Asuncion 2 Alissen Asuncion Dennis Jantz, Fearless Leader English 101 19 November

Asuncion 2

Alissen Asuncion

Dennis Jantz, Fearless Leader

English 101

19 November 2014

The Value of Football

Thousands of Americans waste their time and money on football, spending hours in front of the television and consuming empty calories. While these Americans are rooting on their favorite team, they disregard, the damaging effects of football on the players, and fans themselves. If football fans took a moment to look at what they really benefit from football and how much time and money they waste, they would reconsider their “pride” as a fan and their view on the sport. Not only does football have financial and physical effects, but it also influences violent behavior and unethical values.

Exactly how much does the average American spend on football? More than most people assume. According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Associations, about 32 million Americans spend $467 dollars on Fantasy Football. Americans waste $467 managing football teams that do not exist, yet complain that they need money for their needs such as rent or grocery (Goff). The amount that Americans spend on game day only differs by a couple hundred dollars. According to Melanie Hicken in her article “The Cost of Being a Football fan”, a cowboy fan spends $313 on game day. People waste all this money just to see players get injured and to gain a false sense of pride (Hicken).

Some football fans may justify their spending by addressing the merchandise they purchase during Breast Cancer Awareness month. Although it is for a good cause, research shows that not much of the money goes to research. “Only 8.01% of money spent on pink NFL merchandise is actually going towards cancer research” (Gaines). To put things in perspective, this is the breakdown of how the profits of Pink football merchandise; For every $100 spent on merchandise, $12.50 goes to the NFL, $11.25 to the American Cancer Society, and the remainder goes to the retailer and manufacturer (Gaines). Overall, majority of the profit goes to the retailer.

People waste their money on football, which gains them nothing, when they could be spending on things that they actually need or will benefit them. I interviewed Donald Merckx, a Seahawks football fanatic and asked, “What do you benefit from football or when your team wins?” He replied with, “Pride and joy for my home town.” This is a false sense of pride because the fans are not the ones that are playing and winning the game. I also went to the Todd English Pub, which is a sports centered pub and it happened to be Sunday Football. Employees were dressed representing their favorite team and I asked the same question and received the same answer. Having known Donald for a while, he struggles with paying off student loans. Ironically, he has the money to spend on the football culture but cannot spend the same amount to pay off his loans. I also asked him how much he spends hosting gatherings for football and he claims it amounts to about $200. Football fans should consider where their money goes, and for what benefit? Fans spend their money and receive nothing in return, whereas, the companies receive all the benefit.

Another thing wasted on football is time. Twenty-seven percent of Americans spend six to ten hours per week watching football (MarketingCharts). However, within watching a game of football, there are only 11 minutes of actual play (Biderman) and 67 minutes of players standing around (Biderman). Within those six to ten hours, waiting for 11 minutes of actual play, a football fan could get a part time job. Those 11 minutes of action are nothing but seeing who can tackle whom or who will be injured.

Football is centered around who can injure the opposing team, it does not matter how they win. “The health of the player is not news; how the health of the player affects the team is news” (National Health Museum). The media portrays a player’s injury as a burden to the team as opposed to showing concern for the player. People should take these injures more seriously because these players have a short period of fame and fortune and in return they wind up physically broken and forgotten. If football evolved into a less violent game, players would have a longer life expectancy, but no one cares about the health of players considering that in 2013, 228 players were diagnosed with concussions (CNN Library).

Due to the violent nature of football, it does not promote moral values. During a game, the coach is saying something along the lines of “take out the quarterback” or “do what you have to do to score a touchdown.” Most coaches do not care how they win; if one of their players is injured, they show little concern and more frustration, especially over a key player.

Football has been a part of the American culture for years but we can do without it. Football is not appreciated for the game but rather for the violence and gaining a false sense of pride. Without football, people could better their lives instead of sitting a couch for hours for only a few minutes of field play. In addition, football players would not have to suffer the living hell of football. America enjoys watching violence in the form of a sport, but they also need to realize is that no one benefits from it, except for sponsors, networks, and owners who bathe in the money from the fans.

Works Cited

“2 in 3 Adults Watch NFL.” MarketingCharts. N.p., 14 Oct. 2011. Web. 26 Nov. 2014.

Biderman, David. “11 Minutes of Action.”  The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. 15 Jan. 2010. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.

CNN Library. “NFL Concussion Fast Facts”. CNN. 21 July 2014. Web. 03 Dec. 2014

Gaines, Cork. “A Shockingly Small Amount Of Money From Pink NFL Merchandise Sales Goes To Breast Cancer Research.” Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 15 Oct. 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.

Goff, Brian. “The $70 Billion Fantasy Football Market.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.

Hicken, Melanie. “The High Cost of Being a Football Fan.” CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 07 Sept. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.

Merckx, Donald. Personal Interview. 19 Nov. 2014

https://www.scribbr.com/mla/works-cited/