It’s the year 2025.
The NFL has become one of the most worthwhile business ventures the world has seen, cracking the list of Fortune 500 companies while generating over $25 billion annually.
Through television deals, corporate sponsorships and a global audience, the NFL has hastily gained the title as the most lucrative sports league in the world, as their financial reputation is nearly immaculate, the only blemish being a $765 million settlement from 2013 that concealed their involvement in claims that the game itself caused retired players to live a life of debilitation.
The NFL Players Association took the sub-billion dollar settlement for its roughly 4,500 plaintiffs, a sum that was nearly 10 times less than some thought would be rectified just months before.
Still, approximately $170,000 per player for medical costs is enough, right?
Not exactly.
Almost $90 million of the settlement was set aside for research, education, expenses and testing. The NFL was also allowed 17 years to pay the amount in full, though another four years remain on the settled terms, as medical care rates are rising.
Instead of going to court, the settlement guaranteed money for players almost immediately after the fact, whereas a court proceeding would have taken years to complete and resulted in more costs for each side.
Following the settlement, a significant number of players continued seeking government workers’ compensation for on-the-job injuries, though NFL owners continued to deny the claim that their players were hurt on the field.
In 12 years, this is where it might lead us.
The settlement funds dried up and medical care costs skyrocketed, while more and more players were sidelined permanently for extreme concussions, paralyzed skeletons and diseases that resulted from each.
Players reached such a point of vegetation that the NFL created a permanent paradise residence to assist disabled players, which is essentially an asylum that the world could no longer see what its treasured pastime had done for its players.
Yet, what the future holds for players currently in the league will probably be unfathomable by comparison.
ch115710@ohiou.edu
@Connor_Hanlin
