Persuasive Speech On Football Concussions

Is tackle football too dangerous for kids who aren’t even fully developed? Back then, when it came to sports, safety was never one of the main concerns. For example, baseball was played for over half a century without requiring helmets. Recently, society has started to worry about future generations and whether some activities will have long-lasting effects on them, such as football. Although many are advocates for safety, others are arguing that kids should be able to play what they want. While tackle football has been proven to be detrimental to the youth’s health, especially for children under the age of 13, critics have questioned and discussed whether other sports are going to be next and how they can possibly prevent football’s future modifications.

Players cannot return to the game or cannot return to practice until they have been cleared from the team doctor as well as a neurologist

Close your eyes and imagine yourself as Nick Fitzgerald running the ball across the goaline you get the snap and the Boom next thing you know you are being woken up by a trainer you just experienced a concussion (Attention Graber)

Over the past little while I have researched and learned quite a bit about the NFL and fan to fan, I'd like to share with you my findings. First off, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Robbie Wolanski, proud fan of the Green Bay Packers, and avid football fan. I'm sure that when most of you think about the NFL you think about watching your team on Sunday, big hits, and Tom Brady. Let me give you something else to think about. Is the NFL a perfect corporation? Do they have any issues? Today I will be answering this and going into detail about the NFL.

It is a cool Friday night in October. The aroma of hot dogs, burned popcorn, and fresh cut grass fill the air. Cheers from the home-side fans and jeers from the opposing team can be heard outside the stadium, while the band and cheerleaders can be heard for miles. Only one sound trumps every other- the sound of helmets crashing into one another. Suddenly, a yellow flag is in the air, and the audience is silent. Number 44 is still lying on the ground, and the play has long since ended. A few minutes later an ambulance rushes onto the scene. Some of the fans and players wonder if the frivolous game is worth it after seeing the boy lifted onto a stretcher. I believe football is too dangerous and should be banned because

everything began to appear as a misty haze. The last thing I remember is hitting my head off of

There’s no doubt that concussions in football has become a major problem, not just for the professional athletes, but for kids of all ages from age 8 to 19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that concussion have doubled in the last decade and The American Academy of Pediatrics says that, “emergency room visits for concussions in children ages 8 to 13 years old has doubled, and concussions have risen 200 percent among teens ages 14 to 19 in the last decade” (Keith Dunlap, The Oakland Press). This shows that the seriousness of concussions is not just an issue at a pro level but an issue throughout all levels of play. The risk is definitely present when you play football but it shouldn’t stop parents from letting their children participate in the sport. Playing organized sports such as football isn’t just a place to get injured, it’s a place where your children can learn the importance of teamwork, sportsmanship, toughness, competitiveness, they learn succeed, and also they learn about failure. The parents who don’t allow their children to play sports don’t let their kids learn about these important lessons of organized sports. Football is also a way for kids to take their anger and struggles out in the game and help them express themselves. It can also be a way for kids in bad situations to get a way out, to try and reach the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

In the world of football, big hits are something that are looked at in a positive light. They are seen as a way of asserting dominance over other players and it is celebrated by teammates. Big hits are a very crucial, almost necessary, part of the game that millions of people gather to watch every Sunday. However, in the past decade, the NFL and other organization have realized that concussions can lead to very serious problems later in life. One of these problems is known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). It is a degenerative brain disease, much like Alzheimer’s, that mainly effects individuals in high contact sports such as boxing or football. Over time, this connection between concussions and CTE has become more common knowledge and more people have started asking the question “do the risks of children playing football outweigh the benefits?”. The answer to this question is yes, football is entirely too violent for children to be playing. According to “Big Hits, Broken Dreams”, one in ten football players gets a concussion, and 35% of players have more than one. The video also states that only 50% of high schools in the United States have a certified athletic trainer on the field (CNN, 2012). If concussions are really a concern for the schools, then why are there not more athletic trainers on staff at these schools to deal with sports injuries? This also forces the public to question these schools even more because if they are willing to cut costs and not hire a

But alas, Miss Sifferlin's goal wasn't to be logical or analytical. The goal of her paper is to appeal to parents and coaches about the ramifications of letting kids “play through pain”. Sadness wells up for the amount of children affected by concussions, worry for their safety, and hope that more precautions will be taken. It's not the most delicate of subjects to talk about, but it is one that she broaches with the same type of seriousness and finesse that most will find refreshing.

Imagine how it must feel to take a hit in the head so unimaginably hard at a fast pace, that the diagnosis is a life threatening concussion; a bruise or painful scar of the brain; truly traumatizing, isn’t it? When is getting a life threatening concussion alright for you, is it okay when you’re young(under the age of twelve) and your neck, brain and spine are still in development or when you’re older and your body is all beat up and used to it’s maximum; which one? Definition of Concussion: Acceleration and/or deceleration of the brain within the skull (Collins). Symptoms of Concussions: Physical symptoms - headaches, nausea, dizziness, increased sensitivity to light and noise. Mental symptoms - fogginess and difficulty

Out of the 140 goals scored in the 2015 Women’s World Cup 15.7 percent were scored off of headers. That’s not a very high percentage so why are they trying to make heading the ball a big issue. If football is the number one leading for most concussions for males, why aren’t they doing anything about that? The current perception is that in soccer younger girls should not head the ball because many believe that it will cause a concussion. Head to ball contact isn’t the problem, the problem is many believe that head to ball contact causes concussions, and therefore putting restrictions on girls’ soccer.

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).

High school athletes are more vulnerable to concussions than older students and make take longer to recover. In order for their brains to heal completely, they need to take longer time to recover.

Could you imagine not having the option of playing sports when you were a kid? Although some people believe concussions would be lowered if children under the age of 16 did not play sports, the school district shouldn't ban sports because children's mental, physical, and social health are improved.

According to Momsteam.com, a trusted sports website for parents, in the article named, Youth Football Concussion Study Criticizing Limits On Contact Practices As 'Shortsighted ' Generates Controversy” a research is