Concussions In The NFL

Concussions can be very dangerous to a person’s health especially if a person receives multiple of them in their life. “A study of American high school and college football players demonstrated 94 catastrophic head injuries (significant intracranial bleeding or edema) over a 13 year period,” (repetitive head injury syndrome.) deceased NFL players who have been identified with CTE are almost always players who received multiple concussions during their lives. “Symptoms of the disease include increased irritability and impulsivity early on and dementia in the later stages,” (Hard Knocks: the Science of Concussions.) Also many retired NFL players report having increased memory loss and depression. Many of these players have died much younger than the average person because of concussions, that are dangerous enough to kill over a long period of time.

Thesis- I want you to better understand concussions, why they’re a problem in the NFL and what measures are being taken to prevent them.

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.

Concussions in the National Football League are up to its neck with brain injuries. Players have endured an estimated 182 reported concussions during regular-season games this 2016 season. The league has revealed a 58% rise since the 2014 season and is at an all time high over the span of four years. What is a concussion one might ask? Webster dictionary defines a concussion as, “a stunning, damaging, or shattering effect from a hard blow; especially: a

Concussions are and will continue to be an ongoing issue in almost all sports today. This is especially true in the case of football and the NFL. Concussions are considered the most common and least devastating form of traumatic brain injury someone can receive. Although concussions are considered the least serious type of brain injury they can still lead to and cause many irreversible brain diseases and in some cases people have even lost their lives because of concussions. One of these diseases is called chronic traumatic encephalopathy or better known as CTE. There have been many recent medical developments that have allowed us to learn more about the brain and things that affect it. This increased knowledge has caused unrest

Symptoms include imbalance, headache, confusion, memory loss, loss of consciousness, vision change, hearing change, mood change, fatigue, and malaise. Concussions can also lead to dementia, Alzheimer’s, and depression (Carlos Dias Jr.). All of the possible symptoms are very disabling, and some even life threatening. Dr. Frank Conidi reported, “more than 40% of retired NFL players show evidence of abnormal brain structures. And on a series of cognitive tests the players took, half showed serious problems with executive functions such as reasoning, problem solving, planning and attention, while 45% had difficulty with learning and memory (Alice Park).” It is unbelievable that NFL players were experiencing brain damage due to concussions, yet nothing was being done to provide help.

In the NFL preseason, tight end Austin Collie ran a route, caught the ball and was immediately tackled to the ground. He lied there on the ground for almost 10 minutes not getting up. He was hit in the head by a defensive on the opposite team. When he came back to the game after 2 weeks he was hit again in the head and had to leave because of getting a concussion. Since getting that concussion he had to miss another 3 games and after that he ended his NFL career for good. Football teams need to figure out how they can prevent brain damage from concussion by teaching the players how to tackle, understanding the signs of a concussion, and upgrading the equipment that they are using.

Concussions can cause long term effects if not treated properly. A player can recover from a concussion in a few weeks, but the lasting effects of a concussions still prove relevant. Retired players that have suffered from concussions during their careers and were not treated properly felt the long-term effects of sustaining head injuries that caused many to commit suicide, which has led to the NFL investigating their concussion protocol to keep the players safe. As the NFL uses its lead doctors to investigate and understand more about the brain it will lead to gains in the safety of athletes

It is important to analyze the NFL and concussions among its players as an interrelated issue rather than looking at individual instances. When a player sustains a concussion they then undergo physical repercussions from this traumatic brain injury. The case that really started all this concussion discussion was back in 2002 when Hall of Fame Center Mike Webster was found dead. Webster’s death spurred debate on the issue that still continues today. Meanwhile, the NFL’s role as a business has also played a significant role in limiting its ability to address the concussion problem and other brain injuries that result from playing professional football. Prior to his death, Webster had suffered from such severe pain that the only

Do you keep yourself up to date with the news, ESPN, or the National Football League? If so, then you have probably heard of the many problems of the long-term effects of football-related concussions. Even kids in high school who have suffered multiple concussions are immediately put at risk for death related cause of such a severe head injury. As committees create and change the rules to protect players from such a traumatic brain injury, it is up to coaches and officials to enforce these rules to protect players. According to the Mayo Clinic Staff, a concussion is defined as a traumatic brain injury that alters the way your brain functions. There are many different ways to receive a concussion, but

Before I begin my argument there is some personal connection and history I would like to share. I remember it like it was yesterday, several times feeling like I had a concussion. Getting up off the turf feeling dizzy and sometimes as players would call it “seeing stars”. Any and everyone who plays the game of football takes a risk one of the biggest being a chance to obtain a concussion. Luckily I have been concussion free but many of my friends and family members have not been so lucky. One game a friend of mine, Yaya Diaby, had a concussion and had to sit the rest of the game which had a huge impact on our defense. My former high school coach was subject to five concussions which put an end to his career. The biggest impact I’ve witnessed due to a concussion is memory

The dependent variable I will be looking at is the number of reported concussions each in the 6 year time periods and comparing them to each other. By doing so, I will be able to see if concussions increased or decreased, if the players were out of games and practices for longer periods of time due to precautionary reasons and if the rule changes of the NFL such as moving the kickoffs forward 5 yards to reduce the number of returns, a play where the majority of concussions occurred has made a positive or negative impact on the game. The last thing I will be looking at is to see how these concussions affect the players and whether or not it would be smarter to make the NFL non contact to not only help keep these athletes safe during there playing

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.

A concussion is a type of brain injury caused by hits to the head or the body causing the brain to move rapidly. In a football perspective a player can get picked up in to the air and slammed to the ground or hit in the head or even head to pad contact can cause a concussion. There are many symptoms that come with a concussion including, memory

“1 in 5 concussions are caused by a head to surface impact.” (NA, November 2015).