Playing sports can have negative effect

To the editor:

Football is a sport loved by many Americans. Many high school football players have dreams of playing college ball or in the National Football League.

It could be for reasons such as money and fame or for the simple reason they love playing football. It seems more and more athletes are doing whatever it takes to get to the top of the sport they love. In the NFL, you have to be in top-notch shape, have the mind-set of giving 110 percent all the time, and to not just want to win, you need to win.

Winners have many good characteristics, but aggressiveness is a bad characteristic. Once an NFL player becomes retired, they're released into the real world. What happens when someone makes them mad and for a split second they lose their temper? They obviously can't tackle or lash out at that person, but for their whole life they've been conditioned to be aggressive. When is playing a sport taken too far? The long-term effects are what no one thinks about.

Kaitlin Willett

Belle Plaine