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129 NFL Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

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The National Football League (NFL) is one of the most popular and watched sports leagues in the United States. With millions of fans across the country, it's no surprise that NFL topics are a popular choice for essays and research papers. Whether you're a football enthusiast looking for inspiration or a student in need of a topic for your next assignment, we've got you covered with 129 NFL essay topic ideas and examples.

• The impact of concussions on NFL players
• The evolution of NFL rule changes
• The debate over player protests during the national anthem
• The role of technology in improving player safety
• The rise of fantasy football and its impact on the NFL
• The history of the NFL draft
• The importance of diversity and inclusion in the NFL
• The controversy surrounding NFL team names and mascots
• The influence of social media on the NFL
• The legacy of NFL legends like Tom Brady and Jerry Rice
• The impact of COVID-19 on the NFL season
• The role of cheerleaders in the NFL
• The role of referees in the NFL
• The relationship between the NFL and gambling
• The impact of the NFL on local economies
• The role of the NFL Players Association in protecting player rights
• The influence of NFL coaches on team success
• The impact of the NFL on youth sports participation
• The role of nutrition and fitness in NFL player performance
• The influence of sports psychology on NFL players
• The impact of the NFL on television ratings
• The role of sports marketing in the NFL
• The influence of the NFL on fashion and culture
• The history of the Super Bowl
• The impact of player endorsements on the NFL
• The ethics of player salaries in the NFL
• The role of sports agents in the NFL
• The impact of the NFL on gender equality in sports
• The influence of the NFL on college football
• The impact of player discipline on team success
• The role of sports analytics in the NFL
• The influence of NFL team owners on league policies
• The impact of the NFL on player activism
• The role of sports medicine in the NFL
• The influence of NFL rivalries on fan loyalty
• The impact of player retirements on team dynamics
• The role of the NFL Hall of Fame in preserving league history
• The influence of player scandals on the NFL's reputation
• The impact of player suspensions on team performance
• The role of the NFL Combine in evaluating prospects
• The influence of the NFL on sports broadcasting
• The impact of player trades on team chemistry
• The role of instant replay in NFL officiating
• The influence of player contracts on team salary cap management
• The impact of player injuries on team success
• The role of player endorsements in shaping player images
• The influence of player rivalries on game intensity
• The impact of player retirements on team rebuilding efforts
• The role of player celebrations in the NFL
• The influence of player suspensions on team morale
• The impact of player protests on league policies
• The role of player fines in disciplining players
• The influence of player activism on social issues
• The impact of player suspensions on team standings
• The role of player injuries in determining game outcomes
• The influence of player arrests on team reputation
• The impact of player holdouts on team negotiations
• The role of player trades in reshaping team rosters
• The influence of player retirements on team leadership
• The impact of player contracts on team salary cap flexibility
• The role of player endorsements in promoting team brands
• The influence of player rivalries on game strategy
• The impact of player injuries on team depth
• The role of player activism in promoting social change
• The influence of player suspensions on team discipline
• The impact of player fines on player behavior
• The role of player protests in raising awareness
• The influence of player arrests on team culture
• The impact of player holdouts on team chemistry
• The role of player trades in improving team performance
• The influence of player retirements on team morale
• The impact of player contracts on team finances
• The role of player endorsements in building player brands
• The influence of player rivalries on team motivation
• The role of player activism in promoting social justice
• The influence of player suspensions on team unity
• The impact of player fines on player accountability
• The role of player protests in sparking national debate
• The influence of player arrests on team image
• The role of player trades in shaping team identity
• The influence of player retirements on team legacy
• The impact of player contracts on team salary cap management
• The role of player endorsements in marketing team merchandise
• The influence of player rivalries on fan loyalty
• The impact of player injuries on team performance
• The role of player trades in improving team dynamics

These 129 NFL essay topic ideas and examples cover a wide range of subjects within the world of professional football. Whether you're interested in the business side of the NFL, player safety, or the impact of player activism, there's sure to be a topic that piques your interest. So grab your notebook and start brainstorming your next NFL essay today!

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NFL History – Essay Sample

The National Football League is the hugest, most popular sports league in the country. The establishment of the NFL completely revolutionized the American sport experience for fans and athletes alike. Before the NFL, there was no national football conference bringing together competitive teams from across the country; there were only area-localized professional leagues. The NFL brought together athletes and professional from across the country for the first time.

The NFL was originally formulated in 1920, under the title ‘American Professional Football Conference.’ Jim Thorpe, who was previously an Olympic competitor, developed the idea with several well-known football coaches, athletes and team owners. The original roster only included eleven teams from the states of Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Wisconsin and Indiana. Over the next few years, other teams attempted to join, but these dozen or so teams didn’t often finish the season. The first NFL championship conference winners were the unrivaled Akron Pros from Ohio.

For about ten years since its first game, the NFL fluctuated in strength, until it began to soar in the 1930s. New teams from larger cities along the east coast were joining in with the national league. Teams soon began drafting college players and eventually incorporated multiracial teams, though segregation was an issue for several decades. By the end of World War II, the NFL was capturing the attention of teams, players and average citizens from across the United States. In 1966, the NFL hosted the very first Super Bowl, won by the famous Green Bay Packers. The league further established its dominance in the sporting world by merging with its only significant competitor in 1970 – the widely popular American Football League (AFL). Since then, NFL sporting events have been the most popular of any other professional sport.

The NFL has hosted tens of thousands of games and included hundreds of teams over the years. However, the NFL dream was almost crushed in the 1980s. During this time, a rival professional football team – known as the United States Football League – posed a serious competitor to the NFL. However, the National Football League survived the competition and lives on today as America’s number one football league.

The future is bright for the NFL. In the early 2000s, the NFL expanded to include an international program, incorporating teams in Mexico, Europe and Canada. It is one of the most successful, impressive sporting leagues in the entire country.

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333 Football Research Topics & Essay Titles

Football is a game that millions of people around the world enjoy watching and playing. With 3.57 billion views of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, this sport appears to be the most popular. Besides, each match is more than just a game — football is all about passion, skill, and teamwork.

In this article, our expert team has collected great football topics to write about and research that you can use for your school or college assignments.

🔝 Top 12 Football Topics to Write About

✍️ football writing prompts, 📝 football titles for essays, 🗣️ football speech topics, 💡 football topics for presentation, 🔎 football research topics, ⚽ football essay outline, 🔗 references.

• The history of football.
• Football as the world’s most popular ball game.
• The development of modern football.
• The greatest football moments.
• Why do tactics play a vital role in football?
• Football as a traumatic kind of sport.
• What is football’s most prestigious competition?
• The legends of American football.
• The impact of football on society.
• Advantages of playing football.
• Men’s and women’s football.
• The issue of racism in football.

Are you looking for some prompts on the football topic? Then you are at the right place! Below, you can find ideas for writing your essay.

Why Football Is the Best Sport: Essay Prompt

Football is a global sport that connects practically everyone on the planet. It has the power to bring an entire city or nation to a standstill. In the essay that explains why football is the best game, you can share your own experience or the emotions of your friend who is passionate about this game. Also, you can list the reasons why people love this sport. For example:

• Football connects millions of people.
• There are no age restrictions to enjoy the match.
• The world’s best talents are football players, such as Lionel Messi.
• Watching or participating in football evokes genuine emotions.

Prompt for Panyee Football Club Essay

Have you ever heard about a football club that is floating on water? Panyee FC is one of them! Since there is not enough space on the island, football fans and players built a football pitch in the middle of the sea. Find the answers to the following questions about Panyee Football Club and use this information in your essay:

• What is the history behind Panyee Football Club?
• Why is a Panyee FC pitch built on water?
• What are the core values of Panyee Football Club?
• Can we say that Panyee FC is a symbol of passion for football?

Why Football Is Dangerous: Essay Prompt

The fact that football has the greatest injury rate of any other kind of sport should not come as a surprise. Football players often incur injuries like ankle sprains, knee injuries, concussions, and acromioclavicular sprains. In your essay on the dangers of football, you can raise the following questions:

• Why is it so easy for football players to get injured?
• What types of injuries are most common during a football game?
• What precautions must be taken to prevent trauma?
• How does injury impact the future career of a football player?

Prompt for Essay on Concussions in Football

While every sport has some risk of getting hurt, football, as a high-impact sport , is infamous for causing severe injuries. Concussions are a common injury among football players. They happen when the head is hit hard enough to cause a minor brain injury. To research the topic of concussions in football, write your essay based on the following aspects:

• The effect of concussion on the brain.
• Statistics on concussion in American football.
• Medical concussion protocol.
• The recovery process after a concussion.
• Screening procedures examining football players for brain damage.

If you’re looking for the most engaging football essay titles, check out the ideas we’ve collected below!

Topics for a Descriptive Essay on a Football Game

• The thrill of a last-minute goal in football.
• The intensity of the players’ warm-up and last-minute preparations.
• Sports psychologist: working with athletes .
• The different styles of play in football around the world.
• The rapid movement of players and the choreography of their tactics.
• The role of a coach in football.
• Capturing the joys and frustrations of the players and fans.
• The interaction between players and referees: decisions, protests, and resolutions.
• A description of a football stadium and its architecture.
• The art of dribbling in football.
• How do players and fans celebrate a goal?
• Describing pre-match rituals and superstitions in football.
• How do fans create a supportive atmosphere for their team during the game?
• The joy and excitement of attending a live football match.
• Describing how coaches handle their emotions on the sidelines.
• The description of food served during the football game.
• The magnetic pull of the scoreboard: watching the numbers change.
• The vibrant fan gear and merchandise in a football stadium.
• The drama of penalty kicks: tension, hope, and heartbreak.
• The description of a goalkeeper’s save.
• The sounds of the football match.

Football Argumentative Essay Topics

• Is football too dangerous for young children to play?
• Does football develop leadership skills and teamwork?
• Title IX in the female sports development .
• College football players should be paid for their performance on the field.
• Should football stadiums have stricter security measures?
• Is the use of performance-enhancing drugs in football acceptable?
• Reasons why the NFL should expand to include more teams.
• Why paying college athletes is beneficial .
• Is the NFL doing enough to prevent concussions and other injuries in players?
• Should football games be played on artificial turf or natural grass?
• Is it ethical for colleges to recruit high school football players?
• Should players be allowed to protest during games?
• Does youth sports play a part in the character formation ?
• Reasons why cheerleading should be considered a sport in football.
• Should the Super Bowl be considered a national holiday?
• The economic influence of football: the benefits and costs.
• Is football too focused on commercialization and profit?
• Should football players be allowed to use marijuana for medical purposes ?
• The NFL should have a shorter season to reduce the risk of injuries to players.
• Using performance-enhancing drugs in the world of sport .
• Should college football teams be allowed to schedule games against non-college teams, such as high school teams?
• Should the NFL have a salary cap to ensure fairness among teams?
• Football players should wear full body armor to reduce injuries.
• Is football too expensive for schools and communities to support?
• Should the NFL allow players to use alternative therapies for pain management ?
• Should football players be required to take regular drug tests ?
• Should the NFL have stricter penalties for players who break the rules, such as suspensions or fines?
• Children participation in sports .
• Football players should take classes on financial management to prepare for life after football.
• Should the NFL have a quota for hiring minority coaches and executives?
• High school football players should pass a physical exam before being allowed to play.
• Should the NFL have stricter rules on player conduct off the field?
• College football players should be allowed to transfer to other schools without penalty.
• Should the NFL have a policy on players using social media ?
• Football players should attend media training to prepare for interviews and press conferences.
• Sport psychology: biases and influence of external rewards .
• Should the NFL have a policy on players participating in political activism ?
• Football players should undergo regular psychological evaluations.
• Should the NFL have a policy on players using alcohol and drugs off the field?
• Should football players be required to wear protective eyewear to reduce eye injuries?
• College football teams should provide mental health resources for their players.
• Should high school football teams limit the number of weekly practices to reduce the risk of injuries?
• Paying college athletes: reinforcing privilege or promoting growth ?
• Should college football players be allowed to unionize?
• Should football be banned in schools to protect students from injuries?
• Is playing football in college detrimental to academics?
• Should college football players be allowed to hire agents?

Ideas for a Narrative Essay about Football

• The first time I stepped onto the football field: an unforgettable experience.
• Overcoming adversity: how I bounced back from a football injury.
• A story of teamwork : how football taught me the value of collaboration.
• The most memorable football match I have ever witnessed.
• Coping with stress in athletes .
• The importance of football in building lifelong friendships.
• From underdog to champion: my journey with the football team.
• A day in the life of a football player: behind the scenes.
• The role of football in shaping my identity.
• A tale of rivalry: the intense football match against our arch-nemesis.
• The impact of football on my physical fitness and well-being.
• How a football coach changed my life.
• The thrill of scoring the winning goal: a football victory to remember.
• The evolution of football: from my grandfather’s time to the modern era.
• A football match that taught me the importance of humility .
• The emotional rollercoaster of supporting a football team.
• Lessons learned from defeat: how football taught me resilience .
• A football game that tested my leadership skills.
• Football and community: how the sport brings people together.
• A football camp experience: training, team building , and friendship.
• From fan to player: fulfilling my football dream.

