Thinking ethically:

THINKING ETHICALLY HOW CAN YOU ETHICALLY DESIGN A DANGEROUS JOB? The most popular professional sport in the United States is football, but the future of the National Football League (NFL) is uncertain. Behind the doubts about football's future is new scientific evidence suggesting that injuries sustained by football players are more serious than had previously been thought. Winning an NFL game requires aggressive play, including head collisions. Sometimes the result is a major concussion, known to be serious. But scientists have observed a link between taking less-severe hits day in and day out and a condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). With CTE, the brain's repeated contact with the skull causes the formation of abnormal protein tangles. People with CTE suffer from headaches, memory loss, episodes of anger and suicidal tendencies. A group of players and their families sued the NFL for covering up the dangers of concussions, saying the league downplayed dangers it learned about from an investigation. The plaintiffs settled on payouts totaling $1 billion over 65 yearsamounting to an average payout per player of $190.000. Depending on years of service and severity of damage, a player could receive as much as $5 million. The settlement amount is large, but some would call it reasonable from an organization that brings in $14 billion in revenues in one year. Meanwhile, the NFL supports the development of more protective helmets and has tried modifying players' jobs by creating new rules for the game. The rules include requiring knee pads to reduce knee-to-head collisions and moving kick-offs up five yards to reduce the number of returns. Another change is that players will have fewer full- contact workouts during the preseason. In addition, when players experience symptoms associated with concussions, they may not return to play or practice until they have been cleared by a neurologist who is not affiliated with their team. These changes may reduce the injuries to players, but some players are concerned the changes will make the game less appealing to fans. Questions 1. How do the basic human rights defined in Chapter 1free consent, privacy, freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, and due process-apply to professional football players and the safety risks described here? 2. Will making football players jobs safe achieve the ethical goal of the greatest good for the greatest number of people? Why or why not? Is there an ethical level of safety in football? Sources: Bill Shea, "Helmet Market, with Deep Detroit Ties, in Arms Race," Crain's Detroit Business, October 29, 2017, www.crainsdetroit.com; Michael McCann, "Will New CTE Finding Doom the NFL Concussion Settlement?" Sports Illustrated, August 15, 2017, https://www.si.com: David DiSalvo, Is the NFL Doing Enough to Prevent Brain Trauma? '60 Minutes' Probes for Answers," Forbes, November 16, 2015, http://www.forbes.com; William Weinbaum and Steve Delsohn, Dorsett Others Show Signs of CTE." ESPN Outside the Lines, April 5, 2014. http://espn.go.com