President Barack Obama just made it tougher for young men to convince their parents to allow them to play football after stating that he wouldn't let his son play football.
As the Super Bowl draws closer, questions of football will come up for the president. Of course, the nation wants to know who the president is rooting for, but also, they dive in deeper with the state of the game and player injuries.
"I'm a big football fan,but I have to tell you if I had a son, I'd have to think long and hard before I let him play football," said Obama in an interview with The New Republic.
We've seen Obama represent and cheer on his Chicago Bears multiple times, however, it's also painful to watch all the horrific injuries players have suffered on the field. Broken ankles and knee surgeries appear mundane compared to what former NFL players' brains have suffered due to their tough tackling and hardnose style of play.
Ultimately, Obama once again asks for change, but not in the political climate or any of the international policy. Obama calls for change in the sport of American football which will enable the game to become less violent and allow players to become more durable during their NFL careers and after retirement.
The game might become less exciting, claims Obama, but fans will have to deal with it.
Obama wants to extend awareness beyond the NFL and into college and high schools as many of these young players are solely playing to get into the pros.
"You read some of these stories about college players who undergo some of these same problems with concussions and so forth and then have nothing to fall back on. That's something that I'd like to see the NCAA think about," said President Obama.
The football world was paralyzed after one of their best ever, Junior Seau, who had an extended career with the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. He wrapped up his NFL career in 2009 and then committed suicide in 2012, just three years removed from his final appearance on an NFL field.
The full interview with President Obama on this issue will hit shelves on Feb. 11 in the latest edition of The New Republic.