College Football Concussions: A Conversation Report

One of the biggest sports in America, also one of the most dangerous- football. People all

Even though football players are aware of the dangers the game can bring upon them, they take part despite it. The passion, the joy it creates; for professionals it’s also the devoted fans and compensation they receive is what keeps the players motivated. Today players are much bigger, faster, smarter,

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

“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).

Long Term Effects of Concussions Introduction A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that is caused by a blow to the head or body, a fall, or another injury that jerks or shakes the brain inside the skull. The brain is made up of soft tissue which is surrounded by

1,085,272 Students participated in high school football in the 2015-2016 school year. In high school football, a study shown that one in fourteen players will suffer from a head injury during their time playing (Burns). Another study shown that students are three times more likely to suffer from any type of injury than any other major sport. High school football is too dangerous of a sport for teenagers who are still growing mentally and physically. Football has and will continue being a very lethal sport for high school students. Not only is high school football lethal, but it takes away from time in the classroom, which means time away from learning. When reviewing the details of football and what it does to students on the field or in the classroom, you will never get a good outcome.

Once upon time in the United States of America, smoking was the norm. One could say it was pretty much admired. People smoked while they were at work, got pleasure while air traveling, transformed sporting events into, “movable airborne toxic events” (Hruby 1). Cigarettes were promoted as healthy -- a promise of a better digestive track and calmer nerves was not up to par with the reality that of inhaling toxins such as nicotine made with pesticides. Smoking sure did feel good and that sensation in the back of the throat was nothing a filter could not fix. In comparison, smoking and football are a lot alike. Concussion are bad. Assuming a working brain is needed to function. Helmet to Helmet contact is pretty scary, especially if it is watched over and over again on tv. Concussions in the NFL are a serious issues. Players, current and retired are impacted to the degree of having long term damage and having mental disorders. It is up to the National Football League to make the necessary changes for a safer program and ………...

example, many athletes are more prone to concussions because they are most of the time at a

The National Football League, more commonly known as the NFL, has had growing cases of retired players that suffer from mental trauma or mental diseases from concussions. A concussion is a short loss of brain function following a direct or indirect force to the head. Concussions are extremely difficult to diagnose because the damage is seemingly invisible to the naked eye. Although the damages may not be present, the effects are long lasting. Concussions are plaguing retired NFL players and affecting the former athletes long term mental health.

Head injuries, including concussions, particularly in the game of American football, have become a subject of deep concern, much study and even Congressional hearings in the United States.

The participants that was selected for this research were athletes that were practicing and competing during the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 academic school year. A total of fifty seven concussed college athletes were selected from five northeastern universities active in basketball, soccer, lacrosse, baseball, football, wrestling, gymnastics, softball, volleyball, and cheerleading. From the fifty seven collegiate that were selected 36 of them did not have any history while 21 of the athletes have two or more history of concussion. This study did not include athletes with a history of one concussion due to the fact that their sample size provided inadequate data.

Over the past couple of years the National Football League as well as other football associations have witnessed a rise in the occurrences of severe head trauma to players resulting in concussions. One of the NFL’s top priorities is the health and safety of their players. These NFL players

As college sports become more competitive, head injuries are increasing and cause many athletes to be diagnosed with concussions. Concussions are common in football, but many other sports have just as many or higher numbers of concussions (Grasgreen 2). According to the NCAA, they oversee “89 championships in 23 sports each year. There are more than 400,000 student-athletes competing in three divisions at over 1,000 colleges and universities within the NCAA” (Rivera 4).

Football’s Concussion Crisis and The After Effects The hot topic of concussions in football has attracted a considerable amount of unwanted attention in recent years. This problem is continuing to grow at a rapid rate, while our society is oblivious that a problem even exists. Many of us in today’s day in age know someone who has played football at the high school, collegiate, or professional level. The incidence of players who end up with concussions is astounding. It is interesting that someone who has suffered from a concussion can seem virtually symptom free for many years before it causes a number problems. It is estimated that damage to the brain caused by a concussion can last for decades which opens the door for more potentially life

Thesis Statement The number of concussions in professional and amateur football has been rising and has sparked much controversy in recent years. These concussions are most likely linked with disease and even the deaths of some pro and semi-pro football players. New research is attempting to solve the problem but the issue is still prevalent in football today.