Efe Obada appreciates sacks, which are the most disruptive play in American football. He tackled Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in Sunday’s Super Bowl. He has defeated Tom Brady, the recently retired seven-time National Football League championship winner. They are victims worthy of the pride of any player.
For Obada, the Nigerian-born defensive end for the Washington Commanders who was raised in foster care in London after his mother paid a woman to ditch him and his sister on the streets in the Netherlands when he was 10 years old, they also represent a remarkable climb. But Obada, a five-year NFL veteran, is candid about the expenses of this most physical and strategically complex of games.
“The next day, you feel as if you were in a car accident,” he explains. “It is a collision sport. Pain management, injury management. It’s part of being a professional.”
Exciting time for the NFL
Obada is talking about 300-pound (136-kilogram) NFL players colliding at full speed during an exciting period. Before the season finale on Sunday in Glendale, Arizona, players and coaches are reflecting on a year in which Buffalo’s Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after receiving a crushing chest hit during a routine tackle and nearly died on the field and the quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa, was ruled out of action for several weeks after two concussions, sparking fears that he would have to retire at the age of 24.
And last Sunday, for the first time, the end-of-season Pro Bowl game for the top players not participating in the Super Bowl was changed from full-contact football to flag football — a mode of the game without helmets, pads, or contact that is comparable to touch rugby. After the conclusion of the season, players exhibited a lack of enthusiasm for a full-fledged competition, which delayed the decision.
NFL life is like a car collision.
It acted as a showcase for a pacifist version of American football that is more appealing to parents and players who are deterred by the risk of severe brain injury. Instead of pounding the opposition into the turf, tackles are done by removing ribbon-like flags from a player’s belt. It is not well received by some. Mike Florio, a veteran NFL journalist, stated on Monday, “I love football… Football is not flag football”.
To establish a London franchise and possibly a European division, the NFL is promoting this version in the UK. This is also the version of the game that could be included in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Its UK foundation said on Tuesday that Sport England will sponsor NFL flag football programs in Greater Manchester and Birmingham through collaborations with local charities.
The company’s experience has shown that the game appeals to both boys and girls and reaches underrepresented segments of society. Last week, a mixed squad from Little Ealing primary school in west London represented the United Kingdom at the Pro Bowl tournament in Las Vegas.
Obada, who describes himself as “living my greatest life” while playing full-contact football, is a fan. “Children can play earlier, and we can persuade parents since they don’t have to worry about physical touch.”
“If you don’t wear helmets and know there won’t be any contact, there’s more room for trash talking.”
The National Football League
The National Football League believes flag football is “the future of football,” if not a substitute for the full-contact game that remains the most popular sport in the United States and draws more than 100 million spectators for the Super Bowl.
Participation in 11-a-side tackle football at the high school level is decreasing concurrently with increased worry over the severe long-term effects of multiple concussions. Henry Hodgson, general manager of the NFL in the United Kingdom, referred to it as “a tremendous tool for us to globalize the sport” when he stated that making the game more accessible is a future goal.
If we keep growing following and people watching and enjoying the sport, it seeds fandom. You’d imagine we’d be in a stronger position to maybe have a franchise in the United Kingdom.”
Last year, the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, stated that two clubs in London and a European division were a possibility after regular season games in London were sold out for multiple years and the inaugural league game in Munich was enthusiastically attended.
He learnt American football while playing flag football for the Croydon-based London Warriors amateur squad.
Majority of the brains of NFL players donated
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative illness associated with recurrent head trauma. According to a 2017 study, a vast majority of the brains of NFL players donated after death to researchers at Boston University exhibited indications of CTE. Tagovailoa and the wide receiver for the New England Patriots, DeVante Parker, are among the top athletes. Who have been seen this season stumbling on jelly legs following head injuries.
Obada has some hope in the advancements in helmets and other equipment, as well as the stricter rules, to protect some players stating, “The sport is aware of how dangerous it is, and it is making adjustments to compensate.”
Despite the risks, the feeling of bringing down a top quarterback is a driving force for him. As a defensive end, his raison d’être is to sack the quarterback before he can pass the ball. “This is how you are compensated, how you determine your worth, and how you distinguish yourself,” he explains.
Overcoming large offensive lineman demands skill, quickness, and strength, and even the greatest have not surpassed 20 sacks this season. “It’s so difficult to find,” he says. “You have between two and three seconds to reach the quarterback. So when you get there, it’s incredible. You feel energized and pumped with adrenaline when you know you’ve got the guy.
