Football has arguably become America’s favorite sport. "Concussion," The movie starring Will Smith, examines the National Football League’s role in covering up medical information regarding concussions and brain injuries.
The movie takes place in Pennsylvania which is also home to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith plays a forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, the first to discover chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), in a professional football player. His character has a passion for understanding how exactly a person dies. He makes his discovery when examining the body of Mike Webster, the Hall of Fame center for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and determining that the cause of death of the former player may go beyond suicide. Omalu figures out that repeated concussions and blows to the head can cause brain damage. From that point is where the movie goes into a greater understanding of the complications that could possibly go along with playing football. It also showed the lengths to which the NFL went in order to discredit Omalu.
This is a movie worth watching because of the clear message about health in sports. Smith’s portrayal of Nigerian pathologist Omalu showed viewers how dedicated Omalu was to bringing awareness t what the NFL was trying to cover up. Smith showed the extent Omalu was willing to go with discovering CTE such as spending his own money, many late nights of research, and going against the NFL. Omalu did not dislike football. He was trying to unfold the hidden truths within the NFL that could help a lot more players protect themselves. The stories of Mike Webster, Dave Duerson, Andre Waters and Justin Strzelczyk as just some of the players that have been affected by CTE all share similarities of dying young; Their deaths helped us understand the dangers of the sport and that the people playing are human. The fear of the men finding out they could have CTE before dying was complete denial for them, which eventually lead to their death. There has been a lot of controversy, especially within the NFL, about the message this movie delivers. The NFL and players dispute the findings because they do not want to believe football could do so much damage.
This movie is culturally relevant because it has such an impact on Americans who enjoy watching the sport. Within a culture that dedicates Sunday to football, many men have played football since youth or grown up watching it. Not every football player will be diagnosed, but there is always a chance. It is important that specifically football players see this movie because they need to see the negatives that football can bring. This is a beloved sport, but not many people know what goes into playing it. Aside from injuries, there could be lifelong dangers and the movie "Concussion" has shown us that. This movie is not bashing football; it is simply advising players that football is more than scoring a touchdown.
