Concussion Issues In Football

Football is an essential component of modern popular culture in the United States. This sport is perhaps the epitome of sport worship and provides many hours of enjoyment during the fall and winter seasons. Whether live in person or on television, football represents an iconic piece of the American dream in many ways. However, football also represents a number of injuries to players that occur frequently, due to the contact nature of the sport and its impact on players, many injuries over time may lead to more serious complications throughout a player’s life, even after retirement. In particular, repeated concussions may cause many concerns for players as they continue to play for as long as possible. In recent years, there has been increased attention regarding concussions sustained by NFL players and their impact on long-term health and wellbeing. It is believed by many experts that concussions may contribute to brain damage and difficulties throughout the life span; therefore, it is proposed that these factors play a critical role in health complications for many players. It is also proposed that many of these problems could be avoided if proper treatment and attention is paid to active players who sustain concussions in order to determine if their playing time should be limited or cut short if brain injuries are evident. The apparent lack of focus on this issue has created many challenges for active and retired players, and the National Football Association (NFL) has typically bowed to pressure from coaches and owners to continue to allow players at the highest risk to remain active and to sustain even additional risk of brain damage. This argument will be addressed in the following paragraphs and an opposing argument will als...

... middle of paper ...

...to concussions, including immediate and proper medical attention in order to develop an accurate diagnostic and treatment plan (Bernstein).

The NFL’s dilemma involving concussions continues to be a significant problem for the league and its players. These players experience the most challenges because they risk sustaining a concussion when they are on the field. However, the NFL has been irresponsible and inconsistent in its efforts to address concussions in players; therefore, their roles must shift towards greater oversight and scrutiny of concussions when they occur. This is an important opportunity to develop strategies that will encourage the NFL to be more timely in addressing concussions through immediate medical attention and diagnosis in order to minimize the risk of future problems, such as long-term brain damage, dementia, and even suicide in some cases.