Last night in the Super Bowl, the NFL played a 60 second commercial that was billed as their message on the safety of the players. Upon hearing the initial hype about the spot, I was intrigued since I had read that it was intended to promote safety in the game at all levels. I was anticipating a message aimed at young athletes and their parents about using appropriate tackling technique or to report all symptoms of injuries, especially TBI, to appropriate medical professionals. There was even a small hope that the NFL would also have promoted the use of athletic trainers on the sidelines of every high school game and practice. The possibilities of their message were endless as far as I was concerned and hoped for. What better way to promote the safety in the game than to do so in the biggest arena on the biggest stage?
After watching the spot, which aired as the first commercial at the end of the third quarter, I found it was seriously lacking in its message. I was sincerely disappointed to see a history of safety advancements in the game with no explanation as to why the improvements were made. A simple explanation of why helmets were first introduced would have been wonderful, but it was left up to the viewer to interpret the reason. Only those familiar with the history of the game, and in particular with the history of the football helmet, would have understood the significance of each stage presented in the commercial. Casual fans of the game would have no chance of understanding without researching it.
Instead of promoting the safety of players in the game, the commercial gave the message "Please stop the lawsuits against the league, we are trying to make things better, really we are." Unfortunately, the history of the NFL argues against this statement. The rules changes were usually very slow in coming in the NFL. In some cases they were much later than the NCAA and NFHS rules, and were implemented in smaller increments. This slow responses continues to indicate a bigger interest in the league's finances over player safety. It certainly is not the best way to win over the NFL's critics.
In the end, the commercial was a nice collection of video clips that promoted the game and only offered a passing thought to the safety of the players. It should be recorded as a badly missed opportunity to make a real difference in youth football.
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