The Crash Reel Reflection

Concussions are a rising issue in the daily life of many athletes in the sports of hockey, soccer, football, and skateboarding. Every 21 seconds, someone in this country encounters a brain injury. Concussions are brain injuries caused by jolts or hard hits around the head. When the tissue of the brain slams against the strong, thick skull in your head, a concussion is very common. This leads to either swelling of the brain, “torn blood vessels, or injury to the nerves.” (Haas) Eventually, the result will be immediate, delayed, or even permanent loss of your own brain. In the next four paragraphs, I will describe to you how a concussion is important to you and others, what the world can do to stop this issue, and what you can do to prevent

Attention for traumatic brain injury has grown over the years and programs have been created to help try and prevent the injuries. As this is an injury to the brain the literature is vast with insight into what part of the brain injured resulted in what change in the individual. Children and athletics have been the main focus in recent years for studies as research have shown that undiagnosed injuries can have long lasting effects.

Research shows that half of the admitted patients in emergency centers experience complications several months, even years, after the initial injury (“Psychological Sequelae: Postconcussion, Frontal and Temporal Lobe Syndromes”. 2012.). In some cases, patients complain of periodic headaches for up to a year, depression, and comprehension issues. Rather than allowing for athletes to return to physical activity after two to three weeks, they need in-depth evaluations of their brains and tests ran to ensure their brain is functioning

In this article, the writer gives examples of situations where concussions have occurred and ended sports careers. It also gives an overview of what a concussion is and how it happens. It mentions that concussions need to be given adequate time to heal to avoid long term problems. There is information about NFL players and other athletes going before congress asking for legislation to help prevent and treat concussions. This article uses pathos in an attempt to reach the reader’s emotions by telling stories about athletes who have had repeated concussions that have ended their sports careers and left them disabled.

Did you know, that someone suffers from a brain injury every 21 seconds (Haas)? Children get concussions all the time, and most of the time they go unnoticed. The majority of concussions happen when one is playing a sport such as football, hockey, or lacrosse. Many famous athletes have had their careers, even their lives cut short due to concussions. Brain damage and death can result from serial concussions (Schafer). When one suffers from a concussion, one’s brain needs time to recover physically and mentally. Between 2002 and 2006, statistics showed that 52,000 people died from concussions and about 275,000 were hospitalized (Fundukian). Everyone’s recovery process is different (“Injury and

In 2015, a movie starring Will Smith as a doctor named Bennett Omalu who is researching how a former football player died when he discovered a brain disorder that is related to Alzheimer’s disease and attempted to warn people about the head-related dangers of football. This nonfiction movie is about just the beginning of the football concussion problems, but the problems still exist today. All players are at risk, not only professionals, but kids as well. Countless concussions by football players have lead to trauma and even death. Officials in charge of these games need to make the game safer for all players and better equipment is required or football may go extinct in the future.

Concussion is the true gripping story of one man’s decision to stand up to a multibillion-dollar business. Nigerian pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu works at the coroner’s office in downtown Pittsburgh. Here he made a discovery in the body of one of the greatest football players ever to play the game, Mike Webster. He suffered a decline in his body and started to act very strange by living out his car and tasering himself till he was unconscious so he can go to sleep; he was only fifty years old. Omalu discovered that Webster had a disease caused by multiple blows to the head from his football career, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which could affect everyone playing the game. Omalu felt that everyone should know of this and the harm

Traumatic brain injury is any damage caused to the brain. Individuals with TBI may show aphasia-like symptoms, yet the characteristics of TBI include mostly cognitive processes deficits. Those characteristics include disrupt orientation, attention, memory, visual processing, and executive functions problems. Penitents with TBI experience a blackout that can last anywhere between a few minutes up to months and usually wake up confused and disoriented. They do not have any recollection of the events that occurred. In addition to the common characteristics mentioned earlier, TBI patients exhibit communication deficits that relate to poor cognitive functioning such as problems with word finding, grammatical, spelling, reading, and writing. The cause of TBI is very straightforward, unlike SLI or ASD. Any injury to the head, for example motor vehicle accidents, falls, blast trauma, and more, can cause a TBI. These in turn can cause damage to multiple areas of the brain and impair motor, speech, language, and cognitive functions as discussed. It is important to note that unlike ASD that usually