Football Essay Topics: Compare and Contrast

• Regular football vs. American football: a comparative analysis.
• Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo: contrasting two football legends.
• Comparing football and soccer .
• College football vs. professional football: similarities and differences.
• The World Cup vs. the Super Bowl: contrasting two major football events.
• The roles and impact of offensive and defensive players.
• The Premier League vs. La Liga: comparing two dominant football leagues.
• Contrasting playing styles and cultural significance of football in Europe and South America.
• Club football vs. international football: examining the differences in competition and loyalty.
• Football stadiums vs. arenas: comparing the experiences of live football events.
• The similarities and differences between Olympic football and FIFA World Cup.
• Football in the past vs. modern-day football.
• Comparing the roles and responsibilities of quarterbacks and goalkeepers.
• Football fan culture in Europe vs. the US: contrasting fan traditions and behaviors.
• Amateur football vs. professional football.
• Football uniforms vs. gear: analyzing the equipment used in the sport.
• Comparing and contrasting famous football team rivalries.
• Football team dynamics vs. individual brilliance: contrasting the impact of teamwork and individual performances.
• Football referees vs. video assistant referees (VAR).
• Club vs. country: comparing the passion and loyalty for club and national teams.
• Football and injuries: comparing the risk and types of injuries in the sport.
• Football leagues during the pandemic vs. regular seasons.
• Football commentary vs. live match experience: comparing the different ways of engaging with the sport.
• The impact of football on local vs. global economies.
• Football documentaries vs. fictional football movies.
• The role of football in promoting diversity vs. perpetuating stereotypes.
• Football fandom vs. player idolization: contrasting how fans engage with the sport.
• Comparing the traditional grass pitches vs. artificial turf.
• The impact of social media on football vs. traditional media.
• Comparing the challenges of football in different weather conditions .
• Football in mainstream culture vs. football subcultures.
• The health benefits of football vs. injuries and health risks.
• Betting in football vs. gambling .
• The cultural significance of football in different regions.
• Football literature vs. football films: contrasting different forms of storytelling about the sport.
• Football stadiums: traditional vs. modern architecture .
• College football vs. professional football: differences in gameplay and culture.
• Offensive vs. defensive strategies: which is more important?
• Comparing traditional and modern football training methods.
• The history of football in America and Europe.
• Injuries in football vs. soccer: which sport is more dangerous?

American Football Topics

• The evolution of American football: from its origins to the present day.
• The impact of race on American football.
• Concussions and brain injuries in American football.
• The psychology of football: understanding the mental game of players and coaches.
• The role of women in American football: from cheerleaders to coaches and executives.
• The strategies and tactics used in American football.
• The role of coaches in American football: leadership and game planning.
• The significance of the offensive line in American football.
• The impact of college football on the NFL.
• The influence of the media on American football.
• The role of the head coach in American football.
• The importance of physical fitness in American football.
• The impact of technology on American football: from instant replay to virtual reality training.
• The economic impact and financial aspects of American football.
• The history of Super Bowl halftime shows.
• American football and national identity.
• The impact of weather on American football games.
• The influence of player protests on American football.
• The role of American football in the entertainment industry (movies, TV shows, etc.).
• The development of American football youth programs: benefits and challenges.
• The importance of the running back in the offense in American football.
• The role of the defensive line in stopping the run and rushing the passer in American football.
• The influence of American football on sports marketing and sponsorship.
• The impact of fan behavior on American football.
• Exploring the legacy of American football’s great players and their impact on the sport.
• The influence of a new coach on team culture and performance in American football.
• The consequences of player suspensions in American football.
• Player trades in American football: exploring how teams acquire new talent.
• American football and sportsmanship: fair play and ethical considerations.
• The impact of player injuries on American football: exploring the recovery process.
• The role of American football in building teamwork and camaraderie.
• The impact of American football on society’s perception of masculinity .
• The history and cultural significance of American football rivalries.
• The role of American football in promoting community engagement and volunteerism.
• The influence of American football on US pop culture.
• American football and social justice : protests, activism, and athlete empowerment.
• The role of American football in public health and fitness initiatives.
• The ethics of sports gambling in American football.
• American football and sports diplomacy: international relations and competitions.
• The future of American football: challenges and opportunities.

Are you looking for exciting football topics to talk about? Check out our suggestions for persuasive and informative speeches about this sport!

Football Persuasive Speech Topics

• The benefits of playing football for overall physical fitness.
• The importance of youth football programs in fostering teamwork.
• Kids and sports: lack of professional sports guides .
• The positive impact of football on character development and leadership skills.
• The role of football in promoting gender equality and inclusion.
• The economic benefits of hosting major football events like the World Cup or Super Bowl.
• The need for increased safety measures and concussion protocols in football.
• The necessity of providing proper healthcare and support for retired football players.
• The role of football in breaking down cultural and racial barriers.
• Balancing college sports and academic mission .
• The benefits of investing in football infrastructure and facilities for communities.
• The positive influence of football in reducing youth involvement in crime and drugs.
• The potential of football as a tool for empowering disadvantaged communities.
• The role of football in promoting a healthy and active lifestyle among fans and spectators.
• The benefits of including football as part of the physical education curriculum in schools.
• The positive effects of football in promoting national pride.
• Corporate social responsibility in sports organizations .
• The use of football as a platform for raising awareness and funds for charitable causes.
• The importance of football in boosting tourism and international visibility of cities.
• The potential of football in fostering international diplomacy and cultural exchange.
• The importance of providing equal opportunities for females in football at all levels.
• The impact of football on local economies through job creation and tourism revenue.
• The significance of iconic moments in football history.

Football Informative Speech Topics

• The different positions in football and their roles.
• The psychology of football fans and their passion for the game.
• Agencies in the international football industry .
• Famous football stadiums around the world and their significance.
• The rules and regulations of football: understanding the game’s structure.
• The role of referees and their importance in enforcing the rules of football.
• Positive self-talk and its impact on athletes .
• The evolution of football equipment: from leather balls to high-tech gear.
• The most successful football clubs in history and their achievements.
• Exploring the tactics and strategies used in modern football.
• The science behind successful football coaching.
• Sports coaching career and its history .
• Football rivalries: the history and intensity behind classic match-ups.
• The art of scoring goals: techniques and skills of top goal scorers.
• Football and media: the influence of broadcasting and coverage on the sport.
• The psychological aspects of football: mental preparation and performance.
• The cultural impact of football around the world.
• The development and growth of women’s football.
• Physical therapy services for sports injuries .
• The importance of nutrition and fitness in football.
• The significance of football academies in nurturing young talent.
• The role of technology in modern football: VAR, goal-line technology, and more.
• Football hooliganism : understanding the causes and efforts to combat it.
• Famous football managers and their managerial styles: strategies for success.

If you need compelling topics about football for your presentation, here are some ideas you can consider:

• The FIFA World Cup: the most significant event in international football.
• Techniques and skills in football: dribbling, shooting, passing, and more.
• Leadership development in football management .
• The rules and regulations in football.
• Football tactics: exploring different formations and strategic approaches.
• Famous football players of all times: their achievements and impact on the sport.
• Football and sports injuries: common types, prevention, and treatment.
• Steroid use effects on professional young athletes .
• Football stadiums around the world: architecture and unique features.
• The business side of football: sponsorship, transfer fees, and revenue streams.
• Football and social media: the influence of digital platforms on the sport.
• Football documentaries and films: capturing the drama and passion of the sport.
• The effects of football on fashion and popular culture.
• Virtual reality technology in soccer referee training .
• The financial impact of football on cities and regions.
• Football and sports journalism: media coverage and analysis of the sport.
• Football stats and analytics: how data is revolutionizing the sport.
• The causes and consequences of fan violence in football.
• The cultural rituals and traditions associated with football matches.
• Football and the environment: sustainable practices and stadiums.
• The impact of football on tourism.
• Health care site: fitness, sports, and nutrition .
• Football and celebrity culture: players as icons and brand ambassadors.
• Football in video games: the popularity of virtual football experiences.
• The importance of infrastructure in hosting major football events.
• Football tactics in different eras: from Catenaccio to Tiki-Taka.
• Football and broadcasting: the growth of televised matches and media rights.
• Football training drills for improving agility and speed.
• Physical activity and sports team participation .
• Strategies for effective team communication on the football field.
• The importance of proper warm-up exercises in preventing injuries in football.
• Tips for strengthening and conditioning specific muscle groups for football players.
• Defensive formations and tactics for shutting down opponents in football.
• Analyzing football game films to improve performance and strategy.
• Recovering from football injuries: rehabilitation exercises and protocols.
• Sports-related problems and conflicts .
• Sports psychology techniques for boosting confidence and mental resilience in football.
• Nutrition and hydration guidelines for optimal performance in football.
• The connection between globalization and football.
• The role of stretching routines in preventing muscle imbalances in football players.
• Practical strategies for successful penalty shootouts in football.
• Steroid usage in professional sports .
• Football scouting and player evaluation techniques for talent identification.
• The use of technology in football training and performance analysis.
• Football equipment maintenance and safety guidelines for players.
• Preparing and executing penalty kicks in pressure situations in football.
• Advanced passing techniques in football: long passes, through balls, and more.

Do you need to write a research paper about football but don’t know where to start? Consider our list of football research questions and topics:

• How have football tactics evolved over the past decade?
• The impact of technology on decision-making in football.
• Business industry: trend analysis for soccer .
• The psychology of team cohesion and its effects on football performance.
• What is the role of nutrition and diet in optimizing football players’ performance?
• What is the relationship between football and concussions?
• How do FIFA World Cup events affect host countries’ economies?
• What is the carbon footprint of major football events?
• The effects of climate conditions on football matches.
• Shortage of officials at the high school sports level .
• The influence of social media on football players’ image and brand.
• The role of VAR in the fairness of football matches.
• The impact of home-field advantage in professional football.
• How does the football stadium atmosphere affect player performance?
• The rise of women’s football and its impact on gender equality.
• The economic implications of football player transfers and fees.
• The correlation between a team’s wage bill and on-pitch success.
• Factors influencing fan loyalty in football.
• Research handbook of employment relations in sport .
• The role of leadership and coaching in a team’s success.
• The impact of sponsorship deals on football clubs’ financial stability.
• The relationship between player positioning and successful goal scoring.
• The effects of VAR on the emotions and behavior of fans during football matches.
• How does football influence youth development and participation in sport?
• How can big data analytics improve football performance and decision-making?
• The effects of football on cultural identity and national pride.
• How do sports affect disabled people psychologically ?
• The impact of football on the local community and economy.
• The influence of crowd noise on football referee decisions.
• The role of sports psychology in enhancing football performance.
• The impact of financial fair play regulations on football clubs.
• How does football betting affect match outcomes and integrity?
• The cultural significance of football chants and songs in fan culture.
• Steroid abuse in the world of sports .
• The influence of doping scandals on the reputation of football players and clubs.
• The role of football in promoting social inclusion and breaking down barriers.
• How do international football competitions affect tourism?
• The effects of player transfers on team dynamics and performance.
• The correlation between player height and success in football.
• The influence of different playing surfaces on football player performance and injury rates.
• How do referees maintain fairness and order in football matches?
• Achievement motivation theory in sports psychology .
• The impact of football on academic performance and school attendance.
• The role of football hooliganism in shaping public perceptions of the sport.
• The influence of football sponsorship on brand image and consumer behavior.
• The effects of football on social integration and community cohesion.
• How do rule changes affect football game dynamics?
• The influence of football on individual and societal gender norms.
• Sports analysis: steroids and HGH in sports .
• Investigating the impact of celebrity endorsement on football merchandise sales.
• The role of technology in improving football player performance and injury prevention.
• The correlation between alcohol consumption and football-related violence.
• The impact of fan protests and boycotts on football clubs and leagues.
• The effects of retirement on the mental well-being of former professional football players.
• The influence of football on urban development and infrastructure investment.
• How does football affect students’ academic motivation and educational attainment?
• The impact of football on destination marketing in tourism.

Structuring your essay on football is a piece of cake, and we’re going to prove it! Follow our mini guide with valuable tips and examples!

Football Essay Introduction

The first paragraph of an essay is crucial to creating a strong paper. A successful introduction often starts by addressing broad ideas related to the essay’s topic. Follow the steps below to write a compelling introduction:

1. Start with a hook.

Make a good first impression by using a captivating hook . In football essays, it can include a surprising fact, statistics, a question, or a relevant quote. Here’s an example:

What is the one thing that can unite a country and foster its pride? Yes, it is football!

2. Provide background information.

Give essential details on the essay’s main subject. This part can include the history of your topic, an explanation of key terms, and anything that can help your reader understand the context of your issue.

Football is a group of team sports that involve kicking a ball to score goals.

3. End with a thesis statement.

Put a concise thesis statement at the end to outline your motivation for the paper and present central arguments. Let’s talk about this element in detail.

