Some of the greatest images from Bo Jackson‘s athletic exploits involve what he did on a football field. However, if he knew the long term risks of playing in the NFL, he would have foregone his football career.
It was on this day in 1991 when Bo Jackson saw his NFL career come to an end. On what appeared to be a harmless tackle, Jackson dislocated his hip, leading to problems that led to his eventually needing hip replacement surgery. Jackson’s baseball career also suffered, as he went from being a star with the Kansas City Royals to becoming a shadow of his former self before retiring in 1995.
Jackson was a once in a generation type of athlete, a person who played two sports at the top of his profession. However, if he played these days, Jackson’s prowess on the football field would not have been known. In fact, he stated that, had he known more about the injury risks associated with the game, he never would have played football.
Given what we have learned in recent years, particularly in regards to the dangers of head injuries, it is an understandable stance. We have seen quite a few former NFL players have problems later in life due to their past head trauma, and are learning the effects of CTE and how it affects people during their lives. A greater focus is being placed on player safety, with the goal of reducing concussions and protecting players from traumatic injury as much as possible.
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And yet, these injuries will continue to happen. Players today are bigger, stronger, and faster than every before. The collisions that take place on the gridiron are the equivalent to car accidents, filled with the same sort of violence one would expect to see in a freeway collision.
Jackson even said that he would not allow his kids to play football these days. While it is strange to think of such a legendary player refusing to allow his children to play one of the sports that made him so famous, this thought may not be his alone. Indeed, as we see the damage that can be caused by these head injuries, younger athletes may begin to eschew football for other, safer sports.
In the long run, this may strengthen the game of baseball. As players look towards a sport where they can avoid long term, serious health risks, baseball may acquire more of these top talents. As such, the game would get stronger, and could return back to its place atop the sporting universe.
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Bo Jackson has learned a lot in the past couple of decades. And now that Bo Knows about CTE, if he had to make the decision again, he would not have played football.