The Role Of Concussions In Sports

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

New evidence is now coming out showing that repeated brain trauma significant enough to cause concussions is causing long term effects that do not show up until later in life. This issue is knows as CTE or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. This new condition is not yet well understood but the researchers know that it is in part caused by repetitive brain trauma. CTE has many negative side effects and symptoms that many retired NFL athletes are now starting to show which include; executive dysfunction, memory impairment, depression, and suicidality, apathy, poor impulse control, and eventually dementia. Since this is a CTE is a new finding research and findings are slow to come because their is yet to be a clinical diagnosis, findings have only come from post-mortem research and the individual's mental and physical history before his or her death (Baugh & Stamm, 2012). “Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE) has found neuropathologically confirmed CTE in football players with no history of diagnosed or reported concussions (but who played positions, such as lineman, with the greatest exposure to repetitive hits to the head). This is a good example as to why concussion recognition, treatment, and prevention is so important. CTE so far is only showing up in athletes who are retired and ages 40 and older. These are the athletes who competed before

The article “New NFL rules designed to limit head injuries” published in 2012, explains the new rules applied by the NFL. I argue that, the league has improved its rules and regulations each year to prevent hits from occurring above the shoulders. According to the article, “The reworded rules prohibit a player from launching himself off the ground and using his helmet to strike a player in a defenseless posture in the head or neck” (“New”). In addition, the article goes on to say, “When a player loses his helmet, the play is immediately whistled dead. And now, during field-goal and extra-point attempts, the defense cannot position any player on the line directly across from the snapper, who's considered to be in a defenseless position” (“New”). The game of football is a very physical sport. Again, it cannot be fully stressed enough just how much physical contact is a crucial part of the game. Contact sports mean that players will be in close proximity to each other. I believe that the NFL is going above and beyond to do the most they can to prevent the occurrence of concussions. Facts and statistics show that the incidences of concussions are decreasing each passing year. The article “NFL reports reduction in concussions, new measures to protect players,” written by Lorenzo Reyes, discussed the decline of concussions by using statistics and facts

Over the past couple of years, there has been a growing concern for NFL player’s safety and the amount of concussions occurring over the past years. A concussion is a type of mild traumatic brain injury that may be caused by either a fall; a direct blow to the head, face, or neck; or a blow elsewhere on the body that transmits force to the head (JAAPA). There has been a high attention directed towards concussions in many sports, but mainly football. The purpose of the research I will be conducting is to educate the players, coaches, and future players of the NFL on ways to prevent concussions. Several topics I will touch upon my research topic are how concussions associate with musculoskeletal injuries, how long a player should be sidelined before returning to play, the amount of research that has been done to prevent concussions, how teammates can have an effect on whether a player continues playing through a concussion or if they take the safe route, how coaches who are educated annually on concussions can decrease how bad a concussion is and ways coaches have been educated in the past and how effective that method was. I will specifically be paying attention to what is known and what other ways can the members of the NFL be educated on concussions. I want to know what they know and what steps are they taking towards preventing concussions. I also want to know what damage does it cause to the brain over time.

Scientists, researchers, neurobiologists, etc. began the study of the effects of concussions on the brains of players and it has been very clear that concussions and head trauma can lead to CTE. This development has been backed by the life changing experiments of retired players who have developed CTE or other brain diseases, which lead to a decrease in their life span, or quality of life. Since the connection of concussions and brain damage, the media and fans garnered a negative view of the league and their treatments of their players because of the environment they are placed in, a hard-hitting concussion battleground. The negative attention on the league has caused a decrease in the number of people who watch the sport on Sundays and it will not stop as more and more evidence about CTE and football is released. The NFL is in a position to lose its place as America’s favorite pastime, but it can be reversed if the league decides to enact on new rules that decrease the amount of head-to-head contact as well as admit past mistakes and prove that they want to make themselves better.

Many memories are made in football, but sadly some of the greatest players cannot recall them. The National Football League has been associated with concussions and brain traumas throughout the years, but lately it has been exposed by media and NFL veterans. The league recently “reached a $765 million preliminary settlement with thousands of former players who were suing the league over its treatment of concussions…” (Waldron). Many former players are experiencing the effects of taking hard hits over and over again; they were not properly treated, which makes the injury worse and long term. The concussion issue in the NFL is more prevalent today, because it affects not only the players, but the league as a whole.

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

After hearing Adam speak to the class this past week, it was good to get an inside look on his thoughts on concussion and what is being done about it. Some of the things that I took away from him were I coaches needs to become better at the sport they are coaching. They need to learn the right way to prevent the injuries from happening at an earlier age. One thing that the Athletic trainer tries to do is they want to make sure that the athletes gets back on the field as fast as possible but they do not want to rush them. Doing so might cause more harm than good. When the player has a concussion, I thought it was interesting that they inform the athlete’s academic advisors first before the coaches. This was they the teachers can be inform on

How many people believe what they hear and see on television or the internet? It is astounding to believe that some members of the population will believe anything that is reported in the media without any scientific research or backing. With the popularity of the National Football League, it is easy to believe that any information given by ESPN or other sports broadcasting stations are providing accurate information. However, more scientific studies and research should be provided to fans based on the health of the players. Ever since the death of former National Football League star Junior Seau, which was caused by a concussion, there have been multiple reports to come out about the causes and effects of concussions. However, there are still aspects reguarding concussions that need to be clarified and studied regarding concussions: what are the long term effects of one concussion compared to many concussions, are the people who receive more playing time worse off in the long run, and will repeated concussions lead eventually to a complete mental collapse in everyone.

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

Introduction: Has one of your favorite football,basketball,soccer or hockey players been diagnosed with a concussion? With over 3.6 million sports related concussions reported per year - There’s a chance you may wanna stay tuned to insure they didn’t

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

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.

The issue of concussions has been downplayed for years dating back to when the first forms of professional football came to the U.S. but the past 10 years have been drastically different. We need to be more aware as a society about the negative consequences that occurs with a concussion in the short term and the long run. Researchers claim that concussions can decrease your thinking capacity all the way to even a shortened life span. Most importantly to any claim there is proof; numerous athletes over the years have unfortunately committed suicide because of depression/post concussion symptoms. However, the world runs on money thus lawsuits by former athletes are starting to be very common as most have lost their career earnings due to addictions. The real issue is how can we as a society limit concussions from having such terrible effects. This research paper details the social and economic spheres that stem from concussions and their effects. With emphasis on how to prevent traumatic brain injuries from occurring and the proper rehabilitation steps once one has been sustained. This paper will also address solutions for this issue at hand with regards to prevention, treatment and recovery.

A recent study of college football players has shown that those who participate in high contact sports and have had a concussion before have a 300% higher chance of having another one in comparison to athletes that have never had a concussion before (Jolicoeur et al, 2007). The NFL and NCAA have enacted several rule changes in order to minimize the occurrence of concussions. These new rules, like many before them, have come under the scrutiny of the very athletes that they were meant to protect. The NHL and NHL Players Association in 1997 together created a program in order to get a better understanding of concussions and how to prevent them (Burke et al, 2011). According to Covassin (2008), athletes who have had more than one concussion take a longer time to recover with each concussion that they suffer from.