Thesis Statement about Football

The thesis statement is a sentence expressing the primary idea of a piece of writing and guiding the thoughts within the work.

There are several steps that you should take to develop a thesis statement:

• Research information on your issue.
• Limit your topic to a specific area.
• Brainstorm to come up with interesting ideas.

Look at the example of a football thesis statement:

Football offers the chance to feel pride for the favorite team and positively impacts physical, social, and emotional development.

Essay about Football: Body Paragraphs

The main body of an essay is the most crucial part where you deliver your arguments. Here are some tips on writing a good body paragraph:

• Start with a topic sentence to capture the key points.
• Provide additional information to support your opinion.
• Use a transition sentence to get to the next paragraph smoothly.

Here’s an example of what your topic sentence and supporting evidence might look like:

Topic sentence : Football requires effective communication and listening skills since the game will not work without them. Supporting evidence : Communication helps athletes perform and focus better on the pitch and improves the decision-making process.

Conclusion for Football Essay

A conclusion brings your discussion to a close. The following outline may assist you in completing your essay:

• Restate your thesis.
• Explain why your topic is significant.
• Summarize the core points.
• Call for action or provide an overview of future research opportunities

Check out an example of a paraphrased thesis and the summary of the main points:

Rephrased thesis : Football is a fascinating sport with many societal benefits. Summary : To sum up, football can be considered a hobby, a sport, or an obsession. But still, its most important role is to unite people or even entire countries.

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How Football Has Impacted Our Society in Many Ways Essay

With a long history and a very changed format, football plays an important role in the U.S. in many ways. From its humble beginnings as a physical outlet for college students to the financial titan that it is now, football has altered itself and society through economic, educational, racial, and political factors. To observe this, it is best to take a look at the current National Football League (NFL) system and how it became the most profitable sports league in the U.S.

The NFL changed the sporting economy as well as the general entertainment industry in a way that cannot be understated. The company generates over a billion dollars annually, not exclusively from ticket sales but due to a system of business methods. Because each event can cost over 200 million dollars, it is essential for the company to turn a profit (Ali, 2019). This is done through television broadcasting, fantasy football, partnerships, merchandise sales, and a myriad of other business incentives. All these factors affect society from an economic standpoint. Due to the expansion of the NFL into most media and even non-sport product sales, they have been seen by most people living in America. Even non-fans are subjected to NFL-related content while fans are encouraged to spend on their interests and favorite teams. The process also results in more infrastructure building and the creation of jobs.

Due to the size of the industry, profit and incentive for the competition are very high. This allows many teams, companies, and other involved parties to spend their capital where they see fit. This often results in scholarships, university spots, and other education-centered assistance being offered to students that are successful in sports. Because of the industry’s size, such scholarships have become incredibly common over the last decades and a sort of a staple of most colleges. In such a competitive and rewarding field, every college and football team aims to perform better and to become successful but stable.

Football also has a societal history of both incredible cases of racial disparity and discrimination and opposition to racism. The Los Angeles Ram became the first NFL team to integrate black players with Kenny Washington, and Woody Strode in the 1940s (“Black History, and American Professional Football, a story”, 2021). The journey towards full integration of professional football would take decades and be very tumultuous and troubling. However, by the 1970s, black players would finally emerge and be acknowledges as tops stars in the NFL, with the 1980s leading the way with black players gaining positions they were previously discouraged from (“Black History, and American Professional Football, a story”, 2021). Due to these successes, football slowly emerged as a game possible to anyone, completely irrelevant of race. Racism was not eradicated from the sport to this day, with heavy criticism coming from fans, managers, and other speakers targeting non-white players in some cases. Nevertheless, the policy progress made to create equality and opportunity for all still impacted society in a massive way.

For some time, football was considered apolitical, though that is not very true. Like most entertainment or industries in a country, football can reflect and become a platform for personal or communal values, beliefs, and politics. Football has changed many aspects of people’s lives significantly, but it also became changed itself through the values of people living in the U.S. The economic, educational, racial, societal, and political factors that that football used to impact society were also influential in the way the game exists in the current day.

Works Cited

“Black History, and American Professional Football, a story”. African American Registry, 2021, Web.

Ali, Mazin. “How American Football Affects the Economy.” CyberBrooks, 2019, Web.

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Bibliography

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How the NFL and American Politicians Politicized (and Helped Merchandise) Pro Football

In the ’60s and ’70s, gridiron fans like richard nixon and bobby kennedy embraced the sport that wanted their attention.

President Richard M. Nixon meeting with Washington Redskins coach George Allen (standing, center) and players, on November 23, 1971. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons .

by Jesse Berrett | July 5, 2018

Roosevelt did not extend that consideration to professional football players, whose sport did not register politically. As a result, the NFL nearly shut its doors during World War II. So many players were called to serve that several franchises had to merge. In fact, the league didn’t take off until it closely associated itself with national politics. For the last half-century, the intertwining of American football and politics has sustained both pastimes, and no one played both games more enthusiastically than Richard Nixon.

By the 1960s the United States was involved in a different war, and the politics of sport had changed, nowhere more so than in the nation’s capital. Washington was “a male town, and football is its game … the right metaphor for its politics,” journalist Hedrick Smith wrote. “Not to possess Redskins season tickets spells a fatal absence of status,” observed Mary McGrory, an astute observer of local mores. The Washington Post detailed David Broder, its prizewinning political columnist, to cover a preseason game. The Harris poll named football America’s most popular sport in 1965, the Gallup poll in 1972.

What had changed? The NFL, to grow its business, spent the post-war decades single-mindedly pursuing cultural currency. Under PR-conscious commissioner Pete Rozelle, who took the job in 1960, the effort resembled nothing so much as an advertising campaign: in Rozelle’s mind, “anything that caused people to connect with pro football” would do. Conveniently enough, that’s exactly where politics were heading. “We’re moving into a period where a man is going to be merchandised on television more and more,” a Nixon aide explained to a reporter in 1968.

The NFL published its own books, made its own movies, and eventually sponsored an essay contest officially certified as part of the 1976 bicentennial celebrations. NFL Creative Services’ books depicted professional football as the essential expression of a complex and multifarious America. NFL Films sold viewers a vision of the game as a spectacular, vivid, and heroic showcase for passionate excellence.

The NFL’s intention was to persuade audiences both popular and elite that the sport deserved support because it was quintessentially American, perfectly in tune with the contemporary world, and deserving of solicitude should it encounter any legal roadblocks.

But the NFL never stopped politicking. Its cultural productions went global, usefully extending American soft power while cementing the association between NFL and Americanism.

Politicians benefited as well. Just as the NFL grew more adept at selling itself, so too did political figures begin to cultivate an interest in sports figures. In 1960, the John F. Kennedy campaign “put celebrity-gathering into mass production,” as one veteran consultant put it. A Nixon campaign organizer noted that “round[ing] up practically every All-American here” had helped the Republicans carry California.

Soon every politician was seeking out jocks. In 1968, Bobby Kennedy’s recruiters noted that athletic endorsements paid big dividends because “you are dealing with people who usually get press on their own steam.” Hubert Humphrey directed his campaign toward sympathetic sportswriters, attempted to get an article published in Sports Illustrated on the virtues of competition, and even scooped up Kennedy’s “top recruits” two days after his assassination. “With luck, if Teddy doesn’t run,” they could be enticed to hit the campaign trail for Humphrey.

Politicians across the spectrum hobnobbed with players and coaches, endorsed the campaigns of former players, and exerted themselves to win new franchises for their states. By the mid-70s, the collective intertwining of what one reporter called the “sport of politics and the politics of sport” had become inextricable.

The coziness between football and power rendered lobbying almost unnecessary: Lawrence O’Brien, Lyndon Johnson’s special assistant for congressional relations, recalled “inordinate efforts on behalf of the NFL in the Senate” by Senators in “constant quest…for a franchise location in their state.” No wonder that, when House Judiciary committee chair Emanuel Celler stalled a bill allowing the NFL to bypass the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and merge with the rival AFL in the fall of 1966, the House and Senate majority whips, Louisianans Hale Boggs and Russell Long, schemed to push it through the Ways and Means Committee. All it took was for the NFL to establish a team in New Orleans. “Pro football provides the circus for the hordes,” a disgusted Celler remarked.

In 1973, the House Interstate Commerce subcommittee “rammed through” without debate an NFL-backed measure preserving TV blackout rights for games that had not sold out 72 hours before their scheduled start. That blackout rule created incentives for fans and even cities to buy up unsold tickets. Without a sellout, TV stations would not show the home team’s games.

“It’s not true that Congress is divided, paralyzed, and unable to act with decision and leadership,” the journalist Nicholas von Hoffman acidly commented. “The pro football fans of America will be able to see their teams’ home games this year on television.”

Football on film sold America in ways that politicians liked. NFL Films perfected its craft with its magnum opus, They Call It Pro Football . Made in 1967, the 25-minute documentary neatly served the propagandistic, promotional, and political needs of both the league and the Defense Department. A number of reviews recognized the film’s social significance without fully grasping its extent, one extolling the “beauty and violence of the game—and its impact on the entire country.” At a briefing discussing how to sustain the morale of soldiers in Vietnam, General Creighton Abrams told Defense Secretary Melvin Laird that the men wanted football games.

“These films are important to them,” Abrams said.

“We better call Rozelle up tonight,” replied Laird, who quickly pledged “a two-minute bureaucratic drill” to ensure that the Armed Forces Network provided servicemen with more televised football.

Their bosses enjoyed these movies just as much. Secretary of State William Rogers brought a supply of NFL films on tour to show to foreign diplomats in the Far East in 1969. Air Force One flew an NFL film to Lyndon Johnson’s ranch in Texas, and Nixon later ordered a big-hits special for the White House. NFL Films’ productions were shown at the Continental Hotel in Paris, where homesick fans could savor the national pastime while munching hot dogs. They became a staple of life at military bases and on Navy submarines; and even in Saudi Arabia, where oil companies ordered copies of the films to console “American workers far from home.”

By the 1972 election, the merger between politics and football seemed almost complete. In April 1972, George McGovern announced an athletes’ committee heavy on football players. Its chair, Redskins guard Ray Schoenke, a history major and academic All-American at SMU, had walked into McGovern’s office the previous summer and volunteered his services. Schoenke made himself a one-man political operation. He handed out campaign literature at training camp, obtained rosters from the league office, and worked the phones every night.

But McGovern got crushed by Nixon in what a disappointed journalist panned as “one of the dullest political football games ever played before a nationwide TV audience.” No surprise. He was up against the country’s most football-friendly president.

Richard Nixon was a football fanatic who did the most to turn the game to political ends. Nixon’s connections to the sport ran deep. He frequently credited his coach at Whittier College, Chief Newman, with teaching him never to quit. He officially kicked off his first campaign for president on Whittier’s field before 20,000 roaring supporters and thanked Newman when accepting the Republican nomination in 1968. In his final memoir, In the Arena , Nixon recalled that “I learned more about life sitting on the bench with Chief Newman than I did by getting A’s in philosophy courses.”

He was not averse to putting those lessons to use. Nixon and his staff invoked football and attended games at strategic junctures throughout 1969 and 1970 with clear political intentions.

In November 1969, the administration countered nationwide anti-war marches with “National Unity Week,” featuring flag displays and what a White House memo called “a patriotic theme or event” at halftime of every televised college football game. Nixon told reporters that he was going to spend the Saturday afternoon of the march the  right  way: “It was a good day to watch a football game.”

The next fall, he kicked off his campaign for a Republican Congress before an enthusiastic crowd at Kansas State by contrasting the school’s football team (good) with youth protest (bad). He followed that up by sharing a podium with Ohio State coach Woody Hayes, celebrating the recently-deceased Vince Lombardi as “an apostle of teamwork,” and accompanying the Secretary of Defense and Wisconsin’s Republican candidates for Senator and Governor to Bart Starr Day, an event honoring the legendary Packer quarterback in Green Bay. A reporter traveling with the campaign found Nixon’s rah-rah approach utterly predictable: “It may be hard for some politicians to reduce a major political campaign to football terms, but not this one.”

In 1971, Newman’s successor at Whittier, George Allen, became coach of the Redskins. Nixon and Allen had supported each other’s endeavors since the 1950s, and the relationship deepened in Washington. Allen campaigned for Nixon and attended White House functions, and Nixon sent Allen a shoebox-full of notes, called him at home, and even attended practice at Allen’s invitation in 1971 to encourage his players.

The 1972 convention ratified what Nixon’s Republican detractors termed “game-plan politics.” “The President likes football analogies, and the relationships of field position and ball control were the essential elements of what the campaign organization tried to do,” the head of his advertising agency explained about the smoothly-run spectacle.

Bart Starr introduced convention chair Gerald Ford, and newly-elected New York Representative Jack Kemp, a former NFL quarterback and “No.1 [political] draft choice,” as a Sports Illustrated reporter following his campaign had described him, gave an “electrifying” speech seconding the nomination of Spiro Agnew. Numerous Republican power brokers nurtured Kemp’s political ambitions for a decade: Herb Klein, Nixon’s communications director, gave him a newspaper column, Reagan and the RNC hired him, and the White House publicly supported (and graced him with a congratulatory phone call after) his first run for Congress.

