Hey Mesho,
I believe the courts made the right decision as well because a person’s health is more important than a game. A lot of coaches only having winning on their minds and they don’t stop and consider their players’ health, and with the student-athlete suffering from permanent brain damage, his life will never be the same again. I think if more high schools were to have doctors on their staff to analyze and protect the health of different students, then the risk of concussion in the future would be lower. Great post.
“Houston cornerback Kareem Jackson was fined $42,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Tennessee wide receiver Kendall Wright.” That is a statement made often by the National Football League (NFL) committee in light of the frequent occurrences of concussions. The NFL, America’s most popular sport, has constant issues with concussions. It is an important trending topic, which involves the players and the NFL committee. Over the past decades, former players are trying to sue the NFL after being diagnosed with diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Fines, new rules, and suspensions are being put into effect to avoid head-to-head collisions. I argue that the NFL committee has greatly improved
The video “Big Hits, Broken Dreams” tells the story of a high school football team in Greenville, North Carolina. The video also tells the story of tragic deaths of high school football players who suffered concussion injuries that were not properly handled. Although everyone plays a role in the protection of high school athletes, the primary responsibility for reducing concussions and concussion related deaths falls on the shoulders of school administration. School administration is responsible for distributing funds in different areas of the schools, and these officials must make the choice to hire an athletic trainer to advise and evaluate these athletes. Several questions are raised in regards to this topic. Why aren’t the players and coaches
Student players put themselves at risk every day when they play sports. They have the chance to get injured or even get a concussion. A concussion is able to leave the players with a long-term effect on them or their brain. If the player hasn't had enough time to recover from the concussion and they get another one while they're playing. Then the multiple concussions will put them at risk of having a more severe effect on their brain. So student players who have gotten a concussion while playing, should be sitting out for a longer period of time before they are put back in.
Concussions happen throughout every sport and every level. Elise Legult, Programme Specialist (education finance) at UNESCO Institute for Statistics, stated, “Individuals age 19 and under sustaining concussion climbed from 153,375 to 248,414. It rose 65% from 2001-2009” (Legault, et al. 1) This statistic shows that although there are some ways of preventing concussions, it does not mean concussions are completely prevented. Zackery is a high school football player, he was hit hard on a play and he sustained a concussion. Coach then puts Zackery back in the game, which made his concussion worse; the continuous hit after he sustained a concussion made the situation life and death for Zack. With Lystedt family, Washington state passed a bill called The Zackery Lystedt Law. The law prohibits players from participating in a game if they are suspected, or actually sustaining a concussion during a game(Lucke 2). Zackery Lystedt Law focuses around three central provisions: Education of athletes, parents, and coaches; requirement of immediate removal of the player, and medical clearance in order to return (Harvey 4)
New surveys and data reports showing that repeated trauma to the head can cause CTE which seriously affects the brain and human body overall. Symptoms such as dizziness all the way to the most extreme like loss of motor function, dementia, etc. With all of the recent buzz about this phenomenon, The NFL, NCAA and state sports committees such as the WIAA have been trying to prevent the future generations of athletes and sports players suffer from these diseases. Acts such as reducing practice time allowing full contact and also schools buying the best helmet protection available shows how schools are really working to help kids across America. In addition, the NFL has publicly shown responsibility for head to head injuries and the lack of supervision and serious along with them. The organization is actively pushing technology to protect the brain as best as
I think the lawsuit against the NCAA should be successful on many level since the players do deserve to have some rights, a problem can arise once the NCAA puts their best lawyers on the job making it nearly impossible to win a lawsuit against them but If a jury could decide the fate of the lawsuit I do believe it would ever successful.
Repeated concussions from any trauma can cause permanent brain damage. Because of this I believe athletes should be forced to sit out longer and be examined more throughly before being cleared to return to play. Some players do not sit out long enough for their brains to fully heal, and they are left vulnerable as they return to play. If an athlete isn't properly treated it can have long term effects on their brain, or it could even result in losing simple cognitive skills such as attention and judgement. I think we should have more protection against concussions, and more protocol to protect the players at risk. Even if an athlete has to sit out one more game, or the rest of their career, it is better than the potential brain damage for the
I've never really been big on watching NFL but now knowing how they handle head traumas makes me not want to support it at all. It’s crazy to me how professional medical people can just ignore true scientific findings like that. Several more athletes after Mike webster suffered head injuries from getting their “bell rung” but nothing was really done about it after they were hit and knocked out they returned to the game after feeling a little better and waking up. Someone's health is way more important than success in a game.
