Concussion Hazards In Youth Football

There are many consequences to playing football, but the greatest is concussions. Football is a game of tackles, sacks, and other hard hitting plays that involve big men playing their hearts out. Within the game of football, whoever has the ball is the one to be hit the hardest, on most plays. These immense blows to the body and head lead to awful injuries, both physically and mentally. Most players will be injured in some way during their football career, with the worst injuries being those that are mental. The worst and most frightening injury for a football player to have is a concussion. A concussion is a form of traumatic brain injury that results in a temporary loss of brain function. Concussions have been known since the 10th Century AD of which Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Zakariya Al-Razi-Rhazes was the first to use the term. Al-Razi was the first to “make a distinction between a concussion as an abnormal physiologic state and severe brain injury” (Mccrory & Berkovic). He also stated that there would be no physical damage seen, only neurological damage (Mccrory & Berkovic). Football is a very dangerous sport, not just physically, but neurologically as well.

Concussions in sports have become a very popular issue in the past century. Athletes are becoming bigger, faster, stronger, and more aggressive. With this, though, comes more injuries as a whole and injuries that are more dangerous as well. Parents, coaches, fans, and athletes have become more aware of how dangerous concussions can be and what effect they can have on an individual throughout the rest of their life. Many advancements and changes have been made in an attempt to keep athletes and players safer and more protected. Some individuals believe parents, coaches, and trainers are becoming overly protective and are ruining the entertainment of the game and the competitiveness of the players. Any sort of traumatic brain injury can have many effects on the individual; there are short-term, medium-term, and long-term consequences of concussions that can continue affecting the individual for fourteen years after he or she has suffered the head injury. Although many advancements have been made and preventing concussions has become a priority in the ‘sports-world,’ authority figures and athletes still ignore the symptoms of concussions to allow the athlete to continue to participate. However, in order to continue the entertainment that sporting events bring fans and the enjoyment that they bring to the participants, more precautions should be made to keep the players on the field and in good health.

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.

Football is one of the most beloved sports in the United States. It is one of the most violent bone crushing sports, leaving players permanently injured for life in some cases they lose their life. The most common injury that football players suffer from pee-wee through professional football is the concussion. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that changes the way your brain works. The effects of a concussion are usually temporary and can result in a full recovery if it’s minor and treated correctly. A concussion can lead to brain problems later in life, even after a player has finished playing football. Concussions are more than just a swelling bump on the head, they’re considered a minor traumatic brain injury. We need to spread awareness about this injury that sports players are told to “Shake Off” and get right back into the game.

A strong willed linebacker accelerates down the football field. He eyes up his opponent- the running back- both men lower their heads, bracing for impact, while helmets crunch, fans roar. Immediately after connecting, the running back 's head feels undeniably different, but at this point in the game, it would cost the team playoff contention if they lose. This man is young, rich, and famous, but little does he know that each concussion he gets brings him one step closer to his own grave. Multiple concussions relating to sports leads to early onset Dementia and CTE, loss of life, changes in how games are played, lawsuits, and even more unsettling concussion facts and statistics.

Player safety has always been and will always be one of the most controversial topics in all of sports. In particular, the safety of young football players is an extremely controversial topic. Many different studies have been conducted on concussions specifically. These studies research the different variables and what causes concussions and the most effective ways to prevent them. A recent study was done by the University of Pittsburgh and Cornell University, they tracked 468 participants ages 8-12 from 4 different youth football leagues. The basic information that they found was that nearly every concussion was sustained during a game, only

Current United States statistics indicate approximately 7 million head injuries occur each year. Seven hundred thousand of these relate to sports and recreational activities, and three hundred thousand relate directly to sports. Eight deaths occur each year in professional football due to brain injury (Genuardi & King, 1995). These deaths most commonly result from subdural hematoma, when blood collects within the brain, and the associated brain injury. About 20% of participants in high school football suffer a concussion in a single season. Ongoing studies by the National Athletic Trainers Association showed, “a 17% increase in minor head injuries and an 85% increase in moderate head injuries in high school football comparing the 1980s to the 1990s” (Powell, 1998). A portion of these increases is because of better and more comprehensive reporting systems but the risk of concussion remains. Further, a football player who suffers one mild brain injury (MBI) has four times the risk to sustain a second MBI (Young, Jocobs,Clavette, Mark, & Guse, 1997).