Through interviews, Dretzin exhibits real people who have witnessed and suffered concussions in football first hand. “It was a really emotional experience because I remember walking to the intensive care unit” , recounts a student athlete named Will James, who suffered and survived concussion and heat stroke (Frontline). Will James had been emotionally affected by seeing another fellow jock who underwent the same injury of concussion and heat stroke and was now in a coma. Introducing people who have experienced the danger of concussion makes the topic more relatable and personal. A high school student once cracked his skull and bled in a football accident, and his brain had been shifted by 15%, an injury similar to those suffered in car accidents (Buckner). Experiences such as these twist a person’s heart and emotions because injury and pain is difficult to hear about, especially in people so young. Many people have stories to share about sports related concussions. The truth is “concussions are ruining the lives of thousands of kid athletes” (Tarshis). Seeing and hearing a few of these experiences impacts the audience and appeals to emotions in order to show the effect concussions can have on someone’s

In the video, Big Hits, Broken Dreams, the topic of concussions in football especially in high school football is brought up. An important point that is brought up is the protocol high school's should take when one of their players experiences brain trauma. The video suggests different ways to keep the player safe and prevent future concussions on the field.

Concussions have been very controversial lately, especially in the youth sports industry, slowly progressing towards high school, college, and even professional sports. The movie “Concussion” has also been an agent of the controversial chaos. Now that the truth is out, that the NFL deceived millions of people, the concussion issue is flourishing. Although, it’s just a Hollywood movie, this movie could make a huge impact on how the nation looks at concussions. Thousands, even millions have already seen the 4 star movie, which can cause a huge change in outlook and perspective on

According to Kevin’s website LOVE YOUR BRAIN, which is a non-profit organization which he founded, he spends time advocating for LYB. Today Kevin Pearce is an inspirational survivor, sports commentator, motivational speaker and advocate for Down syndrome. Kevin is a sports ambassador for the National Down Syndrome Society and an advocate for education and research on Traumatic Brain Injuries. Kevin is also a part of Friends, a group of professional riders who share a common vision and promote camaraderie within the sport. Since 2008 Kevin has participated every summer in the High Cascade Snowboard Camp where he coaches, inspires and is a mentor to young snowboarders. The documentary “The Crash Reel” has made a significant impact on people lives and given them hope after suffering from TBI’s.

This semester I learned a lot about writing in English 151. It has been a roller coaster ride with these essays for me this semester. I learned step by step how to write a good essay and how to have your readers be engaged in what you’re trying to tell them. Each essay I did has taught me something valuable I can take to the next level of English. I feel as if as the semester went by I did not take my writing that seriously and that reflected in my grades I received in each essay. It made me a better student and writer and it will reflect next semester. In this essay, I will reflect on what I learned throughout this semester that you should apply in your writing when you begin English 151.

Concussion, the biographical sports drama, is a movie directed by Peter Landesman. It is based on a true story of a Nigerian doctor named Dr. Bennet Omalu who is played by Will Smith. Finding his way into America as a surgeon, he encountered and diagnosed a former American Football player after their death. Dr. Bennet has to faced against a billion dollar organization, the national Football League, in order to justify his researches and enforce it to be publicity.The movie shows hardship and unfairness of the football company to Dr. Bennet Omalu. This movie have three particular points that audience should consider and notice. Director, Peter Landesman, was able to created the movie in a realistic and reliable way to the scenes. Though the movie was realistic, certain parts of the movie was out of context and confusing. Especially the actor expressions and feelings toward each other, they did not successfully execute properly to make it believable. It is an amazing and educated two hours movie, yet it felt as if there are missing scenes in the movie.

The disabilities that result from moderate to severe TBI differ depending on the area of injury, but they may include difficulties in speech, coordination, bilateral function, memory, complex thinking, and other areas (Murrey, 2006). Emotional and social areas are also affected by TBI due to changes in familial roles, lowered self-esteem, and hopelessness brought on by the injury (Murrey, 2006). Because of this, suicide rates in these patients are remarkably high, with 33% of patients at risk (León-Carriòn et al., 2005). Recovery in TBI patients may occur spontaneously throughout the two years following the trauma (León-Carrión et al., 2005). Beyond this point, remaining disabilities are usually permanent (León-Carrión et al., 2005).