Alright, so you wanna know about them football fellas and their mouth thingies, huh? Them NFL boys, gotta protect their pretty smiles, or what’s left of ‘em after all that bashin’ and crashin’. Now, I ain’t no fancy lawyer or nothin’, but I heard tell it ain’t exactly a hard and fast rule, see?
Is it a must-do or not?
Well, they say it’s “highly recommended.” That’s like sayin’ “you should probably eat your veggies,” but nobody’s gonna force-feed ya broccoli, right? Same kinda deal with these mouthguards. They *should* wear ‘em, keeps their teeth from gettin’ knocked out and their jaws from gettin’ busted up. But from what I gather, ain’t nobody gonna drag ‘em off the field if they decide to go without. It’s kinda like wearin’ a hat on a sunny day – good idea, but your choice.
I saw on that there TV, some fellas wearin’ ‘em, some don’t. Makes ya wonder, don’t it? You’d think with all that money they makin’, they’d wanna keep their choppers in one piece. But then again, maybe they like the tough-guy look, all roughed up and whatnot. Who am I to judge? They’re grown men, they can do what they please.
- Protecting them pearly whites: That’s the main reason, I reckon. Nobody wants a toothless grin, especially not them handsome fellas on TV.
- Keeping the jaw in place: A good knock to the jaw can mess you up real bad. Mouthguard helps keep things where they should be.
- Maybe, just maybe, it helps with concussions a bit: Now, I ain’t no doctor, but I heard some folks say it might cushion the blow a little. Every little bit helps, I guess.
What them rules say, if there are any
Now, they got this rule book, thicker than a phone book, I tell ya. And somewhere in there, it talks about mouthguards. But it ain’t like them rules about helmets or pads, which they *gotta* wear. It’s more like a suggestion, a “hey, this is a good idea, you fellas should probably do this” kinda thing.
I heard tell there’s rules about glove colors and what they can wear under their shirts, but nothin’ real strict about these mouth thingies. Kinda strange, ain’t it? You’d think they’d be all over protectin’ their players, but I guess some things ain’t as important as others.
Some do, some don’t, why the difference?
Some of them boys, they wear ‘em all the time, never take ‘em out. Smart fellas, I say. Then you got the others, the daredevils, I guess, who leave ‘em hangin’ out or don’t wear ‘em at all. Maybe they think it’s uncomfortable, maybe they think it makes ‘em look tough. Like I said, who am I to judge?
I also heard that even if they do wear ‘em, them mouthguards ain’t exactly the cleanest things in the world. All that sweat and spit and dirt, yuck! But I guess that’s just part of the game, right? Gotta take the good with the bad.
What happens if they don’t wear ‘em?
Well, from what I understand, nothin’ much. They might get a little talkin’ to from the coach, maybe a fine, but they ain’t gonna get kicked off the team or nothin’. It’s their risk to take, I suppose. If they wanna risk gettin’ their teeth knocked out, that’s their business.
But you know what they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And a mouthguard don’t cost much, compared to a whole set of new teeth, that’s for sure. So, it’s a bit of a gamble, ain’t it? Maybe they think they’re invincible, those young fellas. But even the toughest guys can get hurt.
Final thoughts on them mouth protectors
So, there you have it. The lowdown on them NFL mouthguards, as best as I can figure it. They ain’t required, but they probably should be. It’s all about player safety, see? And even though them players are big and tough, they still need protectin’. It’s just common sense, even a country bumpkin like me can see that.
At the end of the day, it’s up to them fellas to decide what’s best for ‘em. But I’m tellin’ ya, keepin’ your teeth in your head is a good idea, no matter how tough you think you are. And that’s all I gotta say about that.
Tags: NFL, Football, Mouthguards, Player Safety, Equipment, Rules, Injury Prevention, Health
