Big Hits, Broken Dreams

After watching the film Big Hits, Broken Dreams and hearing all the great points that Dr. Sanjay Gupta made I am truly astonished by the things I have seen and heard. As every high school and college athlete knows, there are many great benefits to playing all sports. Whether you are looking for a “full ride” to college, or even a career in the professional league, there are many excellently successful roads for an athlete. With that said, I still believe safety comes first. No matter how much money can be put into something, it wont matter if your dead in the end. There are so many possible chances of getting an injury whether it may be temporary or permanent. Many sport injuries, especially those of football can be deadly. Using an example from the film, Jaquan was just a 16 year old boy with dreams of playing football forever. He was a great athlete, and seemed to have always known what he was doing. The difference here is that Jaquan was not in the control of his own injury. He hadn’t been seen by a doctor the first time, and if he had he may have been saved from dying the next time. On the other hand, the other young man featured in this film named Gray was uninformed of the damage he already had to his brain before his collision, and if his family did know about it I’m sure he wouldn’t have still been playing. Therefore, I strongly believe that athletic risks outweigh the benefits that athletes will get from playing sports in the first place.

There are many people that play key roles in athlete’s injuries and the way they take care of themselves. Some may be caring than others, but the input of all roles matter as to whether or not an athlete is capable of playing in the game. The first role is always the parent’s of the at...

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...ill eliminate all these new injury prevention ideas to begin with. With this being said, I believe that everyone needs to step up and change something about the game. After watching the film I do not blame anyone specifically, because as a “team” it is everyone’s duties to work together and communicate. Jaquan’s family should have realized that a doctor’s visit, or at least being seen by the trainer was a crucial decision. On the other hand, Jaquan’s coaches should have realized the lack of medical attention, and acted upon it themselves immediately; rather then potentially thinking of their sport first. In conclusion, unintentional injuries can and do happen to everyone, but it takes the strongest player to step up and admit they feel something wrong. This video should not only inspire people, but teach learning lessons on how serious brain injuries can actually be.