Despite Nixon’s electoral dominance, football’s triumph wasn’t partisan. No single participant succeeded in cementing a dominant political meaning for the nation’s most popular sport. Instead, football’s popularity provided a new language for politics and debate. Was one candidate trying a Hail Mary with a last-minute attack? Was another running out the clock with a lead? Had miscommunication in the Congressional huddle made a key bill fail? A political scientist complained in 1975 that “the discourse of politics” threatened to be “completely absorbed by the language of sports.”

The NFL, a profit-minded entity, both cultivated and profited from all this political attention. So when Richard Nixon told the crowd at Bart Starr Day that “the 1960s will be described as the decade when football became the No. 1 sport,” that sport’s number-one fan was merely adding a presidential signature to what a broad popular referendum had already decreed.

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10 Great Longform Essays About Football in American Culture

Pre-superbowl reading—or a way to avoid it completely.

Football is not the most literary of sports. Baseball has a much more intellectual pedigree, fueled by an intense American nostalgia, literary and otherwise; boxing has drawn the attention of Ernest Hemingway, Norman Mailer, Joyce Carol Oates and Katherine Dunn; tennis only needs David Foster Wallace (but Álvaro Enrigue is good too); and even soccer has  Among the Thugs (not to mention Monty Python’s “ Literary Football Discussion “); American football, though, can only be associated with a few good works of literature—though there are some out there . But literary or not, football is part of the fabric of American culture, and so you’re likely aware that this weekend it’s throwing its grand annual competitive soiree: the Superbowl. If you’d rather be reading, but still want to engage in the cultural moment, I recommend starting with one of these great longform essays about football in contemporary American culture, which cover everything from our evolving understanding of CTE to football’s relationship to television, domestic violence, and yes, of course, Trump. If you’ll be watching the game, well, read up anyway—there will be lots of time to talk about all these essays during the million and one commercial breaks.

Reid Forgrave, “ The Concussion Diaries: One High School Football Player’s Secret Struggle with CTE ” GQ , 2016

A heartbreaking and humane essay written, in part, to honor the last wishes of a young ex-football player who killed himself after years of struggle with CTE—chronic traumatic encephalopathy—and asked his family to share his words with the world. On football culture, toughness, family, and fear.

Zac left instructions: Print his story off his laptop, post it to Facebook, use the pain of his life and too-early death to warn the world about CTE. Get people like us—football fans, football players, football lifers—to face the truth about people like him.

And now we have. Those were his instructions, so that’s what his family did. So now what?

We could ban football. (But we love football.) We could allow people to play football only once they turn 18, which is what Omalu has proposed. (And what happens when 18-year-old athletic phenoms—freight trains who have never learned to tackle properly—are suddenly turned loose on one another? Is that better?) We could take away tackling. (Sorry, no one’s watching the National Flag Football League.) We could build a safer helmet. (Which will only encourage players to use their heads as weapons.) We could have a consistent concussion protocol through all levels of football. (We already do in the NFL. Ask Cam Newton how well it’s working.)

Every solution ends up not solving enough of the problem.

And for most of us, this is perfectly okay. The paradox of CTE’s discovery is that it’s given most of us a sneaky ethical out, hasn’t it? No professional football player can claim now to be unaware of the risks. It’s a free country. We’re all adults here.

Unless we’re not adults. Unless we’re kids, like Zac was. Can we really let kids keep doing this? If so, how? Now what?

Mark Edmundson, “ Football: The Lure of the Game ” Los Angeles Review of Books , 2014

In this personal love letter to football, Edmundson considers the beauty and joy of the sport in poetic prose—and even compares football to poetry (“they overlap more than you think,” he writes) as well as America itself (violence and grace; freedom and exploitation; glory and ignominy: terrible beauty).

I sometimes wonder (being, I suppose, of a wondering disposition) what it is that draws us to the game. By Saturday afternoon in the fall—assuming I’ve kept away from mid-week games—I’m feeling something like an addict’s need. The urge to see some football really does feel nearly physical. It’s an American hunger, this interest in the game: I’m almost sure of that. Football’s played in Canada but, despite impressive marketing efforts, it hasn’t caught on in Europe or anywhere else. I don’t think it ever will. That is unless America and the world become synonymous, the way Rome became synonymous with the world for some time. Football is the American game, like rock is the American music, and black speak is the American vernacular, burgers and fries are (like it or lump it) American food, and golden beer served at sub-zero temp is the American drink.

If visitors from a galaxy far away landed in our precincts, landed in New York City, say, and asked us to show them (not tell, show them) what we were all about, how would we respond? I’d be tempted to take them to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the palace of Western culture. Or I might be inclined to guide them up between the sentinel lions at the New York Public Library and into the great reading room. But in either case, I’d be wrong. I’d be idealizing. No, surely the best place to take them, if they wanted to see America, would be out to the Meadowlands to watch the Giants go to war with the Redskins, or take on the Dallas Cowboys, blue versus gray, the Civil War one more time. Maybe better, one would take them up close to a flat screen TV—high definition, surround sound, the works—and let our visitors view the images that have now become, if this is possible, more life-like than life. And you would point to the screen in joy and consternation and sometimes in dismay or something close to horror. And you’d be tempted to say: This is who we are. This is what we Americans are about. But then, what exactly would you mean?

Chuck Klosterman, “ Will Violence Save Football? ” GQ , 2015

Klosterman’s essay about football discusses and dismisses the two prevailing theories about football—that it will die out, and that it will change dramatically—instead arguing that it’s actually violence, and the tendency of fans of a widely decried pleasure to close ranks, that will keep the sport around. His argument is, in 2017, frighteningly familiar and relevant.

A few months after being hired as head football coach at the University of Michigan, Jim Harbaugh was profiled on the HBO magazine show Real Sports. It was a wildly entertaining segment, heavily slanted toward the intellection that Harbaugh is a lunatic. One of the last things Harbaugh said in the interview was this: “I love football. Love it. Love it. I think it’s the last bastion of hope for toughness in America in men, in males.” Immediately following the segment, the reporter (Andrea Kremer) sat down with Real Sports host Bryant Gumbel to anecdotally unpack the story we’d all just watched. Gumbel expressed shock over Harbaugh’s final sentiment. To anyone working in the media (or even to anyone who cares about the media), Harbaugh’s position seemed sexist and ultra-reactionary, so much so that Rush Limbaugh felt the need to support it on his radio show.

This is what happens when any populist, uncomfortable thought is expressed on television.

There’s an embedded assumption within all arguments regarding the doomed nature of football. The assumption is that the game is even more violent and damaging than it superficially appears, and that as more people realize this (and/or refuse to deny the medical evidence verifying that damage), the game’s fan support will disappear. The mistake made by those advocating this position is their certitude that this perspective is self-evident. It’s not. These advocates remind me of an apocryphal quote attributed to film critic Pauline Kael after the 1972 presidential election: “How could Nixon have won? I don’t know one person who voted for him.” Now, Kael never actually said this.†† But that erroneous quote survives as the best shorthand example for why smart people tend to be wrong as often as their not-so-smart peers—they work from the flawed premise that their worldview is standard. The contemporary stance on football’s risk feels unilateral, because nobody goes around saying, “Modern life is not violent enough.” Yet this sentiment quietly exists. And what those who believe it say instead is, “I love football. It’s the last bastion of hope for toughness in America.” It’s not difficult to imagine a future where the semantic distance between those statements is nonexistent. And if that happens, football will change from a popular leisure pastime to an unpopular political necessity.

††What she actually said was: “I live in a rather special world. I only know one person who voted for Nixon. Where they are I don’t know. They’re outside my ken. But sometimes when I’m in a theater I can feel them.”

Timothy Michael Law, “ Football’s Cancer ” Los Angeles Review of Books , 2015

There’s more than one kind of violence at play here; this essay tackles systematic racism and exploitation as the primary problems with football in America.

Commentators are presently drumming up hysteria over concussions in the NFL and criticizing the sport for its overt violence, but there is a more surreptitious malady. Outbursts of violence in society, according to Žižek, sidetrack us. The violence in the background, structural and systemic, is more pernicious.

If football is ailing, it is not because it is too dangerous but because high-stakes players have figured out how to use it to create enormous wealth by exploiting a working class of athletes while minimizing their responsibilities to them. Economic exploitation is the cancer spreading throughout the body of the sport, proliferating cells as it corrodes the health of its overwhelmingly black workforce.

Most of the players are black, the fans white. For these few hours on Saturday, white college kids, alumni, and Bulldog fans who have come from near and far will act as if they have seen gods on earth. The scene is electric, and you might be easily fooled into thinking that here is proof of post-racial America. Once you’ve lived outside the South, you realize how remarkable it is that football’s popularity is greatest in Southern states that were and remain the most segregated, where antebellum hierarchies are reflected in attitudes outside of stadiums but where, during fleeting moments of athletic competition, predominately white audiences cheer madly for black athletes. Racism persists in the South in ways that some younger Americans elsewhere can no longer fathom, but black athletes and entertainers have been making white audiences (in both the North and South) laugh and cheer for centuries—so long as they are staying in character. A hip-hop artist and an athlete may sing to us, rap to us, play for us, but we still want to control the script.

Žižek cautioned that we often fail to notice systemic evils because secondary and tertiary concerns distract us. To address malignant biases and our own propensity to exploit requires the kind of uncomfortable work that keeps many fearful of seeing a therapist. The media fascination with concussions allows them to appear serious about football’s problems, but since they are part of the profiteering, exploitative machine, we should never expect to find this urgent confrontation among football’s talking heads.

In not a few ways, football’s cancer is the same cancer that has attempted to silence and demonize the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Young black men remain useful as long as they turn a profit for the managerial class and don’t shout too loudly about their labor conditions and opportunity. The impulse that drives many to consider football’s maladies of little consequence is the same impulse that drives the #AllLivesMatter response, and this impulse stems ultimately from a recalcitrant attitude that refuses to look squarely in the mirror, beyond the surface Žižek warned about.

Malcolm Gladwell, “ Offensive Play ” The New Yorker , 2009

In which Malcolm Gladwell asks the question: “How different are dogfighting and football?”

These are dogs that will never live a normal life. But the kind of crime embodied by dogfighting is so morally repellent that it demands an extravagant gesture in response. In a fighting dog, the quality that is prized above all others is the willingness to persevere, even in the face of injury and pain. A dog that will not do that is labelled a “cur,” and abandoned. A dog that keeps charging at its opponent is said to possess “gameness,” and game dogs are revered.

In one way or another, plenty of organizations select for gameness. The Marine Corps does so, and so does medicine, when it puts young doctors through the exhausting rigors of residency. But those who select for gameness have a responsibility not to abuse that trust: if you have men in your charge who would jump off a cliff for you, you cannot march them to the edge of the cliff—and dogfighting fails this test. Gameness, Carl Semencic argues, in “The World of Fighting Dogs” (1984), is no more than a dog’s “desire to please an owner at any expense to itself.” The owners, Semencic goes on,

understand this desire to please on the part of the dog and capitalize on it. At any organized pit fight in which two dogs are really going at each other wholeheartedly, one can observe the owner of each dog changing his position at pit-side in order to be in sight of his dog at all times. The owner knows that seeing his master rooting him on will make a dog work all the harder to please its master.

This is why Michael Vick’s dogs weren’t euthanized. The betrayal of loyalty requires an act of social reparation.

Professional football players, too, are selected for gameness. When Kyle Turley was knocked unconscious, in that game against the Packers, he returned to practice four days later because, he said, “I didn’t want to miss a game.” Once, in the years when he was still playing, he woke up and fell into a wall as he got out of bed. “I start puking all over,” he recalled. “So I said to my wife, ‘Take me to practice.’ I didn’t want to miss practice.” The same season that he was knocked unconscious, he began to have pain in his hips. He received three cortisone shots, and kept playing. At the end of the season, he discovered that he had a herniated disk. He underwent surgery, and four months later was back at training camp. “They put me in full-contact practice from day one,” he said. “After the first day, I knew I wasn’t right. They told me, ‘You’ve had the surgery. You’re fine. You should just fight through it.’ It’s like you’re programmed. You’ve got to go without question— I’m a warrior. I can block that out of my mind . I go out, two days later. Full contact. Two-a-days. My back locks up again. I had re-herniated the same disk that got operated on four months ago, and bulged the disk above it.” As one of Turley’s old coaches once said, “He plays the game as it should be played, all out,” which is to say that he put the game above his own well-being.

Jamil Smith, “ The Necessity of Football ” New Republic , 2015

In this essay, Smith, a onetime associate producer at NFL Films—where his job was to assemble glorifying montages—argues that it actually the inadequacies  of football, and not its saving graces, that make it so necessary to the American experience.

