SPORTS

NFL ratings soar as safety concerns rise

Andrew Logue
alogue@dmreg.com
Former New York Giants safety and Iowa star Tyler Sash (39) is seen during a 2013 preseason game.

More than 100 million people will watch Super Bowl 50 on CBS.

Few will express concerns about player safety. Brain injuries will only be mentioned in passing, if at all. And anyone wanting to kick off a debate about these issues will be better off asking folks to pick their favorite Super Bowl commercial.

Chalk up another victory for the NFL, which has received more public relation blows in recent months than at any other time since its birth in the 1920s.

Will Smith’s movie “Concussion” detailed the dangers of football. Evidence continues to show former players have suffered from CTE damage, including Iowa star Tyler Sash. There’s even a growing movement to set age restrictions for kids who want to play.

And yet, most of us went through the season guilt free.

An audience of 53.3 million tuned in to the AFC championship game, while 45.7 million saw the NFC championship.

Both numbers were up from a year ago. And with Peyton Manning and Cam Newton headlining Super Bowl 50, the record of 114.4 million viewers could be topped.

What does this mean?

Answer: Most of us don’t really feel the impact of football’s downside, which means changes will be subtle.

The NFL’s biggest concern may not be television ratings, but participation numbers.

“I think you’re seeing high schools around the country shift to lacrosse or basketball, sports that are seen as more safe for your brain than football,” said Robert Klemko of Sports Illustrated. “And usually, those high schools are in an affluent community. Whereas poorer, underprivileged communities haven’t seen the same kind of hit.”

Chris Nowinski, executive director of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, still attends games at his alma mater, Harvard, and watches the NFL.

He sees the game continuing to evolve.

“Ten years ago, nobody wanted all the changes we have today,” Nowinski said. “The natural inclination is to say we’ve fixed it, and we clearly have not fixed it. We need to press further in making the game safer for adults.”

STRONG TAKE

ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg recently touted the abilities of two college basketball player of the year candidates from our state. He called Iowa State’s Georges Niang “the toughest matchup in college basketball,” because of his versatility. Greenberg also praised Iowa’s Jarrod Uthoff saying, “When he’s aggressive, he’s really hard to play against.”

TOP TWEETS

SAY WHAT?

When the Phoenix Suns fired coach Jeff Hornacek on Monday, it broke up a unique Iowa connection. Hornacek was a star player at Iowa State in the 1980s. Suns radio voice Al McCoy is a Drake graduate, who began his career in Webster City. Earlier this month, the Suns introduced a ticket promotion in which fans can use the “Shazam” app to hear one of McCoy’s famous calls. McCoy is known for shouting “Shazam” whenever a Suns player makes a 3-pointer.

STAY TUNED

The Chicago Cubs announced their spring broadcast schedule and nine games will be televised. Six games will air on Comcast SportsNet Chicago and three will air on WGN. The first chance to see the Cubs will be on CSN, March 16 against the reigning World Series champion Kansas City Royals.

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Andrew Logue has been with the Register for 20 years. Follow him @AndrewMLogue.