Concussions in Pro Sports
David Duerson’s family, the family of a legend, found Duerson dead in his home, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the chest (Bartholet). Duerson had won two championship rings, named first team All-Pro by three sources, received the NFL Man of the Year Award, and held an NFL record for 19 years (Bartholet). So why would this amazing man with a life of accomplishments commit suicide? Doctors wanted to find out. Duerson had sent his family a text message that he wanted his brain to be donated to research for concussions caused by professional football. In his final months, Duerson had complained to his family about his declining mental state. After his death, researchers found that Duerson had a disease found in many ex-professional football players, known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, caused by concussions (Bartholet).
Concussions are becoming more and more common in professional athletes. Concussions can weaken a team, take athletes out of games, and even end athletic careers. They can also cause permanent disabilities and disease that cannot be cured. Professional sports leagues/organizations are receiving lawsuits and complaints about the growing amount of head injuries. Many athletes and fans want organizations such as the NFL or NHL to make rule changes to prevent concussions. Football being one of the leading causes of concussions, along with women 's soccer and men 's hockey, the NFL is often the target of complaints and lawsuits
A concussion is, “a type of traumatic brain injury—or TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth” (“What is a Concussion?”). Concussions can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, and sleepiness. Although these symptoms seem terrible, these are only short term symptoms of a mild concussion. More severe concussions can cause life-long problems with memory, learning, coordination, emotion, and even sight (“What is a Concussion?”). One poor play can cause a severe concussion and, furthermore, a permanent end to the life the player knew before the incident. While not all concussions are that critical, every concussion has consequences. Unfortunately, thousands of high school players face these consequences annually. Studies show that, “Some 67,000 high school football players suffer concussions every year, according to official tallies, and many more concussions go unreported” (“Farewell to Football”). Even if an exceptional football player beats those odds, one in every twenty NFL players suffers from at least one concussion in his career (“Farewell to Football”). Players under the age of eighteen are even more likely to experience severe brain damage from the game. According to ESPN, getting hit hard on the field can be the equivalent to being hit over the head
The NFL as you probably already know, stands for the National Football League. It is the elite league for the best players and best athletes in the world. These players are in tip top shape and are extremely strong. Now the big question is this. What is one of, if not the biggest problem in the NFL? Concussions. Nate Jackson, a former NFL player and writer says this, “Why is it that men who were the strongest and fittest people alive when they were young degenerate so quickly? That’s the million-dollar question.” With all of the protective equipment and top-of-the-line helmets, you would think that the players are safe from these types of injuries. But, there is a remaining problem of concussions that is still very
Concussions occur daily in a life of an athlete. This can change their lives forever if they have one that is severe. They might get lucky if its minor and they can go back to playing. Concussions are very dangerous in an athletic world, because they can affect their lives even after they retire from playing that sport. These concussions can start off at any age, but the huge problem people are having is pro sports. NFL being one the biggest leagues to have these problems. There are many debates about whether the NFL are being careful enough and understanding how bad these concussions are. There are some people who are trying to help this problem become known to all. They are trying to help fix this situation. There are ways to fixing this
Concussion ratings have went up in many sports and many people are trying to change that. Every player wants to play the sport they love as long as they can but you can't play sports with brain injuries. Many players don't think of concussions as much as they should they are way more serious then talked to be. Therefore i think all athletes should not be able to play or practice when they have suffered from three concussions because of the potential harm concussions have on the body.
