Why Football Should Not Be Played In High School

This article discusses how doctors, specifically pediatricians, are currently debating on whether or not high school football should be banned due to risks of concussion and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Because recent studies have shown that CTE, a degenerative brain disease, is linked to brain trauma that so often comes from football. In fact, football players have the highest rate of concussion in all sports, according to Dr. Lewis Margolis of the University of North Carolina. His solution? Postponing

I think that kids shouldn't play football because it is too dangerous. People get concussions every day when they play football. After repeatedly bashing their skulls football players get concussions, caused by the spongy tissue in the brain hitting the hard skull. It is very painful to get a concussion, and leaves permanent damage to the brain. As well as being excruciatingly painful, and possibly never being the same, with many issues. "In milder cases, athletes can be left with lifelong pain, memory lapses, aggression, depression, personality changes, and many other issues."(Shotz[11]). This sport just keeps getting more and more dangerous, manifesting on itself, becoming more and more brutal as players become more competitive. There are

“Concussion,” as defined by Elizabeth D. Schafer and Amy Webb Bull from the Salem Health Magill’s Medical Guide, is “the mildest traumatic brain injuries that impairs neurological functions” (Magill’s Medical Guide). In making this comment, Schafer and Webb suggest that the effects of having concussions may affect or alter the normal functioning of the head causing serious, fatal damages or deaths. Moreover, the numbers of concussion discerned in athletes are increasing drastically. For instance, in the article In Football, Stigma of Concussion Creates Incentives to Hide It from Chronicle of Higher Education, Brad Wolverton, the author, presents revealing evidence about the increasing number of concussion in recent years. His study is based on the data from the Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention. It was concluded by National Collegiate Athletic Association that 4.7 was the average number of concussions per team during 2011-12 season, but it increased to 6.5 in 2013-14 season. These findings show the interesting number of players who incur concussions in recent years. An anonymous study assembled in January of 2014by ESP. it revealed that “320 NFL players play in the Super Bowl with a concussion. Eighty-five percent said yes” (Almond 49). Based on this study, NFL players are putting their lives in risk. They are ignoring the fatal risks that concussion can cause long-term complications. If the

Football is a game that can cause serious injuries, which can also affect you in the future. According to the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study, “More than 500,000 high school football injuries occurred between the 2014 and 2015 school year,” (Pros and Cons of Playing Football). One of the most dangerous injuries players get is a concussion, a brain injury caused by a blow to the head or a violent shaking of the head and body. These concussions are often mistaken for minor injuries, but can sometimes be more

What is Football? Football is a brutal sport that can have lifelong consequences. It’s dangerous and overrated. It has become a business that is only concerned about winning at the cost of maiming players, but people love it. Football players suffer more concussions than athletes in any other high school sport. Is this beloved game worth the risks, or should schools do away with it? We shouldn’t let teens ruin their lungs with cigarettes, so why would we allow them to damage their brains in the name of football? I have never played the sport, but I have friends that play and they’re always injured in some way. It’s just pointless. High school football players can undergo significant brain changes after just one season, even if they don’t get

First of all, my first reason is kids won't have fun. Kids these days always talk about sports what sports they are doing outside of school and what sport they are going to do in school. Kids probably can't wait to join football,

Football is an extremely dangerous sport that causes countless injuries each year. Some injuries can cause brain trauma and could even lead to death. Football is a risky sport that is too dangerous for students to play. It causes head injuries, players continue to play with injuries causing them to be far worse, and students are not educated enough on the dangers of football. Football causes numerous head injuries each year.

A former N.F.L player who is also an author of several books also doubts that football will ever be safe enough. More High School football players are injured than collegiate players. 4 out of every 1,000 high school football exposures resulted in injury. That by itself says a lot about football and how dangerous it is. In “How Dangerous Is High School Football?”

