The Effects Of Concussions On The Football Field

Concussions can truly mess with an athlete’s brain and can give him or her lifelong troubles.

CTE is a brain disease found in individuals with annals of head trauma. It has specifically been found in athletes with numerous concussions. So far it can only be diagnosed in the deceased, but Dr. Julian Bales and his staff in UCLA have discovered symptoms in living players such as Hall of Famer Anthony “Tony” Dorsett, Hall of Famer Joe DeLamielleure, and NFL All-Pro Leonard Marshall. CTE can cause memory loss, dementia, depression, suicidal thoughts, cognitive and emotional difficulties (Waldron par 1, 2, 3). Is it a compelling issue? A total of 171 concussions were reported in the NFL in the 2012-2013 season; 88 thus far in the 2013-2014 season (Frontline pt). Those are just numbers in the professional level. There are thousands of kids playing football either in youth, middle school, high school, or college level. The diagnosis is currently in progress, researchers are optimistic this could lead to a legitimate treatment, how to manage, and hopefully a cure. Furthermore, this can also possibly lead to an answer to a connection between football and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Junior Seau, Mike Webster, Terry Long, and Justin Strzelczyk (all of whom are dead now) are all men who played in the NFL for an extent period of time. This is not the only thing they have in common. These former players had an uncustomary

While examining his brain, they found the first case of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) in a football player (Ezell). Dr. Omalu continued into the brains of football players. He diagnost another player with CTE. After that, two other doctors connect concussions to dementia. Dr. Bailes and Dr. Guskiewicz wrote, “that the onset of dementia-related syndromes may be initiated by repetitive cerebral concussions in professional football players” (Ezell). This was the first major finding connecting football to brain injuries.

Thesis: Youth and High School football teams are not adequately protected from the danger of concussions and head trauma.

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 ………...

One hard hit to a NFL player’s head can destroy their life. Concussions are a major problem that the NFL has been dealing with for a very long time. As a huge football fan, I have a special interest with this issue. When concussions were first identified as a problem, they were extremely down played. People thought that injuries to knees and backs were much worse than a concussion. What they did not know was that a concussion is lethal and can cause serious consequences. After this was discovered, the NFL started to take steps to improve the safety of players, but for some, it was far too late. Concussions that NFL players receive are negatively impacting their lives after their career, due to Chronic

It is important to analyze the NFL and concussions among its players as an interrelated issue rather than looking at individual instances. When a player sustains a concussion they then undergo physical repercussions from this traumatic brain injury. The case that really started all this concussion discussion was back in 2002 when Hall of Fame Center Mike Webster was found dead. Webster’s death spurred debate on the issue that still continues today. Meanwhile, the NFL’s role as a business has also played a significant role in limiting its ability to address the concussion problem and other brain injuries that result from playing professional football. Prior to his death, Webster had suffered from such severe pain that the only

In the National Football League, many players have the risk of receiving a concussion. Many players that receive concussions are sidelined for multiply weeks and cannot play in the games they miss. For example Chris Miller had received multiply concussions during his career in the NFL. He was then forced to retire after receiving “5 concussions within 14 months” (Kia Boriboon, 2013). He tried to make a “comeback in 1999 but was sidelined again by another concussion” (Kia Boriboon 2013).

Concussions in football have become more and more common even though the equipment has apparently gotten safer. In retrospect it seems the equipment has made concussions more prominent. Does this mean the sport of football altogether is unsafe or that the players are simply just not playing the game correctly? Is this the person running the ball fault or the defensive players fault or both?

One of the biggest sports in America, also one of the most dangerous- football. People all

Football is all about the fame and money until BOOM, you’re hit and out for the season with a concussion. The cause of a concussion is getting hit in the head too hard with or without a helmet. No matter what sport you are playing, if you get inside the head too hard it could affect your brain bad or sometimes not as bad. Concussions can happen all around the world, a lot of people suffer from them few die from them. The effects include Memory Loss, CTE, and Long-Term Brain Damage.

There is a lot of rising controversy surrounding minors and high-impact sports like football. From Elementary age kids playing little league to high school football, an increasing number of studies are surfacing that are showing many negative effects surrounding head trauma. Some experts are even calling for the sport to be banned from middle and high schools. The concerns surrounding head trauma have existed in the NFL for numerous year, and these concerns brought foreword extensive new research in detection, effects, and prevention. Even today the NFL plans to spend 100 million dollars on new prevention and treatment options for concussions. The shock absorption technology used in football helmets has made advanced majorly in the last 10 years, yet concussion rates are increasing. With the risk of head trauma having long term consequences, especially in minors with developing brains, the ideas of terminating the sport take root. Although serious, these risks are far outweighed by the benefits of football that a substitute sport can not provide: The answer to how to make football safer for minors is much simpler and cheaper than advancing technology.

During the majority of a regular season of NFL, there is an average of 92 head injuries caused by helmet to helmet contact. It has also been estimated that high school football players have suffered around 11.2 concussions for every 10,000 practices and games. Among college players, the number was around 6.3. Over the years, researchers have been trying to improve the capability of a football helmet to withstand a stronger impact that will decrease the risk of the player getting a concussion. If we took the structure of a woodpecker's beak and applied it to a football helmet, it could possibly be a safer alternative and decrease the risk of concussions.

New evidence is now coming out showing that repeated brain trauma significant enough to cause concussions is causing long term effects that do not show up until later in life. This issue is knows as CTE or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. This new condition is not yet well understood but the researchers know that it is in part caused by repetitive brain trauma. CTE has many negative side effects and symptoms that many retired NFL athletes are now starting to show which include; executive dysfunction, memory impairment, depression, and suicidality, apathy, poor impulse control, and eventually dementia. Since this is a CTE is a new finding research and findings are slow to come because their is yet to be a clinical diagnosis, findings have only come from post-mortem research and the individual's mental and physical history before his or her death (Baugh & Stamm, 2012). “Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE) has found neuropathologically confirmed CTE in football players with no history of diagnosed or reported concussions (but who played positions, such as lineman, with the greatest exposure to repetitive hits to the head). This is a good example as to why concussion recognition, treatment, and prevention is so important. CTE so far is only showing up in athletes who are retired and ages 40 and older. These are the athletes who competed before

Early onset dementia and so many other risk is involved when the concussion protocol is not taken seriously. There are so many risk and with all the technology and advancements in medicine there is no reason that athletes suffer time and time again from concussions leading to debilitating brain trauma’s. Thankfully, these huge organizations have begun to take claim to their part they have played in the brain trauma’s experienced by athletes. The NFL has even begun to pay off the athletes for the trauma’s that they now suffer from when they played. The only question left to be answered is does the risk outweigh the reward even with these precautions being put