The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the writer and do not reflect the views of University School of Nashville or the Peabody Press.
Dear NFL,
I am a lover and fan of football. I live in Nashville and over the years I have been an avid fan of our city’s football team, the Tennessee Titans. I remember my Monday and Thursday nights spent watching your games. But the game I love has become less enjoyable because of your greed.
As I mentioned, I live in Nashville. If you live here, you would know that we recently agreed to a deal to build a new stadium for our beloved football team. The city was required to pay a Nashville record 1.26 billion dollars in funding for the stadium. Only 40 percent of the stadium was privately funded, which must mean the city gets 60 percent of the revenue, right? No. The majority of the revenue goes to private owners. They said it would generate a direct spending impact of 20.9 billion dollars but these numbers are normally overestimated and that doesn’t include the fact that if we stayed with our old stadium, a large sum of money would still be made. Stadium deals are known to not be profitable, but the NFL and its teams do not care and repeatedly demand cities pay exuberant amounts for unnecessary ‘state of the art’ structures. 1.26 billion dollars can pay for a lot of things. The majority of Nashville residents may go to one game. This isn’t an investment in my city; it is a way a wealthy business can profit from the government.
You, as a league, are not only taking advantage of outside people and organizations, but also taking advantage of your own players. According to the National Institute of Health, “Every additional year playing football was associated with 15% increased odds of a CTE diagnosis and, for those with CTE, 14% increased odds of severe CTE.” CTE isn’t just a small problem; it is a condition that can affect players and their families for the rest of their lives. I love watching NFL players, but the game takes a toll and I believe you just want fans to see this as a fact. But we can find ways to make football safer.
You speak softly through small donations but when the dangers of the sport show you go quiet. Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest after a hard hit in the 2022-23 season in which you, as the overlying cause, sent “thoughts and prayers” with little to no actual research into measures that can prevent these near fatal injuries. The example of Damar Hamlin shows that the weight of football is something that can be deadly. And you are fine with that as long as money is still involved.
I myself love football, but when it is run by a corporation taking advantage of our government and its own employees, I can’t stay silent. Through brutality, mortality, and confidentiality, the NFL has managed to profit extensively off its fans’ love for the game.
Sincerely, Kostas Rokas
