The sport has gradually become a cultural staple and, along with it, certain perceptions of how it should be. When a concept is deeply ingrained into a national identity, critique of the concept can be misconstrued as a threat on that identity. As a result, progress in the broader football conversation has been incredibly slow. Tackling, blocking, sacking — this is what makes our football “American.” 

A U.S. District Court judge denied a request by the National Hockey League Wednesday for all medical data from Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center. The NHL is currently...