speak of?
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I think it is important to note that identifying what changes to a sport constitute “football will cease to be football”. If there was a time when forward passes were illegal, in my opinion, that type of game play would not be considered football by todays standards. When forward passes become part of the game, I’m sure strategy required a major overhaul and redesign. I totally agree that as fans, we must be weary of rule changes that distort what we are used to seeing; but if we want an NFL to exist in 50 years, safety precautions must be initiated so parents will allow there kids to play the sport and the NFL can have a talent pool to pick from.
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I think some of your points are valid, but let me ask you this: would you rather have football without kickoffs or no football at all? Football is running into a problem where less and less kids are playing because their parents find the game too dangerous. The amount of kids in youth leagues has dramatically diminished throughout the last decade. This is without a doubt a problem and the league must take steps to make the game safer in order to safeguard its future.
Also, to respond to a couple of your points – to my knowledge the rule change does not rule out running backs leading with their helmets (this still happens all the time). The rule change makes using your helmet as a weapon illegal, which is a different thing (cannot spear head-first into defender). This rule is very rarely called during games. For tackling during preseason camps, I don’t really see how that affects fans at all unless an avid viewer of NFL training camps – it might actually lead to less injuries during camp to your favorite players. Lastly, as far as kickoffs, yes it would be a major change but I don’t see how football would “not be football”. Coin tosses would still be necessary (who starts with ball first) and special teams would still play an important role (punting/punt returns, field goals, etc.) Plus, nobody ever said rosters would be cut in size. Football has always progressed – I bet if Vince Lombardi watched an Broncos vs. Eagles shootout today he wouldn’t know what the hell he was watching. For its own survival, the game needs to progress, and even if these rule changes happen – something tells me you’d still be watching every Sunday.
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