Not many sports are as physically demanding on the human body as football. The physical toll that football players pay is almost impossible to comprehend unless one has actually played the sport for a significant amount of time. However, until recently any connection between the hits taken by football players and their health down the road was largely ignored. A common, yet difficult injury to detect in football is a concussion, the most common traumatic brain injury (Pearce). A concussion is defined as “a brain injury that is caused by a sudden blow to the head or the body. The blow shakes the brain inside the skull, which temporarily prevents the brain from working normally” (Heiner pa.5). Reports and studies have surfaced shedding light

In today’s society, football is worshiped and the risks taken by the players are seen as signs of strength. Athletes risk their bodies hoping to win the game; however, it is not the gratification of winning a game that some players go home with. Off the field, some football players experience headaches, lack of concentration, memory loss and even depression. These are all symptoms causes by a concussion. In the eyes of a football player, a concussion is hardly important when there is a game to be won. It takes a lot of

Overall this article deals with the importance of proper tackling techniques for football. As such, this can result in lower concussions, and longer long term complications. The lack of research done in the area of youth football is astounding, but there is a direct correlation between concussions and a slew of short and long term complications. Everything from headaches, to stress, to Alzheimer’s have been linked, and are shown in this article. Unlike the other articles, this emphasizes

Iyer supports the awareness of any trauma to the head regardless of severity can lead to side effects. “45 percent of all concussions were due to a hit to the front of the head by another player. The second and third most common causes were hits to the side and back of the head. The least common cause of a concussion was a hit to the top of the head” Iyer uses the information provided by the combination of Dawn Comstack, the lead researcher of Colorado School of Public Health, and several of her colleagues from the University of Colorado. With this data, Iyer suggests the urgency of coaches, parents, doctors and teachers when it comes to any form of head trauma to a player in the sport of football. Iyer also mentions the importance of proper tackling techniques and how these techniques must be instilled at the earliest experience with the

High impact sports (like football, soccer, etc.) are capable of giving severe concussions and a good amount of long term negative effects. “The NFL revealed that it expects nearly a third of all retired players to develop permanent brain impairments…” (15). People are getting injured in their own careers willingly. More and more

Have you ever played a sport and thought that you were going to get hit badly? Have you ever seen anyone get hurt badly, even if it's on tv? In this writing it can help you understand the worst injuries in the sports like soccer, football, etc. can cause.You can get hurt real bad and then you might not play for months because of you use your head or get tackled when you get up you can see stars and have problems walking. You can also have a hard time remembering things., You get brain diseases and which lead to memory loss, depression, impulse, aggression, dementia and control problems , and You can get a concussion and lose memory and don't get to do that sport for a while.

The word football is linked to words such as “ruthless”, “action packed”, “tackle”, “extreme contact”, “etc.” As a result of this connotation athletes and teams have begun to provide more of these to please their fans and ratings. Almond states that “Football is the one major American sport that selects specifically for the ability to inflict and absorb pain,” and this indeed is true (Almond 29). However, such ruthlessness comes with large consequences. As Almond makes known, “Over the past few years, a growing body of medical research has confirmed that football can cause traumatic injury to the brain, not as rare and unintended consequence, but as a routine by product of how the game is played” (21). Sadly, no one has been very successful in their mission to change the game to increase

Football is a classic American pastime that has been thrilling spectators for decades. As with all sports, rules are established in football to avoid potential dangers. One of the most serious risks associated with football is concussions. A concussion is a hit-induced injury that causes any sort of malfunction in the brain. When the brain does not function properly, a person is exposed to a mental degradation that can result in a loss of self-being and independence. Concussions are becoming the main suspect for mental challenges in football players as the result of an overlooked modern game.