Concussions Caused By Football Players
analytical Essay
1157 words
Do you know why football players often miss games? One of the biggest reasons why is that they're often dealing with concussions. Concussions are caused from hard hits to the head. These concussions can lead to long term brain trauma. Football is a very dangerous sport. It often leads to brain disease, sometimes death, and even has caused a few former players to commit suicide. Football has been proved to be one of the most dangerous sports in the world. At first, some may have thought that the concerns about football are being overstated; that it's really not as bad as it is made out to be. The author of this article, Bryson Reynolds, performed an experiment with the goal to determine how much more impact to the head football players …show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Explains that football players often miss games due to concussions, which can lead to long-term brain trauma. football is a dangerous sport, leading to brain disease, death, and suicide.
- Explains that bryson reynolds performed an experiment to determine how much more impact to the head football players receive in comparison to other sports.
- Explains that football has been confirmed by numerous tests to cause brain disease, such as anxiety, memory loss, parkinsonism, suicidality, and dementia.
- Explains that some players' injuries are so serious that they lead to death. maurice williams, a twenty-three-year-old from syracuse, died from accidental causes from subdural hemorrhage. bobby mcbride was unable to revive him.
- Analyzes how dave duerson, a chicago bears safety, committed suicide to preserve his brain for future testing. the nfl brain bank concluded that he had "classic pathology of cte and no evidence of any other disease."
One player by the name of Dave Duerson committed suicide so studies could be done on his brain. Duerson played a total of eleven years in the NFL as a safety for the Chicago Bears. Throughout his career, his family said he suffered at least 10 concussions and lost consciousness during a few of his concussion. The problem is he never went to the hospital which caused his injuries to progressively get worse. As he was getting older, he was showing many symptoms of CTE, such as poor judgement, memory loss, mood swings, impulse control. Because of all of these injuries, his life was more or less over after football and he would suffer from these terrible things for the rest of his life. On February 17 2011, when he was fifty years old, he decided he doesn't want to live life suffering anymore. He shot himself in the chest, almost definetly doing so to preserve his brain for future testing. He also left a note next to him asking for his brain to be given to the NFL Brain Bank, which performs tests on the brains of former players. Following tests, they concluded that Dave Duerson had “classic pathology of CTE and no evidence of any other disease. This quote tells us that Dave Duerson did in fact have CTE. Also, this quote teaches us that CTE is very specific in its form, as it isn't to be mistaken for any other disease. Also, Duerson’s case of CTE was only considered moderately advanced, showing that this wasn't anything too out of the ordinary. The worst part was the conclusion which the NFL Brain Bank came to. They stated that if he hadn't gotten CTE and been suffering from these symptoms as he got older, he almost likely wouldn't of committed suicide and would still be
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- The National Football Leagueopinionated essayBrain injuries can play a major role in football. Reoccurring concussions also occur due to these brain injuries, and cause these athletes permanent damage. Trainers and doctors in the medical field diagnose these brain injuries by loss of consciousness, slurred speech, loss of balance, and loss of memory. In football, they could improve the safety of the helmets; improve the rules, or safety regulations in all sports to help prevent concussions.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the national football league (nfl) has come under fire for the long-lasting medical consequences of players’ game-related head injuries.
- Explains that brain injuries can play a major role in football, and reoccurring concussions can also occur due to these injuries.
- Opines that football helmets are the most important pieces of equipment and have been revolutionized since football started.
- Explains that football players are put in dangerous and sometimes unexpected situations on the field. with inappropriate training, and helmets that aren't up to par, the nfl can be held responsible for these traumas, which end in death.
- Explains that players started using hard plastic helmets with padding on the inside and one barred facemask in the 1950s, which caused more injuries to their heads and necks.
- Explains that head injuries can be scary, as players become accustomed to them. tom mchale, who retired in 1995, became addicted to cocaine and painkillers and took his own life.
- Explains that concussions can lead to depression and long-term mental diseases if players put their heads first when tackling opponents. dementia is also a major brain injury.
- Explains that memory loss is one of the most common side effects of concussions. rickie harris was a kick returner and defensive running back, which put him in serious hard-hit situations.
- Explains that many short term effects on the brain are minor. athletes may have numerous headaches, loss of consciousness, dizzy, ringing, vomiting, and slurred speech.
- Argues that the nfl should be able to diagnose concussions so they don't reoccur.
- Opines that terry bradshaw feels that the nfl isn't doing enough to protect players.
- Recommends that players and coaches give players extra time to recover from concussions so they don't occur like the cases in the study. many football players love the game but hate the results because of numerous brain injuries.
- Explains that the high school level of football is subject to more concussions than the college level because of the bigger, stronger players resulting in higher collision forces.
- Opines that the nfl can be held responsible for injuries caused by faulty equipment. many have said it's the players fault because they choose to do this line of work.
- Explains that junior seau took his own life on may 2, 2012, due to his head trauma. the question is whether the nfl is responsible for his suicide.
1813 wordsRead More - Cdc A Father's Storyopinionated essayThe problems that football players face after repeated head injuries are life-long and devastating to their health. Researchers at Boston University confirmed that “88 of 92 former NFL football players suffer with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain disease introduced by repetitive head trauma and linked to depression, aggression, impulse-control problems, memory loss and dementia.” These health problems are very difficult to deal with and show how hard football is on the body, especially the brain. According the the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, “In 2014, more than 9,500 concussions were reported among high school football players in the U.S. At least eight high school football players have died…” NFL players are not the only ones at risk. High school players are suffering from these injuries too, putting young athletes in danger of not only injury, but of
In this essay, the author
- Narrates how zach lystedt was 14 when he suffered repeated head injuries during a football game. he had emergency life-saving surgery to remove the left and right side of his skull to relieve the pressure from his injured and swelling brain.
