High Impact Collision Sport: Tackle Football

The National Youth Sports Safety Foundation recommends that children under the young age of six years old not play the sport of football. Before a helmet is to be put on the field is has to meet the standards of the NOCSAE (The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment.) NFL players suffer an estimated one hundred-fifty nine concussions the past season of twenty-twelve. Health offices estimated that a total of of about fifty percent of school aged players have had an injury to the head throughout their football careers. Recent studies have shown that football players may still experience long term brain changes even if they haven't suffered a concussion. The researchers studied sixty-seven college football players after a game the researchers conducted brain scans and blood test. The test showed a protein involved with regarding nerve growth that has been associated with the

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.

The game that America has come to know and love may have more behind it than everyday viewers and fans realize. Physics fuels every aspect of the game of football and is evident in the collisions that take place on every play. Watching a game of football can be a great learning tool to anyone interested in better understanding the laws of physics. Many great examples are provided on every snap. Mass, force, momentum, velocity and torque all play significant roles in the tackling action performed by players and the better you understand these terms the better you can begin to understand the game itself.

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

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

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.

We should be exploring new ways to keep athletes safe from concussions. Public advocates are trying to find new ways to prevent traumatic brain injuries. These include difficulty concentrating or thinking clearly, headaches, irritability, anxiety, or sadness. These injuries have also been linked to sleep problems, vision problems, and sensitivity to light and noise. Concussions can also include long term risks for depression, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer 's disease and other health issues. NFL Head Health Challenges a grant worth $3.5 million initiative to fight brain injuries, to study how helmetless practices should teach high school football players to hit without using their heads (Heads Up). There

Football is a sport beloved by Americans. Millions of boys from a young age enjoy playing football from recreational to dreaming of the NFL. Whether these boys end up play for their school team or the NFL, all levels of players experience head collisions. Recently, many people have questioned the severity of these head injuries, or concussions, induced by playing football and their lasting effects.

The safety of young football players for years has been a long growing concern and controversy for parents, players, high school coaches and school officials, and as well as NFL coaches and medical professionals in America. Parents worry about their children getting injured or concussions during the game. Furthermore, many parents believe that football can be safer and that the organization of football is not doing enough to protect players and their safety. However, to some football players concussions are not a big issue. Some players are too worried about their playing time to realize the consequences of getting concussions repeatedly. Therefore, some football players do not tell the coaches about their concussions. In addition, coaches also have a problem with the safety of football affecting their programs. Some coaches fear that football programs will shut down because of the controversy of how football can lead to brain damage. Besides parents, players, and coaches, doctors have a big say in the controversy. Neurologists, who are specialists in the disorders of nerves and the nervous system, have recently studied the link between football and brain damage. According to Jacob Vanlandingham, who is the founder and president of Prevacus Incorporated, a company who primarily studies concussions, said that “Doctors diagnose approximately 67,000 concussions in high school football players every year” (Vanlandingham, p.1). Nevertheless, some stakeholders, including ex-football players, believe that everything has already been done to make football as safe as possible. Football organizations have made new rules and placed new programs in order to keep young players healthy and to keep football programs from shutting down. The big controversial question that all stakeholders are asking is, “Is football doing enough to protect young children?”

This is causing them to becoming more at risk of receiving a concussion. A child’s brain is not fully developed until they are well into their teen years. There have been many researches in the past few years that show when a child received repeated hits to the head, it can cause lifelong damage to the brain. It will take longer for children to recover from a concussion than adults, and they are also at a higher risk at receiving a second concussion. A recent study at Boston University was taken to scan the brains of a few high school football players. The findings were troubling. Of the 24 players who were tested, most of whom began playing football before they even could learn to talk, preformed worse on cognitive exams. The MRI’s unveiled a series of abnormalities in a broad band of nerve fibers joining the two hemispheres of the brain also known as the corpus callosum. This part of the brains’ main job is to relay information and commands between

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,

Despite its long history, tackle football needs to evolve with modern times in order to prevent the following: concussions, their reoccurrence in players, and the long-lasting health problems that come with them. The National Football League (NFL) has acrobatic plays, hard tackles, and head to head collisions, which all lead to concussions. According to researchers, “[i]n a concussion, the jolt jars brain tissue and can stretch or break thin tendrils called axons that carry signals among brain cells, short-circuiting thoughts and commands to the body. Plus, jangled cells release chemicals that disrupt healthy cells” (LaMendola). This can lead to confusion and lack of performing simple actions. In the NFL, over a hundred diagnosed concussions

According to the department of Orthopedic Surgery, at Wayne State University, “Youth football programs across the United States represent an at-risk population of approximately 3.5 million athletes for sports related concussions” (Buzas 1). Despite these risks, it is easy for some parents get involved in the game and overlook the danger that their children are in. There are parents who do not realize the severity of effects a concussion can have, as there are parents who do not know exactly what a concussion is. In order to recognize how severe the effects of concussions are, the individual must first understand what a concussion is. According to Medicine.Net, a concussion is, “a traumatic injury to soft tissue, usually the brain, as a result of a violent blow, shaking, or spinning. A brain concussion can cause immediate but usually temporary impairment of brain functions, such as thinking, vision, equilibrium, and consciousness” (Medicine.Net). Concussions can increase in effect or cause permanent damage if not taken care of properly. Learning how to properly deal with concussions is essential for all ages; it is more crucial for youth football players because younger children are more susceptible to long-term risks from head injuries (Buzas 1).

Football can be a very dangerous sport. And although those who play the game believe that they are being protected by the helmets that they wear, the truth is that this may not be the case. In a recent study released by the American Academy of Neurology it has been found that “protection against concussion and complications of brain injury is especially important for young players, including elementary and middle school, high school and college athletes, whose still-developing brains are more susceptible to the lasting effects of trauma”(Science Daily, 2014). The study also found that standard football helmets worn by the majority of players on the field today, only reduce the risk of traumatic brain injury by 20 percent compared to not wearing a helmet at all (Science Daily, 2014).