College Football 2012: Pushing More Concussion Safety Is a Plus for Football

A week from today, some heavy hitters and well-respected names in the world of football reform and discourse will gather to debate the merits of banning college football.

Malcolm Gladwell, one of the leaders with respect to discussion of concussions and safety, and Buzz Bissinger will be working on the "for" banning football side. On the "against" side, Jason Whitlock and Tim Green will speak as to why the game should be reformed but not banned.

While Bissinger's view is likely the more rabid fan argument of the general public, Gladwell's safety push is what truly piqued my interest.

Arguing that corruption is a reason for dismantling the sport just doesn't make much sense in the grand scheme of things. You don't throw the baby out with the bath water; that's what reform is for.

Gladwell's stance, with respect to concussions and the violence of the game, is a true fact of football that is not disappearing. While I am skeptical that there are "more" concussions now than ever before, I do understand that the game is taking concussions more seriously, and there is more information with respect to both short- and long-term effects.

Acknowledging the dangers of concussions and working to raise awareness, even by pushing a ban of the sport, can have a truly positive effect for football players everywhere. 

Concussions are likely the most pressing issue with respect to college football. More information is available now than ever, and as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, early-onset dementia and accelerated brain degeneration are discovered early in football players, safe-guarding the players should be job one.

Concussions are not an NFL problem. They are a football problem.

Sending young men out to play a game, for no pay, to help earn millions for their universities, while doing long-term damage to their brains is a big deal. 

This panel is going to be a very interesting one, and we'll keep you updated as it approaches. For more reading, be sure to check out some of Bissinger's and Steven Salzberg's work and others who have opined on the subject.