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Football Abuse Research Paper

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It was without a doubt that every American is familiar with the fanatic insanity that follows the game of football. Moreover, for those who are unfamiliar with American culture, most would be amazed how much football influences American society; specifically the nation’s adolescence. As a matter of fact, it has been estimated by the National Federation of State High School Association that “there are approximately 1.1 million high school players” in the country (Petraglia et al 4). However, despite football’s popularity among youth, it is irresponsible for a parent to allow their son to play football without knowing the significant abuse a child will endure on the field. In reality, Football is a cruel barbaric sport that exploits the safety …show more content…

Concussions are a common brain injury, yet are nothing parents should overlook for the safety of their child. Having said that, it has been reported that “3.8 million Americans”(as qtd. in Solotaroff 3) suffer concussions each year with the majority being children in contact sports (Solotaroff 3). The word most know as concussion actually comes from the latin word concutere: meaning “to shake violently” (Concussions and Our Kids 2) ;which, is essentially what happens to the brain inside the skull when brutally collided by another object ,or in this case another child(Concussions and Our Kids 2). Dr. Robert Cantu, chair of neurosurgery at Emerson Hospital, and author of Concussion and our kids, gives his readers an intriguing insight of what happens inside the player's head when dealt with a traumatic collision. Dr. Cantu states, that when the brain suffers trauma the brain begins to experience chemical reactions in which results in the brain to malfunction; “throwing off its ability to regulate, to transmit signals, and to send messages that control how we …show more content…

Either way, no sport is worth risking one's life for, so why should parents set themselves up for such tragedy. As testimony, in the article “This is your Brain on Football” by Paul Solotaroff, Joan Pelly a mother of a son who played football gives readers insight at how football took away her son Eric(Solotaroff 1). As a matter of fact, Eric was an athletic, all A’s student at his high school, who had only suffered a couple concussions by the time he reached 17; however as the insidious effects of multiple concussions started to catch up a year later his friends began to notice(Solotaroff 2). One friend states, “we ate lunch together and he wasn’t all there, [he] said his head was hurting bad”(as qtd. in Solotaroff 2) also “I met him in the hall and saw the same thing: he couldn’t focus or really follow the conversations”(as qtd. in Solotaroff 2). In other words this was essentially Eric’s body crying for medical attention that he never got because he continued to play and fight through it (Solotaroff 2). Unfortunately, it was too late and Eric seized up during a typical family dinner which resulted in his brain to swell up so much that it “crushed his brainstem and shorted out his heart and lungs”(as qtd. in Solotaroff 2). No parent should ever have to bury their own son at the age of 18, no one will ever

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