Multiple Solutions To Ending Concussions Through Contact Sports

The National Football League on Dec. 3, 2009, announced that it would impose its most stringent rules to date on managing concussions, requiring players who exhibit any significant sign of concussion to be removed from a game or practice and be barred from returning the same day.

American football has been a well-known sport for over 140 years. The first college game ever played was between the Rutgers and Princeton. Little did they know about the risk that occurs when playing a physical contact sport. Some common risk that is associated with playing football is the chance of experience a concussion, disabilities caused by brain damage and sometimes death. In the essay “Would Football Without Concussions Still Be Football” written by Nina Burleigh, she discusses that it’s important to implement tougher rules to protect the safety of young football athletes to keep them safe from concussions. In other words, American football is better played when physical contact is not in place because it will protect football players

It's on the news alot lately. It hasn’t been taken seriously until recently and it seeming to hurt a multi-billion dollar industry. It can change a person's life forever. It’s called a concussion, a disease that occurs from multiple impacts to the head or one very big impact to the head. Even with the NFL, sport leagues and colleges taking safely precautions, is it enough to stop it.

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 problem is how concussions are being treated. There are things being done to treat them, but I do not believe there is enough being done. “Most such laws specify that athletes suspected of having sustained a sport-related concussion be removed from play” (Hanson, Stracciolini, Mannix, and Meehan 1225). A majority of the time the student/athlete will continue to attend school during their recovery, which, is usually a short period of 7 days. That is where the problem rises. During those 7 crucial days of recovery the student is usually still symptomatic and the conditions have the possibility of worsening since they are still using their brain. They may also fall behind in school due to their symptoms limiting their ability to function in class

Head injuries are on the rise for athletes at all levels of play. Reports show that the number of children seeking emergency medical care for sports concussions incurred while playing competitive athletics has more than doubled. In 2015, 11 high school football players died from head related injuries. According to “The game’s tragic toll” written by Kalyn Kahler and Dan Greene eight deaths happened in game during regular play and 3 deaths happened outside of game time. Eleven  deaths may not seem like a lot in a year but numbers start to add up though years. This is enough information to definitely prove that it is a bad idea to still play these sports. Is it really worth it to risk your life over something that otherwise would only take up about fifteen percent of your life otherwise? Unlikely, yet these sports are still played every single day. The medical effects have recently caught media attention appearing on fox news and has spread rapidly. Nobody is saying anything good about them which is what needs to happen in order to protect people from being hurt. Many athletes receive concussions then still return to the sport again!  A “second impact syndrome” is a situation in which an individual sustains a second concussion previous to full recovery according to “concussion / mild tbi”. A second brain injury, or cumulative concussions can be more dangerous than the original. A concussion victim, Anne Frank says

When I think of Brain related injuries in sports my mind automatically gravitates towards football. As for most Americans that's the case the hard-hitting contact sport is a household name the NFL (National football league). In actuality concussions are very common in every sport such as MLB, NBA, NHL, Boxing, UFC and the lost goes on. Unfortunately up until recently most sports did not see the negative long-term side effects that concussions can leave on the human brain. One of the more recent things that has spiked tremendous interest in concussions is seeing the long term affects itcan leave on the

The NFL instituted a concussion protocol in 2013. This protocol was updated recently in 2016. This protocol includes the teams’ medical staff, an unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant, Athletic Trainers both on the sidelines and in the booth for in-game evaluations, and a five-step process post game for a player to return to play ("NFL Return to Participation Protocol."). This concussion protocol, the NFL believes, will adequately protect

What are the effects of a concussion? Each year thousands of kids play youth football, and nearly all of them will take big blows to the head. Many people say that research is based off of athletes who played 30 years ago. However young athletes brains aren’t even fully developed, and a concussion can affect an athlete’s ability to learn and perform in school. Concussions caused by sports can have lifelong effects, and for this reason, sports should be made safer to prevent concussions from happening.

How you prevent concussions in college football? Seeing a lot of injuries playing football a concussion is always the worst. I’ve always wondered how to help those in the game of football. I hope researching this I can help football player play the game safer. Researching this I hope to learn better tackling forms and new techniques. People can learn that even though the game is dangerous there is a safe way to play it. Many may not agree or even like the results. Some player might not agree and quite playing.

In 2010, the NCAA started to implement the concussion policy that we see in school all over the country today. There was a research study done before the policy was implemented to see if school’s concussion policies were in alignment with the NCAAs. They found that most schools concussions policies were good. However, they were not as safe, as the policy the NCAA implemented. This opposes a slight problem in concussion management because, it opens up the possibility for concussions to go unnoticed and untreated (Baugh, Kroshus, Perry, Bourlas, 2017).

Football is a rough sport. Many fans of the game watch it for the hard hits. These hard hits and the potential for injury is part of what makes the game so exciting. Some people say that football is too brutal and should be banned. Parents all over the United States don’t allow their children to play because of the risk of head injuries. Others allow their sons, and every now and then their daughters, to play and risk injury for a chance to earn a college scholarship and for a small percentage of players, the chance to play in the National Football League (NFL).

the NFL has provided a new set of rules to prevent concussions. This rule is called targeting, this means the a player that is tackling cannot lead with his helmet. This rule protects the hitter and the ball carrier. but some people think it's making football less aggressive. Other people think it’s a good idea because it could save their lives and the game that they love most. The referees are taking on more responsibility to protect the players. The families of some players have sued the NFL because there loved one has died due to concussions.

When I was in high school people started to get more serious about concussions and education. I done remember the traumatic stories much, but I remember the testing and education about concussions in sports toward coaches, teachers, students, and parents. Although some of the stories are very serious and sad, I think they were very eye opening to people and easily got people’s attention. Professional sports had strict rule for injuries and included concussion guidelines along with the “when in doubt, sit them out” attitude. This led legislators, parents, and schools to have similar practices in high school sports. I think it all would have happened over time, but some of the chronic injuries motivated people to implement rules and strategies

When it comes to selecting the most feasible alternative to this issue the NFL has decided to fine and suspend players who purposely deliver helmet to helmet contact. They have also spent money on more advance helmets that help prevent head injuries. The NFL has also created a hotline in which players can call to report abuse. Some players have been forced by coaches to participate in practices days after receiving a concussion. The NFL could also conduct further research by hiring independent labs to study the effects of concussions. Some current players have also decided to donate their brains after they die in order to