I have no excuse, really. Every time I’ve thought about leaving the sport behind, I remember my favorite photograph: a black-and-white shot my mother took of me in my football uniform in the eighth grade, standing next to my father and smiling after a win. But nostalgia is a reason to love the game, not a reason to need it. Perhaps, then, this is where I should tell you why—even in the wake of Omalu’s revelations—I feel we still need football. Not to rescue the NFL’s largely black labor force from its humble origins, or to entertain the masses that refuse to let it go in the wake of mounting tragedies. We need it partially because football serves as a kind of fun-house mirror for our national character.

The reflection comes in various forms: social movements, national tragedy, political spectacle, and yes, our sports. And we are a dramatic country, so much so that the volume of theatrics we see in every corner of our lives dulls our senses. We need more, and we need it louder. And in spectator sports, we want to see the best versions of ourselves reflected back at us, or else why would we consider it entertainment? We want to believe that inside that arena, everything will be all right because our men are the strongest, and our fight is the hardest. This is why between 2012 and 2015 the Department of Defense paid 18 NFL teams a total of more than $5.6 million for marketing and advertising, including flying military bombers over stadiums at taxpayers’ expense. It’s also why we watch hit montages week after week, delighting in the crack of the pads or the punch of the music without wondering whether that player just got pushed a bit further toward CTE. Football marries artfulness to brutality, providing the most honest interpretation of American character that we have available, and I enjoy football despite its horrors because I have learned to do the same in my life in America.

The problem is that too few of us recognize ourselves in the beauty and the carnage the NFL presents each Sunday. The game won’t change because we’re not changing. I hope a new audience will be exposed to Dr. Bennet Omalu’s story and understand that the only way to get football to change is to present its faults in an uncompromising fashion, pressuring the NFL and those who love the sport to face themselves and do better. Omalu exemplifies a model of America in which its citizens, in virtually every political context, work to change this nation for the better. Abandoning football won’t fix the sport—Americans need it so that, one day, we might learn to see ourselves for who we truly are.

Louisa Thomas, “ Together We Make Football ” Grantland, 2014

A look at the NFL’s history of domestic violence—players who commit it, fans and teams who ignore it—and what that says about sports culture and the myth of football as a “family.”

Domestic violence does not happen on a football field. It happens in bedrooms, cars, parking lots, elevators. Intimate-partner violence and sexual assault are epidemic in the military. They are pervasive in Silicon Valley, on college campuses, in small Alaskan towns. They exist in all countries and in all times. Getting rid of football would do nothing to change this.

And yet there are connections between a culture that sidelines women and disrespects them, a culture that disrespects women and tolerates violence toward them, and a culture that tolerates violence toward them and commits violence toward them. Nearly half—48 percent—of all arrests for violent crimes among NFL players are arrests for domestic violence.

Men have worried that masculinity was under threat for as long as football has been around. The sport as we know it, after all, began during an era and in a class so nervous about decline that there was a condition, neurasthenia, to describe men’s anxiety. The easiest way to prove you were a man was to adopt an attitude of aggression. Those who were vulnerable or different were, and are, not merely unwelcome. It’s as if they were contagious. It is as if they were dangerous.

The NFL calls itself a family. If that’s the case, it’s a family of fathers and sons but not wives and daughters. It’s a family that more closely resembles the mob than a family connected by blood or love. It’s a family that protects its own by cutting others, a family that privileges loyalty over what’s right. But loyalty goes only so far in the NFL—because at some not-so-distant point, the family turns into a business. When concussions enter into it, or salary caps, or age, the family becomes about winning Sunday’s big game or about the business’s bottom line. If it’s a family, then it’s a fucked-up family.

Nicholas Dawidoff, “ The Comprehensive Illusion of Football ” The New Yorker , 2015

Television changes everything—including football.

“Before modern TV, it must have felt more abstractly gladiatorial,” Richard Linklater, the filmmaker, who was himself a Texas high school quarterback, says. We were discussing the way that these days, on television, you can impart personalities to the players and coaches on the screen. The N.F.L. has wired participants for sound and improved its broadcasts’ camera angles and photograph definition. Camera operators pan the field and sidelines for raw reactions. The emotion fans tend to feel most keenly is outrage, and, following along, producers have lately specialized in conveying assorted shades of indignation. We think of Giants coach Tom Coughlin as a man perpetually aggrieved and consider Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan a puerile teen-ager—after all, that’s how they behave in our homes. Of course, both men are far more complex. “Once you can see their eyes, everything changes, and you think you know them,” Linklater says. “TV does that—that powerful, possessory bond with the audience. The public might fawn over actors they know from movies, but if they know you from television, they act like they’re a relative. They really think they have access, and they almost consume them.”

Part of football’s appeal is the violence, which gives it the feeling of a real-life action movie. But the violence has always been risky for TV, as well as for the players. Long before there was any public controversy concerning the long-term effects of football-related blows to the head, TV sought to make the game more palatable by magnifying its balletic beauty and deëmphasizing the brute concussive aggression of the hitting. One of the game’s most notorious collisions took place on “Monday Night Football” in 1985, when Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor sacked Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann. The reverse camera angle revealed Theismann suffering a grotesque compound leg fracture. That was too much reality for family television. In the decades since then, much to the dismay of defensive coaches, the most revealing football rules changes have put restraints on contact and otherwise eased the task of completing passes. Part of this is that America loves touchdowns, and another piece of it is that passing looks prettier on TV. But concerning ourselves with the graceful choreographies of receivers and defensive backs also relieved us of the unsettling responsibility for witnessing what’s going down off-camera.

Paul Solotaroff with Ron Borges, “ The Gangster in the Huddle ” Rolling Stone , 2013

An in-depth profile of former Patriots tight end and convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez—who, four years later, has yet another murder trial coming up in less than two weeks.

Most people, even self-important stars blowing thousands on bottle-shape women, might have simmered down about now. But the 23-year-old Aaron Hernandez wasn’t like most people; for ages, he hadn’t even been like himself. The sweet, goofy kid from Bristol, Connecticut, with the klieg-light smile and ex-thug dad who’d turned his life around to raise two phenom sons– that Aaron Hernandez had barely been heard from in the seven hard years since his father was snatched away, killed in his prime by a medical error that left his boys soul-sick and lost. Once in a great while, the good Aaron would surface, phoning one of his college coaches to tell him he loved him and to talk to the man’s kids for hours, or stopping Robert Kraft, the Patriots’ owner, to kiss him on the cheek and thank him damply. There was such hunger in that kid for a father’s hand, and such greatness itching to get out, that coach after coach had covered for him whenever the bad Aaron showed–the violent, furious kid who was dangerous to all, most particularly, it seems, to his friends.

Robert Lipsyte, “ Donald Trump Represents the Worst of Football Culture ” The Nation , 2017

An essay that bemoans Trump—a failed team owner himself—as emblematic of the worst aspects of “jock-culture”, but looks to Colin Kaepernick and others like him as a ray of hope.

His kind of boastful, bullying, blowfish persona is tolerated in locker rooms (as in sales offices, barracks, trading floors, and legislatures), just as long as the big dog can deliver. Which he has done. It’s no surprise that his close pals and business associates in SportsWorld include two other notorious P.T. Barnums, boxing’s Don King and wrestling’s Vince McMahon (whose wife, Linda, is now Trump’s pick to head the Small Business Administration).

Another typical jock-culture trait is rolling over for the alpha(est) dog in your arena, be it the team leader, coach, owner, or even the president of Russia. One wonders, had Trump become a successful NFL owner, would he have wimped out as completely as New England Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft did when Russian President Vladimir Putin pocketed his Super Bowl ring in 2005 and walked out of their Moscow meeting room with it. It was never returned.

As the season ended, Kaepernick’s teammates awarded him their Len Eshmont Award for “inspirational and courageous play,” making a mockery of reports in the media that he had been alienating the rest of the team. Edwards describes the media and the sports establishment as clueless when it comes to Kaepernick’s growing support among athletes—a phenomenon that promises “some turbulent times over the upcoming Trump era.”

Kaepernick’s most transcendent transgression has been the way he punctured the comfort of football’s sweaty sanctuary, letting in both light and some hard truths—including this reality: that objectified and extravagantly well paid performers can still have real thoughts about the world outside the white lines, a world becoming more and more perilous for those who think Trumpball should not be the national pastime.

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The Impact of the NFL on American Culture and Society

From the  Super Bowl  Sunday frenzy to the countless ways football is portrayed in popular culture, there’s no denying that the sport has made an incredible impact on American life. 

In this blog post, we’ll delve into how the NFL has shaped and influenced American culture and society, touching on topics from race relations to patriotism, to gender roles and more. Whether you’re a die-hard football fan or simply curious about how America’s most-watched sport impacts society as a whole, this article will offer insights that are sure to fascinate you.

Athletes as entertainment icons

Athletes have become icons of entertainment in the American society. They are celebrated not just for their skills on the field, but also for their personalities and lifestyles off the field. 

The influence of the NFL on American popular culture has been significant. From endorsements and sponsorships to reality TV shows and social media, athletes have become powerful influencers in various aspects of American life. 

However, with the growing scandals in the sports world, it becomes tough to maintain a clean image for their fans. Nevertheless, athletes continue to be regarded as entertainment icons in today’s society.

The Super Bowl as a cultural phenomenon

The Super Bowl is not just a championship game. It’s a cultural phenomenon that has a massive impact on American culture and society. For starters, the event commands massive attention from the media, with more than 100 million viewers tuning in to watch the game each year. 

This viewership has spawned a multibillion-dollar industry around the Super Bowl, with companies spending huge amounts of money on advertising and marketing their products during the event.

The upcoming season

Looking ahead to the upcoming NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens are a team to watch as they prepare to take the field. Fans and analysts alike are closely monitoring their odds for success in the upcoming year. As part of the larger discussion on the impact of the NFL on American culture and society, the success of individual teams like the Ravens can shape perceptions and trends across various industries. 

Football’s inherent strategy and decision-making skills are prominently on display in each game, further cementing its status as an important part of American society. As we continue to anticipate the start of the new NFL season, the  Baltimore Ravens upcoming odds  and performance will be of great interest to both sports fans and cultural observers across the country.

Football’s impact on critical thinking and decision-making skills

Football, like other sports, can have a positive impact on critical thinking and decision-making skills. Athletes constantly need to assess situations, develop strategies, and make quick decisions during a game. This ability to process information and make decisions under pressure can translate into everyday life scenarios. 

Being part of a team sport like football teaches individuals how to collaborate, communicate and problem-solve as part of a group. These skills can be particularly helpful in the workplace or other social settings.

Football as a representation of America

Football, or American football as it is commonly referred to, is more than just a popular sport in America. It is a representation of American society itself. The highly competitive nature of the game, with teams fighting for every inch of the field, reflects the American spirit of competition and determination. 

The athleticism and physicality of the players showcase the nation’s focus on strength and power. Moreover, the culture that surrounds football, including tailgating, halftime shows, and the Super Bowl, highlights the country’s love for entertainment and spectacle. Overall, football is more than just a game in America; it is a reflection of the country’s culture and values.

The indispensable role of sports in American society

Sports have played an indispensable role in American society for decades. They provide a platform for people to come together, build relationships, and support a common goal. 

The Super Bowl, the league’s championship game, has become a cultural phenomenon and is watched by millions across the country. Football has even been shown to improve critical thinking and decision-making skills. 

For many Americans, football is a representation of America and reinforces the importance of hard work, discipline, teamwork, and perseverance. It is clear that sports, especially football, hold a special place in American society and continue to be a driving force for unity and community.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Famous Person — Walter Payton, the NFL football star

Walter Payton, The Nfl Football Star

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Football - Essay Samples And Topic Ideas For Free

Football, as a widely beloved sport, carries a significant cultural and social value. Essays could delve into the historical development of football, exploring its origins, evolution, and its rise to a global phenomenon. The discourse might extend to the analysis of the economic and social impact of football, discussing its role in fostering community identity, national pride, and international camaraderie. Discussions could also focus on the issues facing modern football, such as commercialization, corruption, and concerns surrounding player health and safety. Moreover, the broader societal implications of football, including its role in promoting physical fitness, teamwork, and sportsmanship could be discussed. Explorations into the iconic football events, teams, and individuals who have left a lasting imprint on the sport and society could provide an engaging examination of the multifaceted world of football. We’ve gathered an extensive assortment of free essay samples on the topic of Football you can find at Papersowl. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

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History of American Football

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Should Football be Banned?

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American Football: a Reformation of Current Football System

Medical research has shown a definitive link between playing American Football and the change in a participants brain chemistry. Additionally, results are starting to prove that the younger a participant is, the higher chance they have of severely altering the makeup of their brains. This topic has long been coming, and finally, I believe that with all the evidence that has been discovered, American Football should be banned until the age of 18. Specifically in high schools, because they are […]

Essay about Football Hero

Ty was disappointed and didn’t think that anything mattered. Even though he got underwear and even an ax to cut wood with. His parents died, and he went to Mrs. Tides office and that was during gym class. It left a big hole in his heart and he only answers what he thinks the teacher has in mind. They had spring football today, the coach said they didn’t have spring football at your school. And he said that he lived […]

Colorguard their View on the Football Game

There are many things going on during a Friday night home football game at the stadium at in Valley Center, especially since it’s the first home game of the season. Knowing what kind of event this is, it’s a given that many people will be coming here. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about why someone would come to this football game is obviously to watch the football team play. The second reason, and less popular reason, […]

The National Football League CTE and the Lockout

The National Football League has been a highly profitable and commended business for the majority of its 98 year standing. It has brought individuals within their communities together regardless of race, religion, or political views to share a common endearment in cheering on the same team. There are few things that are able to produce as much happiness within an entire city/state than a win from their local football team, which is perfectly understandable. Part of being a fanatic is […]

How to Save Money with Football Ticket

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Essay On Football for Students and Children

500+ words essay on football.

