Concussions And Repercussions In High School Football

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.

Safety and equipment have come a long way in football in order to prevent brain injuries. A very important piece of equipment used to prevent brain trauma is the helmet. The helmet has evolved a lot over the years, even more in the past decade. The Helmets main purpose use to be just to stop skull fractures, then they added the facemask to prevent facial injuries. Concussions are more of a recent concern (Hand 1). Overconfidence in the helmets' protective power prompts many NFL athletes to deliver and accept hits that would have killed players of previous generations. Now the helmet is being revolutionized. Helmets aren't only being created to stop skull and face fractures but they are being created to help prevent brain damage such as concussions now. Helmets have gone through testing to see how to design a better preventative helmet. These newer helmets are being designed to reduce the amount of force that is being applied to the head by a hit that is received (Vandantam 2). Virginia Tech football has been monitoring helmet collisions since 2003, courtesy of Dr. Gunnar Brolinson. Dr. Gunnar Brolinson has outfitted the teams helmets with six sensors and a small antenna that records and transmits data to a computer on the sideline. This information collected is crucial because it will help find better ways to design a helmet that will prevent concussions(Goldman 1). Equipment isn't the only important part of football that can help prevent concussions.

Concussions occur on a large scale in football. During a concussion, the head can experience a blow directly or can have whiplash. When the head is hit, the brain hits the inside of the skull, giving it a temporary bruise. This bruise or tearing of the brain can lead to mental impairments that can affect a person’s emotional state of being, physical problems like deteriorated mobility and sensitivity to light and sound. Doctors are quick to point out one of the major reasons that youth receive concussions, saying, “... children have big heads relative to the rest of their bodies and weak necks… that elevates the risk of concussions,” (P6). Along with a lack of education and care for the protection of athletes, youth are already at a huge risk. When children wear their football helmets, they are saving themselves from many injuries that could have occurred without them, most especially protecting the brain. But, in many cases, this is not enough.

A concussion is medically defined by a traumatic injury to the brain. An athlete that has a concussion may experience signs of confusion, may lose consciousness, disorientation, or have a dazed look. Concussions occur due to an impact with the ground or another player. The skull is stopped by the impact, but the brain continues to move inside the skull in a shaking or spinning manner. Medical experts state that, “Violent shaking caused the brain cells to become depolarized and fire all their neurotransmitters at once in an unhealthy cascade, flooding the brain

In 2007, the NFL finally started to take steps to slow down the rate of concussions in football (Lauren Ezell). Although concussions still occur today, there are specific protocols that were inserted to protect players’ health. This topic is so important to me because I am a big fan of the sport, and I would hate to see my favorite players end their career with disabling conditions. I hope to the see the NFL continually trying to find ways to limit concussions. I believe that one day football can be played without the risk of living the rest of your life with a critical

On fall Friday nights everywhere, high schools are buzzing for one thing: football. The players have practiced all week and are excited to get on the field. Students, parents, and fans alike are all counting down the minutes until kickoff. However, in one play all that excitement can be taken away. One helmet-to-helmet hit is sometimes all it takes for a player to sustain a concussion. Concussions happen frequently in football. Many people do not realize the risks associated with this type of injury. High school coaches need to be better trained on how to recognize potential concussions, athletes need to be better educated on concussions, and stricter concussion

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 bring an abundant amount of joy and excitement to their wild, raving, die hard football fans across the nation. However, these mens’ health today and for decades to come is equally if not more important than their careers that often last an average of 4 years playing football. Despite the increase in the number of concussions in football, leagues are doing all they can to prevent concussions by implementing new rules, provide new and improved equipment,

Think about this, “how many people have had a concussion this year?” Probably more than one can count on one hand. On average there is close to 2.5 million concussions in the US that are caused by sports or recreational activities. In high school sports alone, “High school athletes are three times more likely to sustain catastrophic injuries than those people in college” (Gorgens.) Getting a concussions does not only cause physical pain, it can cause mental problems. There needs to be more precautions taken in protecting the players.

High school student average about “11.2 concussions for every 10,000 games and practices,” (Breslow, 2013). However, college athletes “stood at just 6.3 concussions.” (Breslow,

Concussions are rapidly becoming more and more of a concern in sports today. This is especially true in the sport of football, youth, amateur, and professional. What is a concussion? How do they happen? A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that occurs when the head is impacted, hit, struck, or shaken. Inside the skull, this violent movement of the brain is very detrimental to the brain itself. When a concussion occurs the brain literally bounces or twists in the skull causing damage to the brain cells, which in turn cause chemical changes in the brain. These changes make the brain more sensitive to other injuries or stress. All athletes participating in contact sports are at risk

Head injuries in football can lead to finished careers because of injuries such as; brain damage, concussions, and other major head traumas.Some retired players want to sue the NFL because they claim that coaches were aware of concussions that turned into dementia.Certain types of brain damage can cause mood swings, and some times permanent mental damage. Almost all football players end up with some type of brain damage.

Concussions have been known about since the early 1900s. During this time concussions did not receive the attention that it receives now. In mainstream media today concussions are a growing issue, not only in professional sports but also at high school and college levels. It is believed that Dr. Bennet Omalu was the first person to come up with a study and show that concussions are very dangerous and the great effects it has. His focus was mainly towards American football but it was helpful to others who did not play football as well. Dr. Bennet Ifeakandu Omalu is a forensic pathologist who was the first to publish findings of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in American football players while working at the Allegheny County Coroner 's Office in Pittsburgh. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma, including symptomatic concussions as well as sub concussive hits to the head that do not cause symptoms (Boston University, 2015). CTE has been known to affect boxers since the 1920’s (when it was termed punch drunk syndrome or dementia pugilistic). However, in recent years the disease has been found in other athletes, including football and hockey players, as well as in military veterans (Boston University, 2015). CTE is not limited to professional athletes; it has also been found in athletes who did not play sports after high school or college. The repeated brain trauma

Every wondered how dangerous a simple sport like Football can be ? I’m sure you’ve seen it at least once on your Television. I’m sure you once thought to yourself how awesome it is to have a career where you can be paid millions to chase around a ball in front of a camera. I’m sure you believe that those football players are living the life, But do you really know the true price they’re paying ? Imagine your son/daughter asks you to allow them to join their school’s football team, Who wouldn’t want a star athlete kid right ! Wrong. I’m positive you believe that the thick armor and helmets they wear are enough to protect them from any serious internal and external injuries right ? You’re wrong again. Wanna know a secret ? Those helmets don’t protect your child against any Concussions at all. According to David Camarillo’s TED Talk titled

Concussions are serious injuries but they are often overlooked. Even having one concussion can instantly increase the chances of another concussion happening. At the end of the day athletes who receive a concussion need to take time to heal completely before going back out on the field or else it could cause permanent damage that would change their life forever.

Research shows that concussions are likely the result of repetitive hits over time, not just one impact. In a February 2012 study, MRI scans of high school football players showed that the more hits a player sustained, the more the functional capacity of their brain decreased. Typically, professional football players start playing football at a young age, sometimes as early as 6 years old. From that time on, the player is subjected to a number of hits. In boys, brain development peaks at around age 12. A recently published study showed that players who started playing tackle football earlier than the age of 12 suffered from a greater impairment of brain function. The Boston University School of Medicine study tested 42 former NFL football players,