Concussions are problems that almost every athlete goes through. Football players, boxers and hockey players all have suffered from some type of concussion they refer to it as "hearing bells" or "seeing lights" . Even though its over 100,000 concussions in football over a year other sports suffer from it to, So it’s important for us to understand this situation and see what people have to go through. Due to the high number of concussions each year, new regulations are necessary to help protect players and everyday people from these injuries. (concussionfoundation.org)
First, I am going to talk about the science behind concussions, CTE, and why it is such an issue for a football player. Concussions are very damaging to the brain and experiencing a lot of them can lead to CTE. I will also discuss people that influenced the understanding of concussions and CTE. In 2002, a neurologist named Dr. Bennet Omalu tried to tell the NFL about the brain damage he found while doing a former NFL player’s autopsy, but the NFL did not really listen. In 2009, another researcher by the name of Dr. Ann Mckee tried to get the NFL’s attention about her concerns about football players and concussions as well. The NFL once again ignored these assumptions. However, the NFL did listen to Dr. Elliot Pellman, who told the league as early as 1994, that concussions were not a big problem and just part of the game. I will discuss how NFL players were treated when they got their “bell rung” during a big game; and what kind of medical treatment they
Concussions are a very serious involving contact sports. High school athletes are more likely to receive a brain injury than an older athlete. After receiving a concussion or any type of brain damage athletes should be required to sit out for a longer period of time.
Lately when it comes to football one of the worst words to come to mind is concussion. Recent research and testimonies from former NFL stars has exposed the true severity of concussions, in both present time and years down the road. Despite a slight rise in concussions during the NFL’s 2015 season, the total number of concussion in the 2012 season compared to the 2014 season had dropped nearly 25%. This was due to the advancement in both helmet and shoulder pad equipment. Throughout recent years the NFL has been working the United States military to combine efforts and technology in order to better the safety of football attire. According to National Geographic, the NFL and the military have worked together to discover what material
Concussions in sports are becoming a very big health issue. This has caused athletes to wonder if it is worth it to continue playing after getting one. A concussion is a temporary time of unconsciousness caused by a hit to the head. The term can also be the aftereffects including possible confusion or temporary incapacity. Whether the sport is football, hockey, soccer, or almost any other sport that causes physical contact. Statistics by sport show that from 2002-2012 concussion rates have doubled. About one in five high school athletes will be victims of a sports concussion during a season. Football is the most common sport that has had a problem with concussions. About 47% of all reported concussions were recorded in high school football.
Concussions and injuries are an issue for football players because they have faulty protection for their bodies, they play a dangerous sport, and injuries can cause lifetime ailments to the players.
In "Concussion recovery is slower in girls, mounting evidence suggests" by Diana Kwon, the passage states that concussions occur in female athletes more than twice the time as male athletes. Occuring in the sport of hockey, soccer, and football, where heads are continually clashing. I honestly do not believe that girl or boy impact sports should be banned; i do believe that the athletes should wear helmets. Helmets should be necessary when playing high-risk sports. Female sports do not have as many rules as males do which is why concussions occur more within the female population.
In most contact sports, protective gear is worn to protect injury-prone areas. Helmets are important and required in several sports, and their structures have been modified over time to increase their effectiveness in prevention of head injury. The new helmet standards enforced in 1959 are attributed for the great decrease in intracranial hemorrhage and death noted by Heck et al. (2004) between 1959 and 1963. Interestingly, however, a concurrent increased in spinal cord injury was observed during this time, by 204%, with cervical quadriplegia increasing by 116%. The mechanism of this injury, as previously discussed, is spearing, which players must have felt more confident attempting due to the helmet modifications. This conjecture identifies
A concussion is traumatic injury to soft tissue, usually the brain, as a result of a violent
In recent years, the number of soccer injuries among players has increased. Soccer injuries can be extreme. Injuries cannot always be prevented, especially in contact sports. There are ways to help decrease the amount and make soccer safer, but it must be intentional. Soccer is dangerous in many ways. It causes concussions, fractures, torn muscles and other dangerous injuries to parts of your body.
Playing sports is seen as all fun, but when the majority of professional athletes have suffered a concussion or some type of head injury at least once in their career, it stops being fun. Many major league and professional sports teams need to start to make changes to protective equipment, but the leagues also need to introduce stricter rules and regulations along with mandatory equipment for all players to lessen the chance of serious head injuries.