Essay On Football- Football is a game that millions of people around the world play and love. It can be called a universal game because every small and big nation plays it.

Moreover, it’s a great relaxer, stress reliever, teacher of discipline and teamwork . Apart from that, it keeps the body and mind fit and healthy. It’s a team game that makes it a more enjoyable game as it teaches people the importance of sportsmanship. Leadership, and unity .

History of Football

The history of football can be traced back to the ancient times of the Greeks. Everyone knows that the Greeks were great sportsmen and have invented many games.

Football happens to one of them. A similar game like football is played in many countries but the latest version of football that we knew originates in England. Likewise, England formulated the first rule of the game. From that day onwards the football has progressed in ways we can’t imagine.

Importance of Football

Football is an important game from the point of view of the spectator as well as the player. This 90 minutes game is full of excitement and thrill.

Moreover, it keeps the player mentally and physically healthy, and disciplined. And this ninety-minute game tests their sportsmanship, patience, and tolerance.

Besides, all this you make new friends and develop your talent. Above all, it’s a global game that promotes peace among countries.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

How to Learn Football

Learning any game is not an easy task. It requires dedication and hard work. Besides, all this the sport test your patience and insistence towards it. Moreover, with every new skill that you learn your game also improves. Above all, learning is a never-ending process so to learn football you have to be paying attention to every minute details that you forget to count or missed.

Football in India

If we look at the scenarios of a few years back then we can say that football was not a popular game in except West Bengal. Also, Indians do not take much interest in playing football. Likewise, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has some limited resources and limited support from the government.

But, now the scenario has completely changed. At this time football matches the level of cricket in the country. Apart from that, the country organizes various football tournaments every year.

Above all, due to the unpopularity of football people do not know that we have under-17 and under-23, as well as a football team.

Football Tournaments

The biggest tournament of Football is the FIFA world cup which occurs every 4 years. Apart from that, there are various other tournaments like UEFA cup, Asian Cup (AFC), African completions (CAF) and many more.

To conclude, we can say that football is very interesting that with every minute takes the viewer’s breath away. Besides, you can’t predict what’s going to happen the next second or minute in football. Apart from all this football keeps the one playing it fit and healthy. Above all, it can be a medium of spreading the message of peace in the world as it is a global game.

{ “@context”: “https://schema.org”, “@type”: “FAQPage”, “mainEntity”: [{ “@type”: “Question”, “name”: “What are soccer and rugby?”, “acceptedAnswer”: { “@type”: “Answer”, “text”: “Soccer is another name of the world-famous game Football. While on the other hand, rugby is an American version of Football in which they carry the rugby ball in their hands.” } }, { “@type”: “Question”, “name”: “Is football a dangerous or safe game?”, “acceptedAnswer”: { “@type”: “Answer”, “text”:”For school students and youngsters it’s a much safer game as compared to professionals. Because professionals can suffer from injuries and can cost them their careers. But overall football is a dangerous game.”} }] }

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critic’s notebook

N.F.L. Draft Had Some Style Winners

The next class of football stars has done some fashion homework, but the evening was pretty tame compared with the N.B.A. draft.

By Guy Trebay

“People want to sit around with the family and watch football,” Roger Goodell, the National Football League commissioner, said Thursday night before the 2024 N.F.L. draft. It is also increasingly the case that people want to sit around, alone or in groups, watching phenomenal athletes and physical specimens doing nothing more physically taxing than sauntering down a red carpet.

And, while the N.F.L. has a long way to go before it can stage a real challenge to the style dominance of N.B.A. tunnel-walk kings like Jerami Grant, Jarred Vanderbilt or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it was clear that this year’s football draft prospects had done some fashion homework.

Take the No. 1 draft pick, Caleb Williams, the U.S.C. quarterback chosen — to the surprise of almost no one — by the Chicago Bears. Mr. Williams dressed for his big night in a sophisticated dark blue, double-breasted zippered suit by Chrome Hearts, worn over a darker blue T-shirt. It was a sleek tone-on-tone look that was only improved when he donned his new team’s logo snapback.

Or consider the L.S.U. star Jayden Daniels, who wore a handsome dove-gray single-breasted suit, tieless, as he was chosen by the Washington Commanders. A player known for his ever-changing hairstyles, Mr. Daniels accessorized his look, impromptu, with a Commanders team cap perched atop his current coiffure, a head full of ropy twists.

Maybe the New England Patriots’ choice Drake Maye, wearing a single-breasted suit with a skinny tie, all in pale gray, was not flaunting a look you’ll ever see on the social media entity LeagueFits, where, as its author says, men who “used to go to war now post fit checks before prime time games.” But he made a strong case for the value of playing conservatively and sticking to your own sartorial lane.

For this critic’s money, some of the more compelling looks of this evening in Detroit belonged to Malik Nabers, the L.S.U. wide receiver who touchingly had his double-breasted suit lined with photo prints of “all the legends, all the people that made Malik what Malik is”; Marvin Harrison Jr., the Ohio State wide receiver who was the fourth pick and wore a jeweled pendant with a gridiron image of his dad, Marvin Harrison (19th pick in 1996), and who was additionally clad in sunglasses, a black suit, dark shirt and tie; and, finally, Taliese Fuaga, the 334-pound Samoan-American Oregon State offensive lineman, who wore a print shirt and floral lei.

One knock on the N.B.A. tunnel-walk stars is that they seldom look as though they are wearing clothes they’d have chosen without the guidance of agents and stylists or were not paid to wear. In that sense, N.F.L. draft night remained an oddly innocent affair.

Of course, there were inevitably abundant commercial tie-ins underpinning this display of fanfare, a hype night for a multibillion-dollar business. Still, compared with most widely cross-platform events these days, and considered in the light of an attention economy that often guarantees celebrities — newly minted or otherwise — a fortune for each post, the draft seemed almost quaint. A good percentage of the draft picks did not even trek to Detroit to be nominated. Like the rest of us, they watched the hoopla from home.

Guy Trebay is a reporter for the Style section of The Times, writing about the intersections of style, culture, art and fashion. More about Guy Trebay

Inside the World of Sports

Dive deeper into the people, issues and trends shaping professional, collegiate and amateur athletics..

Horse Racing Deaths:  The deaths of 12 horses in the days surrounding last year’s Kentucky Derby have led to existential questions about the sport and its future .

Arranging Autographs: As fans and collectors clamor for autographs, Major League Baseball players have built a network — and an etiquette — for signing things for each other .

NASCAR’s Financial Future: Some team owners are struggling to make a return on their investment. The main reason, they said, is NASCAR’s reluctance to share more of its growing revenue .

A Reputation Problem: Having a team in the Premier League, the world’s richest sports competition, might alter how people think of Luton , an English town long dogged by a ramshackle image and links to extremism.

Women’s Pro Hockey League: The fledgling league is booming — except in New York, where the team is in last place . But the players haven’t given up.

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Arik armstead on why he signed with jaguars after 49ers release and how yoga helps in his recovery from injury.

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Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Arik Armstead is looking forward to a fresh start after spending ... [+] nine years with the San Francisco 49ers.

Arik Armstead is ready to begin a new chapter of his career.

The 6-foot-7 defensive end spent the past nine years of his career with the San Francisco 49ers, establishing himself as one of the team's best players as they advanced to two Super Bowls. The former first-round draft pick had served as a starter since the 2016 season and once led the Niners with 10 sacks during the 2019 season.

However, Armstead was released by the Niners after he felt "extremely disrespected" by a low-ball offer that saw San Francisco offer him a $6 million deal — incentives would lift it up to $8 million — to bring him back. Armstead instead signed a three-year, $43.5 million deal with the Jaguars to rejoin his former general manager in San Francisco, Trent Baalke.

"It is what it is," Armstead says of the low-ball contract offer during an exclusive one-on-one interview. "For nine years I was there and it was truly special with the ups and downs. I wouldn't have traded that for anything. I became a man there. I grew so much as not only a football player, but as a person. I have a lot of love and respect for a lot of people over there and that's never going to change. All good things come to an end."

While Armstead is disappointed how things ended in San Francisco, he leaves the door open on a potential return before the end of his career.

"Who knows, you know? Like I said, I have a lot more years left to play," says Armstead. "I'm excited to be a Jaguar. Who knows how the rest of my career is going to go."

Baalke was the Niners' general manager when they selected Armstead in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Although Armstead turned down the Niners' contract offer, he quickly found a much more financially favorable deal in Jacksonville with his former general manager. Baalke now serves as the general manager of the Jaguars.

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"Once I was officially released and able to talk to teams and my agent was able to talk to teams, Trent (Baalke) reached out and we were able to figure out something that was great for me and the Jags," says Armstead.

During Armstead's run in San Francisco, he started 97 of 116 career games while racking up 33.5 sacks. Armstead had been with the Niners for such a long period of time — he was with the franchise when Colin Kaepernick was the starting quarterback. He helped mold a team that was 5-11 during his rookie season into being an annual contender, with the Niners advancing to at least the conference championship game in four of the past five seasons.

Armstead explains that he's looking to do the same thing in Jacksonville for a team that made it to the playoffs and won a postseason game a couple years ago with young quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson.

"It's a great opportunity to help get this organization to the next level," says Armstead. "Which we're trying to become and that's a level of dominance, consistent dominance and playoff runs and championship aspirations."

Although Armstead hasn't had any in-depth conversations with Pederson yet, he's heard "extremely positive" things about the third-year Jaguars coach and says that he's "excited" to play for him.

During the Niners' postseason run, Armstead played through a torn meniscus. Despite the injury, Armstead still racked up a sack in the Super Bowl while starting all three playoff games.

Armstead — who is speaking on behalf of his partnership with CorePower Yoga — explains how practicing yoga on a regular basis is helping him in his recovery from the injury.

"100%," says Armstead on if yoga plays a big role in his recovery routine. "With all my injuries the past few years, getting hurt and not being able to do what you typically do. Yoga has always been huge for me — especially the hot yoga — which is the opportunity to break a sweat and not put an impact on my injury.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Arik Armstead during his weekly yoga routine with CorePower Yoga.

Armstead further details how much of an impact a serious injury can have on a player's mental health.

"People don't realize the toll physically that injuries have on you in terms of being in pain," says Armstead. "I think pain can be depressing at times — especially prolonged pain. Not being able to — as a high-performing athlete — not being able to move, move your body how you normally are. Not being able to be around your teammates as much or feel like you're helping in that capacity. A lot weighs on you mentally and yoga was definitely a way for me to work on my body physically during my injury. It was an opportunity for me to reset my mind and work on my mindful practices as well."

The 10th-year defensive end reveals that he's been going to CorePower Yoga since 2016 and it has been a regular part of his routine — he does yoga once or twice a week — ever since then. He began his partnership with CorePower Yoga a month prior and says he'll be doing a lot of social media with the brand along with participating in upcoming events.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Arik Armstead while at CorePower Yoga.

Armstead explains why this yoga partnership is important to him, highlighting the importance of mental health.

"Being in a male-dominated spot, mental health can be taboo," says Armstead. "To destigmatize that and have the opportunity to talk about the importance of not only your strength physically, but your emotional resilience and your mental health and how those go hand in hand. To be able to join this campaign and share that with the rest of the world is going to be amazing."

The campaign — which is taking place during May Mental Health Awareness Month — is offering free access to a curated collection of yoga and meditation classes on their on demand platform.

While Armstead will obviously focus heavily on yoga in the offseason as he looks to return 100% from his torn meniscus injury, he stresses that his objective is to finish the job and win a Super Bowl after coming up short twice. He also mentions he has another "five-plus" years left in him.

"It's 100% about hosting up that trophy and I'm excited about the opportunity we have here," says Armstead. "We have the talent and the ability and the journey starts now to get there."

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2024 NFL Draft takeaways: Best, worst and most interesting pick for each AFC team

Here's how each afc team fared in the 2024 nfl draft.

After months (and likely years) of putting together their big boards, front offices across the country are now starting to put the 2024 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror. The three-day spectacle came to a close on Saturday and an injection of youth is now entering the league. For some clubs, they are hoping this young core can be the foundation they can rest their franchise on. For others, they could be looking to this class to be the final piece that pushes them over the top in their hunt for a Lombardi Trophy in 2024. 

