There is no doubt that football and gymnastics are both tough sports to participate in, but football is the one that takes more grit. Football is a sport where one of the goals of the game is to make sure the player with possession of the ball ends up on the ground. There is a lot of risk for injury on the football field.

According to stopsportsinjuries.com, football is the leading sport in the number of injuries sustained. While gymnastics does have its injuries, it is not surprising for an athlete playing football to injure their knee. This can limit the future playing ability of any athlete and shorten their athletic career.

Not only is there the physical risk of playing football, there is also the risk of concussion. While this is a concern in any sport, it is the most prominent in football players. According to apta.org, the NCAA found that football has the third highest sport-related concussions (SRCs) trailing only wrestling and men’s ice hockey. Between the years of 2009 and 2014 the NCAA had 3,417 SRC incidents annually. However, concussion numbers are relatively low in gymnastics. The effects of an injury like a concussion can impact the rest of an athlete’s life.

There is the off season when football players get ready for the next season. Students who take a weights class or been to the gym and done a very serious workout know that bodies are very sore the next day. Football players committed to the sport do this week in and week out. The very action of going through that process shows the amount of grit and toughness a football player contains. Athletes can go through a rough workout, practice, etc. but it is the toughness and passion of a football player to do it all again.