Society places great pressure on football athletes nowadays. These players compete with extreme tenacity to win, play through injury, and sacrifice other aspects of their life just for the game. The amount of pressure athletes face to win every day is grueling on their physical and mental health. The value of winning a game is often more important than a player's education or well being. In football, concussions are overlooked and treated as part of the sport. If players sit themselves out because of injury they are scrutinized, perceived as weak, and not a team player. Athletes are able to reap the glory, but once their short football career is finished they are expected to thrive in society with no education and a dwindling physical health. Football players are conditioned to be tough and feel no pain so that they maximize the entertainment value for all football fans. That is all the NFL is now, a business. It is all about the money generated through athletes and their wins. No one cares about the well being of these players once they retire. The below article explains the football career of Kris Jenkins and his desire to help future linemen with preparing themselves off the field before starting their career. Potential athletes often times don't know the truth about what really exists in tough leagues like the NFL. In fact, most of society doesn't know the reality of what goes on, and unfortunately our youth is given the wrong impressions about the consequences of playing. It is up to society and the fans to decrease the pressure of winning and allow athletes to enjoy the game

www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/sports/football/kris-jenkinss-view-of-life-in-the-nfl-trenches.html?_=1&ref=sports

Melissa A. KIN 577