While we are less than a week removed from the draft kicking off and we've yet to see any of these draftees play with their respective teams, we're going to dive into each AFC team and highlight their best, worst and most interesting selection. The best and worst selections are based off the highest and lowest grades given out by our CBS Sports NFL Draft analysts: Pete Prisco, Josh Edwards and Chris Trapasso. Grades for each team's picks  can be found here . 

Baltimore Ravens

Best pick (A+):  OT Roger Rosengarten , Washington (Round 2, Pick 62) 

Quick-setting OT with the athletic chops to get in the face of EDGEs in a hurry. Has to clean up footwork out pulls but has the natural gifts to eventually excel there. Plays very aggressively, which leads to some off-balanced reps. Has to get a touch stronger. I like the OL investment. (Chris Trapasso)

Worst pick (C+) : WR Devontez Walker , UNC (Round 4, Pick 113)

Good-sized, well-proportioned downfield burner. Will take the lid off many defenses. Stiffness in his routes and didn't run many in college. Will track it beautifully over his shoulder but not a confident rebounder. Doesn't appear to be a natural hands catcher. Minimal YAC. Niche option that fits what this offense needs. (Chris Trapasso) 

Most interesting pick (B+) : EDGE Adisa Isaac , Penn State (Round 3, Pick 93)

Baltimore bolstered its outside linebacker room with an athletic freak in Isaac. The Penn State product is a bit raw, but has elite traits that should develop nicely under John Harbaugh. 

Buffalo Bills

Best pick (A) :  LB Javon Solomon , Troy (Round 5, Pick 168)

Burst, bend, speed predicated outside EDGE. Small frame but serious length. Unique build. Doesn't get engulfed by bigger blockers as much as expected because of his speed-to-power conversion. Hand work is good, not amazing and can flatten to the QB. Motor hums on every play. Bills needed this type of quick winner on the outside. (Chris Trapasso)

Worst pick (C-) : WR Keon Coleman , Florida State (Round 2, Pick 33)

"X" receiver for a WR-needy team. Plays faster than his combine speed but doesn't separate consistently and isn't as good of a contested-catch wideout as his size and highlight-reel would indicate. Young though. (Chris Trapasso)

Most interesting pick (C-) : WR Keon Coleman, Florida State (Round 2, Pick 33)

We'll double-dip here with Coleman because it was fascinating how he ultimately was the pick for Buffalo. The team traded down from the No. 28 overall pick and allowed the Chiefs to trade Xavier Worthy . Then, they traded down again from No. 32 to allow the Panthers to select Xavier Legette . Those receivers will specifically be linked to the Bills and Coleman throughout his tenure. In any event, he has an opportunity to adopt a ton of targets left by Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis . 

Cincinnati Bengals

Best pick (A) : EDGE Cedric Johnson , Ole Miss (Round 6, Pick 214)

Stocky defensive end with dynamic flashes. Love his swipe move, just wished he utilized it more frequently. Powerful player who has to be coached up on how to utilize his length better to keep blockers off him. Ascending rusher. I like this pick. (Chris Trapasso)

Worst pick (B) : TE Erick All , Iowa (Round 4, Pick 115)

Experienced three-down TE with receiving confidence and production. Has the athleticism to get open on occasion in the NFL and has a flair for the spectacular grab in traffic. Route-running intricacies are a part of what he brings to the field and is a solid albeit unspectacular blocker. Doesn't have serious seam-stretching speed. (Chris Trapasso)

Most interesting pick (A) : WR Jermaine Burton , Alabama (Round 3, Pick 80)

This pick is fascinating due to the current wide receiver room in Cincinnati, specifically as it relates to Tee Higgins ' trade request. By the Bengals using a Day 2 pick on a receiver, it won't slow down any speculation that they could move off Higgins over the course of the summer. 

Cleveland Browns

Best pick (A+) : DL Michael Hall Jr. , Ohio State (Round 2, Pick 54)

Tremendous selection. Awesome value meets serious need. Young, high-level productivity and athleticism. Hand work is well beyond his years. Could improve beating blocks vs. the run but he holds up well there for an interior rusher. (Chris Trapasso)

Worst pick (C-) : IOL Zak Zinter , Michigan (Round 3, Pick 85)

Majorly experienced, linear run-game specialist who's best getting downhill where his lateral limitations aren't exposed. Powerful but could sink his pad level more frequently in the NFL . Disallows him from sitting into his anchor in pass pro. Has to improve on pass plays but brings it for the run. Coming off late-season knee-ligament tear. (Chris Trapasso)

Most interesting pick (A) : WR Jamari Thrash , Louisville (Round 5, Pick 156)

Cleveland made a big splash in the wide receiver room earlier this offseason by trading for Jerry Jeudy , but don't sleep on Thrash producing in this offense in 2024. He's praised for his quickness and route-running ability. 

Denver Broncos

Best pick (A+) : CB Kris Abrams-Draine , Missouri (Round 5, Pick 145) 

Ultra-pesky inside-outside CB who rocked in the SEC for multiple years. Not incredibly fast nor length with size. Awesome tackling reliability. Routinely finds and makes plays on the football underneath and at intermediate level. Has plus long speed. Spectacular value here. (Chris Trapasso)

Worst pick (C-) : QB Bo Nix , Oregon (Round 1, Pick 12)

I don't love Nix, but I get the pick. Desperation forces teams to pick quarterbacks earlier than they should. Sean Payton obviously sees Drew Brees in him, but this is way early. Why not trade down and get him later? (Pete Prisco)

Most interesting pick (A+) : Troy Franklin , Oregon (Round 4, Pick 102) 

Denver needed to replenish its wide receiver room and land a speedster in Franklin. He already has a rapport with Nix as they both come out of Oregon, so it'll be fascinating to see if that can translate at the next level and allow Franklin to make an early impact for Sean Payton. 

Houston Texans

Best pick (A) : S Calen Bullock , USC (Round 3, Pick 78)

Uniquely shaped, spindly safety who has the best pure free safety range in the class. Won't provide much as a run-support player but does give it his all. Quickly IDs routes. Can be fun playmaker at next level if his size doesn't hold him back. (Chris Trapasso)

Worst pick (D+) : RB Jawhar Jordan , Louisville (Round 6, Pick 205)

Tiny RB who plays bigger and doesn't have elite speed nor elusiveness. Even with tinier frame, he sheds tacklers with decent regularity. Even at this late, this feels early. (Chris Trapasso)

Most interesting pick (B+) : TE Cade Stover , Ohio State (Round 4, Pick 123)

Stover has familiarity with C.J. Stroud as they two played together at Ohio State. In 2022, Stoud and Stover connected for 36 catches, 406 yards and five touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 255 pounder followed that up with a 2023 season where he caught 41 balls for 576 yards and five scores. Dalton Schultz is the TE1 in this offense at the moment and signed through 2026, but Stover could be a factor in short time.

Indianapolis Colts

Best pick (A): WR Adonai Mitchell , Texas (Round 2, Pick 52)

Love this pick for Colts. Exactly the type they like. Size/speed/athleticism specimen. So fluid running routes. Just can have long stretches where he goes invisible. Very minimal YAC. An outside wideout who can win at second and third levels for Anthony Richardson . (Chris Trapasso)

Worst pick (C) : EDGE Jonah Laulu , Oklahoma (Round 7, Pick 234) 

Tall, somewhat sleek interior rusher with great length. Can occasionally win with first-step quicks but not a trademark, and he leans into offensive lineman, which can make him susceptible to beaten controlled. Pass-rush plans have to evolve. (Chris Trapasso)

Most interesting pick (B-) : EDGE Laiatu Latu , UCLA (Round 1, Pick 15)

Indy took the first defensive player at the 2024 NFL Draft in Latu. He absolutely fills a need and there was some pre-draft steam that he gained as the first defensive player to come off the board, but it'll be interesting to see how his career compares with Dallas Turner and Jared Verse , who could've gone off at that spot as well.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Best pick (B+) : OT Javon Foster , Missouri (Round 4, Pick 114) 

College OT who has the frame to stay there but maybe not the overall athletic profile. Power and quick-setting skills shine. Can win ugly and importantly shows recovery skill. This is a smart investment. Just gets the job done on a routine basis. (Chris Trapasso)

Worst pick (D+) : DL Jordan Jefferson , LSU (Round 4, Pick 116) 

Classic wide-bodied DT who thrives against the run. Thick frame. Block-shedding skills are well-developed but has no pass-rush plans. Active on passing downs just rarely gets home. Length is a plus and he's an above-average athlete for a future NT. Not a bad player just limited and this feels early. (Chris Trapasso)

Most interesting pick (B+) : WR Brian Thomas Jr. , LSU (Round 1, Pick 23) 

Thomas Jr. seemed to be in a tier of his own in this draft class. He was looking up to the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr. , Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze , but a tick above the next group. Now that he joins Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville, I think there's an outside chance that he could be of the bigger impact receivers in this draft, including the Big 3 who went above him.

Kansas City Chiefs

Best pick (A+) : S Jaden Hicks , Washington State (Round 4, Pick 133)

Large, intimidating safety who comes with the full skill set. Can cover tight ends. Deliver big hits over the middle. Make plays on the football with decent regularity. And he tackles well. Awesome addition to Chiefs secondary. Best closer to the line of scrimmage. My top safety in this class. (Chris Trapasso)

Worst pick (B) : OT Kingsley Suamataia , BYU (Round 2, Pick 64)

Boom-or-burst prospect. 2022 was outstanding 2023 was not on film. Burst and especially lateral sliding ability are there. Has hard time locking onto EDGEs and securing them. Slips out of many blocks against the run. Hand work in pass pro can be outstanding at times. Raw but talented. NFL OT frame. Need filled. (Chris Trapasso)

Most interesting pick (A) : WR Xavier Worthy, Texas (Round 1, Pick 28)

It still boggles my mind that the Bills decided to trade with Kansas City and allow them to move up to get a burner like Worthy. He's drawn comparisons to DeSean Jackson and Andy Reid knows exactly how to utilize that type of talent. It could be a special duo between Worthy and Patrick Mahomes .

Las Vegas Raiders

Best pick (A): IOL Jackson Powers-Johnson , Oregon (Round 2, Pick 44)

Instant starter inside. Guard size with mobile center feet. Shorter arms and some rawness in pass pro. But upside is through the roof. All-Pro caliber in that regard. Smart pick here. (Chris Trapasso)

Worst pick (C) : TE Brock Bowers , Georgia (Round 1, Pick 13)

He's a heck of a player, but didn't they draft Michael Mayer last year and signed Harrison Bryant this year? They have other needs. Don't really like this pick that much. It's not like he's a good blocker for their run game. Strange pick with other needs. (Pete Prisco)

Most interesting pick (A-) : RB Dylan Laube , New Hampshire (Round 6, Pick 208)

UNH isn't exactly a breeding ground for NFL talent, but Laube is a fascinating prospect. He's stellar receiving back and has good lateral quickness to evade defenders.

Los Angeles Chargers

Best pick (A) : RB Kimani Vidal , Troy (Round 6, Pick 181) 

This is a future feature back. Stocky, well-built frame. Between the tackles experience and can blend slashing and multi-cut style together. Elusive, sets up blockers well and has effortless power through contact at times. Not a true burner. (Chris Trapasso)

Worst pick (C+) : DL Justin Eboigbe , Alabama (Round 4, Pick 105) 

Classic Nick Saban defensive lineman. Two-gapping extraordinaire with thick, powerful frame. Good first-step quickness but won't be a calling card to win as a pass rusher consistently in the NFL. Not a pass-rush move type. Higher floor than upside. Limited role. (Chris Trapasso)

Most interesting pick (A) : WR Ladd McConkey , Georgia (Round 2, Pick 34)

After parting ways with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams this offseason, the Chargers were in desperate need of adding to their wide receiver room. That sprung them to trade up on Day 2 to add McConkey. When healthy, he's one of the top receivers in this class and should be a regular target for Justin Herbert . Health was a factor during his days at Georgia, however, which is worth monitoring at the next level. 

Miami Dolphins

Best pick (A+) : WR Malik Washington , Virginia (Round 6, Pick 184) 

Electric, short not small wideout who was the heartbeat of the Virginia offense after transferring from Northwestern. Wins underneath with explosion and powerful lower half gives him high-end contact balance. Won't be huge separator on full route tree. Leaper who can find it in the air. Good, not great speed. Niche type but a lot of fun. (Chris Trapasso)

Worst pick (C-) : OT Patrick Paul , Houston (Round 2, Pick 55) 

Strange fit because this is one of the least mobile blockers in the class. Mike McDaniel typically prioritizes athleticism along his offensive line. Absolutely enormous with supreme length. Hand placement is very inconsistent. Gets outside the shoulder pads. Very experienced. Hits on a need. (Chris Trapasso)

Most interesting pick (B-) : RB Jaylen Wright , Tennessee (Round 4, Pick 120)

I'm curious to see how the backfield reps shake out in Miami. Mike McDaniel already had Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane as a tandem before before the Wright pick, so it'll be interesting to see how much of a role the Tennessee product can carve out early on.