“CDC reports show that the amount of reported concussions has doubled in the last 10 years. The American Academy of Pediatrics has reported that emergency room visits for concussions in kids ages 8 to 13 years old has doubled, and concussions have risen 200 percent among teens ages 14 to 19 in the last decade” (Head Case, 2013). It is reported that between 5-10% of athletes will suffer concussion during any given sports season. Football is the most common sport with concussion risk for males with a 75% chance. It has also been found that 78% of concussions happen during games as opposed to during practices (Science Daily, 2014).

Even though concussions are a major issue in the sport and causes students not to be able to do some of the curriculum in school. Football should be allowed at a high school level. Students do better in school so they can stay eligible to play in the sport. It also teaches valuable life skills. High school football has been in families and towns for years, even though the sport is under attack because it is slowly fading.

“Studies show that approximately one in five high school football players suffer concussions or more serious brain injury during their brief high school careers. The rate at the collegiate level is one in twenty” (Longe, 965). Even though this study showed twenty present of high school football players recorded concussions, many concussions go unreported or unrecognized. Dr. Wayne Langburt surveyed Pennsylvania High School football players after their season. The survey was anonymous and the term concussion was replaced with a generic definition. “The share of players who claimed to have suffered a concussion the previous season was not four percent or even fourteen percent, but was forty-seven percent! Those who received concussions claimed an average of 3.4 each season” (Nowinski,

With the growth of contact sports, such as football, hockey and wrestling, neurologists have seen a shocking rise in the number of reported concussions. Perhaps the greatest increase of SRCs have been seen in adolescents participating in organized team sports. In a 10-year span, emergency department visits for 8 to 13-year-old children doubled, while 14 to 19-year-olds nearly tripled (McCrea, Nelson and Janecek, 2014). The actual number of these concussions are thought to be higher than reported because the inclination of athletes to not recognize this injury.

Concussions in youth sports has recently became more popular in the news. Mukand and Serra recently discovered, “about 1.6- 3.8 million sports-related concussions occur every year, and a recent study found that 182,000 football players may sustain at least one concussion annually in youth (99,000), high school (76,640), and NCAA football programs (3,905), or about 1 in 30 players and 1 in 14 high school players” (16). The amount of concussions should be alarming to athletes and the parents. Hospitals have noticed a growing number of visits from children and young adults with concussions because of sports, but it is unclear if the rise is due to more concussions or more reports due to better awareness of concussions (Mitka 1775-1776). Concussions could be on the rise or more people are recognizing the symptoms of concussions and then reporting them. Either way, concussions in youth sports need to be reduced or completely eliminated. Sports related concussions in youth can be prevented with proper education and technique. Efficient and reliable equipment and better rules and regulations in youth sports can also prevent concussions and brain injuries in youth and adolescents.

The symptoms include memory problems, nausea, temporary disorientation, and brief unconsciousness, while more serious concussions can result in permanent brain damage, especially if repeated. In the most severe cases, the brain could swell, consequently putting pressure on the brain stem which controls basic life functions, particularly breathing. Recently concussed people did 25% worse on memory and comprehension assessments compared to those without a concussion, a study published in the journal Neurology found. The concussed participants showed signs of brain damage on imaging scans one year later, despite evaluation results being equal between the two groups. Kids of the approximate middle school age, 12-15, are at the highest risk. Not only are they at the highest risk, younger kids are now sustaining concussions more frequently. The most recent data from the Center for Disease Control shows that 25,376 children were sent to the emergency room due to brain injury received from participating in football each year. According to the Southwest Athletic Trainers’ Association, emergency room visits for concussions doubled between 8 and 13 year olds between 1997 and

This paper explores published articles that report on results from research conducted on this disadvantages of high school football. The articles vary in information and research conducted and have different argumentative points of discussion. This paper examines and states that high school football should be banned. Reasons are shown through different points of argument. Football causes continuous concussions, causes long term medical problems and causes different types of trauma to their body and affects their overall health.