Effects Of Player Safety And Concussions In The NFL

The documentary’s main reporter Mark Fanariu- Wada and his brother explored in depth, the extent to which the NFL dismissed any evidence or plausible research of a correlation between concussions that were endured on the field and brain injuries that were long term health problem. This documentary engender questions o trust towards the NFL and why viewers who have been strong advocates of the league should trust it anymore after the leagues numerous attempts to hide the true happenings that were occurring on the field in regards to players and injuries.

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.

Based on my research, there are considerable lifelong health related consequences associated with participating in grueling sport activities such as professional football. What responsibilities should the National Football League (NFL) have in regards to providing an adequate support system to players suffering from a concussion during a practice or regular season game and from lifelong challenges as a result of traumatic head injuries sustained during the regular season or practices? The resources I have referenced in this proposal essay, provide evidence to answer this question and lends support to my position that considering the violent nature of professional football, the NFL needs to take more efforts to protect players during the games and afterwards if a serious injury has been sustained that affects their quality of life and future earnings. Current policies are inadequate and continue to contribute to lawsuits and cost lives.

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 ………...

An increasingly popular topic in the realm of sports fans has begun to unravel. The National Football League recently has begun to introduce new rules and regulations for their athletes to start abiding by to ensure the continued safety of the player’s health. Although most find this change in the game of professional football as a positive step forward, others see this as a diminishment of the sanctity of NFL football. New rules and regulations that have been introduced into NFL are vital to athletes involved in the sport and help them to play with lowered risks of long term injuries that could possibly affect not only them but also the league in the future as well. The reasons for these

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

While the NFL is currently a very entertaining and popular American past time, there is one issue that threatens the future of the game-concussions. Concussions affect 1.6 to 3.8 million athletes and children annually in the United States. Among athletes, football is the most common sport involving risks of concussions for males, and soccer is the most common sports with concussion risks for females. The NFL has admitted that brain trauma effects a third of all NFL players (Knowles.) Concussions have been part of the game since the very beginning, but it 's only in the past 50 years or so that medical science and the public has become aware of the serious long term effects of concussions. The NFL is spending money on researching the problem, because they have been sued from hundreds of players that have suffered long-term damage from concussions. The NFL needs to dedicate more money and research into increasing helmet safety, implementing rules and policies to protect players, and utilizing the best response treatment to prevent and protect players from concussions.

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

For this research paper I will be exploring concussions in the NFL, and how it represents American ideologies. I am not only going to be analysing the long lasting effects concussions have on players, but also how the NFL was able to to ignore and deny allegations against them proving the fatality of the sport. The National Football League is a multibillion dollar business, and is the most watched sport in the United States, making this a very relevant topic in recent news. All you have to do is watch an afternoon of Sunday football games in order to witness the brutality of the sport, and the tolls players bodies take. My primary source for this topic is a 43 page scholarly article produced by Harvard University explaining the history and evolution of concussions in the NFL. This source goes into depth on nearly every aspect of the topic, which will help me answer my research questions as I go along. Although I will be looking into several different aspects of this topic, my main research questions are what is the truth behind concussions in the NFL, and how does it

Football has been around for many decades. There have been all sorts of injuries throughout its existence. As the game evolved with plastic helmets and bigger pads, so did the number of big hits that players were landing. This was exciting for the spectators, watching players give it their all on the field. Players quickly found out that hitting with your head is much more effective than hitting with your shoulder. This new technique brought much more than excitement to the game. It came with concussions. Concussions were never a serious problem until the game evolved. Ever since these injuries came into the game, there has been a push to make the game much safer.

According to the Concussion Foundation a concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head. The impact causes the brain to move back and forth inside a person’s skull, which stretches and damages brain cells. As a result, the brain becomes susceptible to more injuries until it fully recovers. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 3.8 million concussions occur in the United States (U.S.) annually through sports (“What is a Concussion”). Between 2000 and 2004, concussions were the fifth most frequent injury in the National Football League (NFL) (Viano, 2007). However, only five-10% are recognized and eventually diagnosed (“What is a Concussion”). The highest level of football in the U.S. consists of professionals that play for one of the 32 teams that make up the NFL (Yengo-Kahn, 2015). Although football is a sport that has been built on “toughness” it’s become apparent in the last two decades that many of the retired players had debilitating long term health issues, many of which have been related to repeated concussions (Relch, 2013). There have been many lawsuits filed by retired players and their families against the NFL claiming, “head injuries” have impacted their long-term health (Relch, 2013). It has been concluded that most “head injuries” experienced are in fact concussions. Science has linked concussions to long-term cognitive impairment and other health problems. The NFL must do more to protect its players from problems stemming from concussions. One factor, that has not been significantly studied is if a player’s position increases the likelihood of a concussion(s) (Relch, 2013). The purpose of this paper is to take fully reported data and analyze concussion incidence rates for several positions whom experience the highest rates of concussions. This will be done by taking player’s positions and analyzing the occurrence of concussions along with the factors that influence them. A concussion changes the way a person’s brain normally works. A player can experience several long-term consequences from just one concussion. So, multiple concussions are even more worrisome to one’s physical and mental health. For the present

In 2013, According to NFLpbs.org at least one hundred and fifty-two concussions have been brought into the NFL. Most likely the wide receivers will get the most concussions, because of the defensive linebackers and the safety’s. Well everyone on the defense is trying to tear the offense head off without the proper form tackling. Even a smaller defender can tackle someone bigger than themselves because of the proper form tackling. Due to the fact of concussions, tackling requires proper positioning, closing the distance and watching the hips to execute correctly.

For many years, the NFL claimed to be working on ways to prevent concussions and other severe injuries; nevertheless, the numbers are continuously rising. Over the preseason and regular season, diagnosed concussions increased 15.6 percent from 2016 to 2017 (243 to 281) and 22.7 percent from 2013 to 2017 (229 to 281) (Maske). The NFL has previously taken measures to lower the numbers, 47 rule changes since 2002 to strengthen the league's medical protocols and protect players from concussions, but those measures were not enough. In 2010, the league expanded its rules to prevent "defenseless" players from taking hits above their shoulders in order to protect them from blows to the head. Also in 2010, the NFL made a rule declaring the ball dead

The NFL is big part of many Americans life during the fall and the off season. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry that hosts the most watched 4 hours of television in America. As an athlete who played football for many years, I wanted to ask the question; is the NFL’s new rules and penalties preventing concussions? During the first two weeks of April, I have compiled six different resources relating to this topic. Some, such as Trevor Horn’s article "Tackling seminar teaches new methods, inspires faith in safer football” cover the aspects of how youth and high schoolers are effected by concussions and what role the NFL plays. Other articles talk about research being put towards helping diagnose brain trauma in athletes, and also whether or

To entice fans, the NFL implements multiple fantasy football leagues, the NFL Red Zone and video games such as Madden. This brings a substantial amount of support to the NFL because they allow the fans to feel like they are a real part of the game and not just part of the audience. Due to this, the NFL season is made to be one of the most anticipated times of the year for players, coaches, and especially fans. Sundays are dedicated to football in most American households. So, it is no surprise that if one player takes a hard hit it is often over looked. In the 2015 football season the total number of reported concussions was 271. This is almost a 32% increase from the previous year with only 206 reported concussions (Seifert). These numbers do not account for all the concussions that go unreported and most concussions from this sport go unreported. Any trauma to the brain can be harmful, but repeated concussions, like those that occur in the NFL, and concussions without treatment make the symptoms worse. Most NFL players are suffering but not a lot is being done about it.