PBS: NFL Board Paid $2 Million to Players While Denying Football-Concussion Link

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sports/concussion-watch/nfl-board-paid-2m-to-players-while-league-denied-football-concussion-link/

This article reveals the many flaws within the stubborn, hypocritical organization known as the NFL. The majority of the article overviews cases with permanently injured players after they retire, quoting various doctors outside of the NFL, stating things along the lines of "the League is ignoring devastating evidence and denying direct links between football careers and T&P (total and permanent) injury." One of the ongoing stories throughout the piece was the Mike Webster claim in the 90's and early 00's, where Webster was the first ex-player diagnosed with the degenerative brain disorder, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.

Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada wrote this article for PBS, the non-profit, large public broadcasting network that has been around for over 40 years. The context of this article is around the authors' new book coming out in 2013, and although the article never specifically references to it, the piece does make the author want to read more about these types of injuries.

The purpose of this article is to prepare and perhaps excite the authors' audience of reminiscent football fans for their upcoming book next year. In order to achieve this goal rhetorically, the authors brought up a widespread controversy dating back over the last 30 years to attract older and younger football fans and make them interested in the subject. Specifically, they used enthymemes about the link between football and permanent brain injury to the players. I think the authors achieved this goal successfully because the reader is prone to leaving this article with a greater interest in post-football disorders of NFL players.