The NBA's Injury Problem Is Far Worse Than the NFL's For One Simple Reason
It’s common knowledge in America that the NFL has an injury problem.
There was that huge controversy about concussions some years ago, with moral indignation being cast down upon the NFL for not doing enough to protect its players (now they do too much).
Even folks that don’t watch the NFL know that; that Will Smith movie combined with what was an oddly obsessive media reaction makes it such that most are aware of this issue. There’s this general assumption floating in the air that the NFL is this overtly dangerous league where everyone ends up with CTE and teams do unethical things to make their players play.
It’s odd, though, isn’t it, because it appears to me that NBA players get injured just as often. This is even more odd when you consider the fact that football is significantly more dangerous than basketball. So how could that be?
The fact of the matter is that NFL players fight, scratch, and claw to get on the field and play. NBA players fight, scratch, and claw to get off the court so they don’t have to.
The culture in the NFL is that if you’re injured, to some degree such that it’s still possible to play and positively contribute, you play. The culture of the NBA is that if you’re injured, to some degree such that it’s still possible to play and positively contribute, you milk said injury as much as possible to maximize the amount of time you can sit out.
I’m sorry, but I don’t believe half of these NBA players when I hear that they’re hurt (in the context of a very short-term, relatively mundane injury).
Right calf soreness this, sprained pinky finger that, it really feels like they have to come up with new ways to justify sitting out on a back-to-back.
There was a story a few weeks ago about the Brooklyn Nets and how they got in trouble for sitting multiple players in a game against the Bucks. There was a story last year about the Dolphins and how they got in trouble for putting Tua Tagovailoa back into the game despite there being evidence of his having a concussion. Two very different controversies, huh.
It makes me a little uncomfortable to imply that a significant percentage of NBA players and teams actively and consciously lie when a player sits out. There’s also the thought that these guys do incur significant wear and tear on their bodies, and there are eighty-two games in an NBA season. So it is of course smart to rest guys and make sure they’re ready for the playoffs.
It’s just a shame because it impairs the integrity of the game and hurts fans. It’s an awful feeling to go to an NBA game, hoping to watch a particular player, just to find out they made a last-minute decision to sit out because their left testicle is bothering them.
NFL fans don’t have to worry about that. They have to worry about injuries because, obviously, it sucks when a star player goes out or when someone central to your favorite team goes down for the year. But when someone in the NFL gets hurt, we know that they’re hurt. And when their body recovers, we know that they’ll do whatever they can to get back on the field.
Now, I haven’t done the research required to back this up with concrete numbers regarding the number of players that get hurt, etc. But from a bird’s eye view, it really does appear that the NBA’s injury problem is far more severe than that of the NFL’s. The latter is a product of an inherently dangerous game, the former is a product of a spineless commissioner and a culture that prioritizes player empowerment over the institution of competition.
I’m going to have to take a break from writing for a while. My left pointer finger is sore.
Read more NFL news from Stadium Rant here: NFL News
Read more NBA news from Stadium Rant here: NBA News
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