When a problem arises, people tend to look at others to assign blame when (more often than not) their finger should be pointing right back in the mirror. The NFL should not be given sole blame for the concussions players suffer while playing football; they are simply the easiest to target. When it is all broken down, the NFL would not even exist if it were not for every person who has ever bought a ticket, tuned into a game on the television or any form of device, or even bought merchandise. The fans are the water that keep the NFL afloat. During the Super Bowl 50, the peak average of viewers was 115.5 million, and that is just taking in to account the in-home televisions. In fact, it was the third largest audience in all of television history (Pallotta & Stelter, 2016). Upon observation, it is noticeable that fans cheer the most either when their team scores, something unusual occurs, but most importantly, when someone gets a great hit (tackle). NFL players are entertainers, and they want to do whatever elicits the greatest response from the fans, even if it hurts. With every loud response to a tackle, the fans contribute a little bit more to the concussion issue.