The NFL attempted to hide the truth and resolved to a biased decision that was unethical. The most important unethical issue was the lack of clarity for the players involved. The players were uninformed about the risk factors of their career. The NFL did not compensate for the injuries acquired during their career. Lastly, the issue broadens beyond professional football to different sports, even those involving many American youths, who are affected by CTE. The three main concerns led to the ethical question which examines whether or not it is ethical to allow players to continue participating in sports activity that would result in long-term damages to the brain. Facts from journals examine cognitive impairment related to concussions, methods that NFL took to handle the cases, and application of the study results to sports beyond the NFL.
One of the viewpoints that was found for the concussion law was from a former British Prime Minster, Harold Macmillan said the concussion law was being too restrictive on the requirements and guidelines for the coaches and schools to follow (Simpson & Crane, 2011). They argued that they understand the risk and safety for those athletes and student, but said that need a written consent from a physician after being pulled from the game for being suspected of a concussion. Simpson and Crane said, “Although serious in nature, concussions represent a tiny fraction of the estimated two million injuries that high school athletes sustain each year. Crafting state laws aimed at protecting young athletes from specific injuries sets a disturbing precedent.” (Simpson & Crane, 2011). Even though they do want to still protect the athletes and students they believe that there should be more pull for a law that covers all injuries that could happen in sports, not just a specific one.
In America, football is huge entertainment industry and brings in lots of money annually. This doesn’t mean that football is just there for the money, but it provides life long impact for some people. Football is used as a brotherhood or a family, and provides opportunities for kids to learn how to be a teammate. The head coach for J.H. Rose High School, discussed how he loves his team and wants nothing but the best for them (CNN, 2012). In addition, it is a matter of autonomy to be discussed. If a player knows the risks of football, it should be their choice whether they want to play or not. One of the football players in the video said he knows the risks and he’s willing to take them (CNN, 2012). On the other hand, some would argue the principle of beneficence and that doctors are merely trying to save the lives of many young men. In the video, it was discussed that tau proteins become present in the brain after multiple collisions to the head (CNN, 2012). Tau proteins are known to become present in the brain when an older person has Alzheimer’s or dementia (CNN, 2102). Also, is football worth a life, two lives? How many young men have to lose their lives to head trauma caused by football hits, to realize this sport is deadly. Zach Rogers was a teammate and friend of JaQuan Waller, and said how they thought JaQuan was okay and just got hit pretty hard
I think that we should send anyone that has just gotten hit in the head in their sport should be sent to go get a cat scan because who know how much damage has been done to the brain with that hit they just suffered and if they get the cat scan might be able to help them before it gets any worse. If kids would learn the right Technic in any sport, then I think we could cut down on the amount of concussions we see every year from football
In the world of football, big hits are something that are looked at in a positive light. They are seen as a way of asserting dominance over other players and it is celebrated by teammates. Big hits are a very crucial, almost necessary, part of the game that millions of people gather to watch every Sunday. However, in the past decade, the NFL and other organization have realized that concussions can lead to very serious problems later in life. One of these problems is known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). It is a degenerative brain disease, much like Alzheimer’s, that mainly effects individuals in high contact sports such as boxing or football. Over time, this connection between concussions and CTE has become more common knowledge and more people have started asking the question “do the risks of children playing football outweigh the benefits?”. The answer to this question is yes, football is entirely too violent for children to be playing. According to “Big Hits, Broken Dreams”, one in ten football players gets a concussion, and 35% of players have more than one. The video also states that only 50% of high schools in the United States have a certified athletic trainer on the field (CNN, 2012). If concussions are really a concern for the schools, then why are there not more athletic trainers on staff at these schools to deal with sports injuries? This also forces the public to question these schools even more because if they are willing to cut costs and not hire a
The ambiguities and the variations in state concussion laws demonstrate a need for a more comprehensive and uniform system to protect student athletes. State laws are often ambiguous as to their scope in whether they apply to only those under the age or eighteen, or in their application to private schools and recreational youth activities. Although most states require an educational component, states vary drastically in who is required to have educational training, who is responsible to for developing it, and who is responsible for ensuring compliance with state requirements. Moreover, the decision on who is responsible for ensuring possible concuss athletes are removed varies by state, with many failing to even identify a person or persona.
These lawsuits represented over 2,000 former players claiming that the NFL didn 't teach them the dangers of a concussion. On August 29, 2013, over a year after the lawsuits were filed, there was an agreement between the NFL and the players; the NFL agreed to pay $765 million to pay for medical examinations, compensation for the concussed athletes, and research towards concussions. Just as the NFL thought the lawsuits were over, on January 14, 2014, the agreement was declined by a federal judge because the judge believed that $765 million was not enough money (“NFL Concussion”). These lawsuits over the issue of concussions prove that the athletes have experienced a multitude of medical issues that resulted from multiple concussions. These former athletes are working hard to ensure that young athletes do not have to suffer like they do.