New England Patriots

Best pick (A+) : WR Javon Baker , UCF (Round 4, Pick 110) 

This is a future No. 1 wideout. While not a burner, he plays faster and has the complete skill set. Releases at the line are good, flexibility to get open at intermediate level, YAC prowess, and especially rebounding skills are high-end. (Chris Trapasso)

Worst pick (C-) : IOL Caedan Wallace , Penn State (Round 3, Pick 68)

Sizable framed OT with lumbering feet. Average-at-best athlete. Plays with good calmness and accuracy at second level and has quality power but overall athletic profile was severely threatened often in college. A concern for his NFL future. New England did need to add some OL depth. Worried about his upside. (Chris Trapasso)

Most interesting pick (C+) : QB Joe Milton, Tennessee (Round 6, Pick 193)

New England drafted not one, but two quarterbacks this year with Tennessee's Joe Milton coming off the board in the sixth. This likely spells the end of Bailey Zappe's time in New England. The arrival of Milton is also a savvy addition for the Patriots because it gives them another lottery ticket in hopes of finding their franchise QB and could prove to be a trade asset down the line if Drake Maye lives up to his No. 3 overall potential.

New York Jets

Best pick (B+) : RB Braelon Allen , Wisconsin (Round 4, Pick 134) 

Not a freaky specimen athletically but enormous RB with loads of experience. One of the youngest prospects in the entire class. Game is predicated on between-the-tackles vision and effortless power through contact. Not elusiveness or speed. Best pass pro RB in the class. (Chris Trapasso)

Worst pick (C) : RB Isaiah Davis, South Dakota State (Round 5, Pick 173)

Big, highly athletic feature back without serious top speed but nifty cutting skill at all levels of the field. Will make many defenders miss although could experience some growing pains making step up in competition. Serious feature back potential but another RB? (Chris Trapasso)

Most interesting pick (B-) : QB Jordan Travis , Florida State (Round 5, Pick 171)

I like the idea of the Jets taking a stab at a talented QB prospect like Travis and allowing him to develop behind Rodgers. While it's unclear if he'll be their QB of the future, it's smart for them to start planning for the post-Rodgers era. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

Best pick (A) : IOL Mason McCormick, South Dakota State (Round 4, Pick 119) 

Six-year player at FCS with four full years of starting experience and it shows. Elite-level athlete with low pad level. Grip strength is tremendous. Balance could use some work. Anchor is solid but overall has to get stronger. But this is an assignment sound blocker with ideal frame and experience to thrive instantly. Love how Pittsburgh has rebuilt its OL. (Chris Trapasso)

Worst pick (B-) : DL Logan Lee , Iowa (Round 6, Pick 178) 

Vintage Steelers pick here. High-caliber athlete who can win at any alignment up front although his productivity in college didn't match how good of an athlete he is. Could stand to add some weight at next level. Has to get stronger but can win with slippery rushes between gaps. (Chris Trapasso)

Most interesting pick (B-) : WR Roman Wilson , Michigan (Round 3, Pick 84)

Anytime the Steelers draft a wide receiver, you better take notice. Pittsburgh has been a factory of finding stellar receivers at the draft for quite a while and Wilson could be a solid slot option for either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields .  

Tennessee Titans

Best pick (A) : LB Jaylen Harrell , Michigan (Round 7, Pick 252) 

Old-school outside linebacker who can sink in coverage or attack the outside shoulder of the tackle. Smooth, athletic movements to comfortably do either. Shows glimpses of pass-rush promises just doesn't diversify his rushes enough. Must get stronger but does set sturdy edge. Young ascending player. (Chris Trapasso)

Worst pick (C-) : DT T'Vondre Sweat , Texas (Round 2, Pick 38) 

Monstrous NT who finally demonstrated a glimmer of pass-rush capability with hand work as a senior. Not as good against the run or double teams as his size indicates. Probably two-down player in the NFL. Tennessee did need more size inside along the DL, but this is too early for a limited player. (Chris Trapasso)

Most interesting pick (A-) : LB Cedric Gray , UNC (Round 4, Pick 106)

Gray is one of the younger linebackers in this class as he'll only turn 22 in late October. Still, he lands in Nashville as a strong prospect with back-to-back All-ACC first team selections and was a Second Team All-American a year ago. 

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Three Dartmouth football alums get a shot at the NFL

Isaiah johnson ’22 was signed by the miami dolphins, john pupel ’22 was invited to the new england patriots minicamp and quinten arello ’24 was invited to the tennessee titans’ minicamp..

Three current or former members of Dartmouth football — Isaiah Johnson ’22, John Pupel ’22 and Quinten Arello ’24 — got a shot at the National Football League last week.

On April 27, Johnson was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent — a rookie player who was not selected during the NFL draft but can still sign with a roster afterward. Johnson played cornerback and special teams for three seasons at Dartmouth — his 2020-2021 season was canceled due to COVID-19 — before transferring to Syracuse in 2022 for his master’s degree.

Pupel, who played defensive back for three years at Dartmouth before grad transferring to Boston College in 2022, received a minicamp invitation from the New England Patriots. Minicamps typically last two to three days and are opportunities for rookies, especially those who go undrafted, to make an impression and try to land a spot on the team’s roster.

Safety Arello received a mini-camp invitation from the Tennessee Titans after playing four years at Dartmouth. He will graduate as a member of the Class of 2024 this spring.

The success of these players has been a source of pride for their Dartmouth coaches and teammates. Football head coach Sammy McCorkle, who was the secondary and special teams coach from 2005 to 2022, said he is proud of the players’ hard work and excited by their potential. 

“I’m super excited for those guys,” McCorkle said. “They put in a lot of time, effort and hard work. They believed in their coaches, their teammates and, most importantly, they believed in themselves, and that’s why they have gotten to where they are.”

Safety Leonard St. Gourdin ’24, who has been a teammate of Arello, Johnson and Pupel, also praised the athletes. 

“When you see your teammates out there following their dreams, you just sit there with a smile on your face,” St. Gourdin said. “They are are phenomenal guys, and I’m so happy to see them stepping into this new light as professional football players.”

As a recruit, Johnson was a highly regarded prospect and received offers from multiple Ivy League programs, according to McCorkle. As soon as Johnson committed to the Big Green, McCorkle said he knew he was destined for “big things.”

“Isaiah was a huge recruit that we landed, and we knew his capabilities as a football player early on,” McCorkle said. “He was always trying to get better, and his confidence on the football field became contagious.”

Johnson’s confidence and hard work was immediately apparent to his teammates. As freshmen on the team when Johnson was a senior, quarterback Jackson Proctor ’25 and linebacker Braden Mullen ’25 said they admired Johnson’s work ethic.

“The first thing I noticed about him was that he was super focused,” Proctor said. “He made sure to get his stuff done, whether that was school, watching film or doing extra reps after practice. Because of that, I could tell from the jump that he was going to be special.”

Mullen also expressed admiration for Johnson’s work ethic, as well as his leadership abilities. 

“One time in my freshman spring, Isaiah spent 30 minutes helping us on one drill, just trying to get us right,” Mullen said. “He knew that he was going to have to spend a little longer on the field himself, but that was worth it to him if it meant that we would get better.”

Arello, who earned playing time in his freshman year, quickly became a well-respected leader on the defensive side of the ball. He was named a team captain for his final two years at Dartmouth.

“Quinten always led by example,” Proctor said. “He constantly pushed himself and other players, and [he] makes everybody around him better.”

St. Gourdin also said the team “could see and feel Quinten’s support every single practice.”

“For the kids that ended up getting their chances, he was the first person to show up and say ‘congratulations,’” St. Gourdin said.

McCorkle said he was especially impressed with Arello’s football intelligence and growth during his time at Dartmouth — both mentally and physically.

“Quinten is a very smart football player,” McCorkle said. “As he was developing physically, he was learning and understanding our defensive schemes, and he was able to develop trust right away [with] his teammates — even the older guys.”

After completing his undergraduate education at Dartmouth, Pupel had a successful season with Boston College in 2023, earning an All-New England selection. Teammates still maintain a strong bond with him and are proud of his success.

“John had a great season with BC this past year,” Mullen said. “I text him all the time, congratulating him for his accolades and asking for advice.”

The success and hard work of all three players motivates current Dartmouth players who seek to follow in their footsteps, Mullen added. 

“It’s motivational and inspirational,” he said. “It’s great to see their dreams come to fruition, and it lets us in the locker room know that, ‘Hey, this is possible. You can go do it.’”

St. Gourdin explained that the players’ success reflects the strength of Dartmouth’s football program. 

“I think it shows every single kid that comes through Dartmouth that the NFL is within reach,” St. Gourdin said. “Being in the FCS [NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision], we might be overlooked compared to bigger FBS [Football Bowl Subdivision] or Power 5 programs, but it shows that this program can take you to the next level — you’ve just got to work hard for it.”

Arello, Johnson and Pupel, who are now looking to impress their respective teams, know that the job is not yet finished.

“They will be the first to tell you that there’s still a lot of work left for them,” Mullen said. 

Individuals arrested at the May 1 protest share their experiences

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Campus encampments live updates: protests yield mass arrests, college clarifies stance on professor annelise orleck’s arrest, faculty gather on green in response to protester arrests, petition for emergency faculty meeting, former office manager of the dartmouth pleads guilty to embezzling more than $223,000 from student newspaper, verbum ultimum: drop the charges against charlotte hampton ’26 and alesandra gonzales ’27.

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Tom Brady Gets Mocked Over His Divorce and Gisele Bündchen's New Boyfriend During Netflix Comedy Roast

Hart, the host of Netflix's "Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady," aggressively mocked the former NFL QB for his divorce from supermodel Gisele Bündchen

Julie Mazziotta is the Sports Editor at PEOPLE, covering everything from the NFL to tennis to Simone Biles and Tom Brady. She was previously an Associate Editor for the Health vertical for six years, and prior to joining PEOPLE worked at Health Magazine. When not covering professional athletes, Julie spends her time as a (very) amateur athlete, training for marathons, long bike trips and hikes.

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Tom Brady is a good sport, even when he's being completely roasted by friends and comedians.

Brady, 46, was the guest of honor during Netflix's live special, The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady , at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. on Sunday, May 5, and the retired quarterback gamely took in insults from friends and former teammates, including host Kevin Hart , Julian Edelman , Rob Gronkowski , Nikki Glaser , Drew Bledsoe, Randy Moss and Kim Kardashian .

The jokes that drew the most gasps, though, came from Hart, who quickly went for jokes on Brady's love life and his divorce from Gisele Bündchen .

Hart, 44, first mocked Brady for choosing to "unretire" and play one final, unsuccessful season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"Gisele gave you an ultimatum," Hart started. "She said you have to retire or you're done. But when you have a chance to go 8-9 you gotta do it."

He also made fun of Brady over Bündchen's new boyfriend , her karate coach Joaquim Valente .

"You know who also f---ed their coach? Gisele, she f---ed her karate coach," Hart said. "Tom, how did you not see this coming? Eight karate classes a day?"

A visibly uncomfortable Brady responded by raising his glass to the crowd and drinking.

After Hart, several more of Brady's roasters came after the former NFL QB about his marriage.

Talking about how rarely Brady would get sacked on the field, former Patriots QB Bledsoe — who Brady replaced on the team back in 2001 — joked that he's "pretty used to not being touched. Just like at the end of the marriage."

A few minutes later, Glaser, 39, continued going after Brady for his divorce.

"You have seven rings. Well, eight now that Gisele gave hers back," she said.

And Brady's former teammate, Edelman, joked that he now refers to the QB as "Leonardo DiCaprio's ex-girlfriend's ex-husband."

Brady was also roasted for his failed crypto commercials, his losses to the New York Giants and, from Kardashian, his looks. Mocking both Brady and Caitlyn Jenner in one (along with her rumored romance with the former NFL star ), Kardashian, 43, told him that they can't date because "you remind me too much of my stepdad now."

Brady and Bündchen  filed for divorce  on Oct. 28, 2022, after 13 years of marriage. The pair  first met  in December 2006 on a blind date set up by mutual friends.

They share  two children : son Benjamin, 13, and daughter Vivian, 10. (Brady is also dad to son  John "Jack" Edward  with ex  Bridget Moynahan .)

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In April, Netflix released a teaser for the event, part of the Netflix Is a Joke festival showcasing comics around Los Angeles, showing Brady walking away from L.A.’s iconic Forum as the building is jokingly set on fire.

“The man. The arena. The Roast of Tom Brady,” Hart said in a voiceover. “No helmets. No mercy. No Brady Rule.”

“No f---in’ problem,” Brady deadpaned to the camera, as the arena behind him exploded.

Brady officially retired from the NFL for a second time in February 2023, announcing his decision in an emotional post on social media. "I'm retiring. For good. I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning I figured I'd just press record, and let you guys know first," Brady said emotionally.

"It won't be long-winded, you only get one super-emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year, so. I...really thank you guys...so much," he continued. "To every single one of you, for supporting me, my family, my friends, teammates, my competitors. I could go on forever. There's too many. Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream."

"I wouldn't change a thing. Love you all."

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