- Explains that football is the number one cause of devastating head injuries in america. football causes irreversible brain damage, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and suicide.
- Explains that the long-term health effects of head injuries are taking its toll on athletes, especially football players.
- Opines that no athlete should ever feel like they need to end their life because of injuries from a sport.
- Concludes that the nfl has teamed up with usa football to emphasize safer tackling techniques, concussion recognition and response, and proper equipment fitting.
500 wordsRead More - Should Children Play Tackle Football?explanatory essayConcussions occur regularly on the football field and have always been an injury associated with football. They occur at all levels from little league to the NFL. One of the earliest reported concussion...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that football is america's favorite sport. it is fast-paced and hard-hitting. the long-term effects of concussions on players are not fully understood.
- Explains that football has been considered a manly sport since its inception. however, it's dangerous, and the number of football-related injuries increased 27 percent during the 18-year study period.
- Explains that concussions occur regularly on the football field and have always been an injury associated with football.
- Explains that most of the deaths attributed to concussions from playing football are older boys and men. however, david sumner, a ten-year-old from simi valley, california, died from head injuries sustained while playing.
- Explains that dr. robert cantu, the director of boston university's center for the study of traumatic encephalopathy, has been a leader in this research.
- Explains how dr. cantu describes two types of acceleration that create a concussion to the brain: linear acceleration and rotational acceleration.
- Explains how the nfl began to acknowledge the effects of repeated concussions in professional players. commissioner roger goodell introduced a stricter policy to protect the health and safety of nfl players and set the best possible example.
- Explains that while the long-term effects of concussions on adults are documented, there is less research available on the effects on a child.
- Explains that a concussion can cause chemical changes in the brain, causing fatigue, memory loss, lack of concentration, and an inability to stay focused.
- Explains that a study conducted by virginia tech and wake forest universities proved that children playing football receives hits to the head equal to professional athletes.
- Explains that a child's body isn't fully developed, and that the brain damage caused by concussions is more severe. rotational forces are greater for children, proportional to the severity of the hit.
- Explains second impact syndrome, which occurs when a child receives another concussion, before an older one heals. the majority of victims of second impact syndrome are under the age of eighteen, all of them male.
- Explains that second impact syndrome is a rare but usually fatal condition. carrol, linda, and david rosner. the concussion crisis: anatomy of the silent epidemic.
- Explains that daniel, ray w., steven rowson, and stefan m. duma. “head impact exposure in youth football.” annals of biomedical engineering.
- Explains that newton’s football: the science behind americas game. ballantine books, 2013.
- Analyzes how mihoces, gary, and nation, a. d., et al. weighed the risks of youth football in the context of a concussion debate.
- Analyzes yates, keith, et al., longitudinal trajectories of postconcussive symptoms in children with mild traumatic brain injuries and their relation to acute clinical status. pediatrics.
1412 wordsRead More - Dogfighting And Football In 'Offensive Play' By Malcolm Gladwellanalytical essayAs explained early on in this article, football can cause several physical and mental injuries either instantly or in the near future. This is due to the constantly tackling, hitting, and screaming from all the players and coaches. Because of these intense actions, football can increase the chance of dementia-like symptoms in players. This was examined by Ann Mckee, a neuropathologist, who ran several tests in the Veterans Hospital
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how malcolm gladwell's article "offensive play" compares dogfighting and football, arguing that both develop a negative effect on one’s body and brain causing several physical and mental changes that could potentially lead to death.
- Analyzes how kyle turley, a former football player and offensive lineman, began having episodes while he was at the bar with his family and friends. he never had an episode worse than this in his nine years of playing football.
- Explains that mckee discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive neurological disorder that develops over time through continuous injury that goes unnoticed and untreated.
- Analyzes how the national football league player, michael vick, was suspended from football because of his involvement in dogfighting.
- Compares dogfighting and football by using a system called "hits", which measures the force and location of every blow he receives to the head.
1214 wordsRead More - Concussions In Youth Footballexplanatory essayAfter a lawsuit occurred which lead to things being discovered about concussions in youth years. People are questioning if youth football should continue. This Lawsuit, Debra Pyka, claims that her son suffered from repeated head injuries in youth football causing CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). Her son eventually committed suicide at the age of 25. CTE has been in the news greatly after Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian, American Physician, Forensic Pathologist, and Neuropathologist discovered and published the findings of CTE. Concussions are dangerous alone they have many short and long term effects. These short term effects can happen immediately including vomiting, tinnitus, and vision changes. Long term can include memory disturbances,
In this essay, the author
- Explains that people are questioning if youth football should continue. debra pyka claims that her son suffered from repeated head injuries causing cte and committed suicide at the age of 25.
- Explains the new rules, equipment, and techniques are being taught to keep youth football as safe as possible. hits to the head and neck area are illegal.
- Explains peter schwartz's three main reasons why kids should play football: the love of the game, physical activity, and teamwork and discipline.
- Explains that playing football in younger skills can help with many skills, short term skills and long-term skills. sportsmanship and leadership are excellent skills to learn for life.
- Explains that concussions in youth football are dangerous for future years. soccer, wrestling, ice hockey, and hockey all have the same rates. youth football goes beyond the sport itself.
- Explains that football is a dangerous sport, but it's not the only reason to ban it.
1195 wordsRead More - Expository Essay Rough Draft: Footballopinionated essayFootball is looked over at a fun, entertaining, and harmless sport, but that is not what it is at all. Nearly 8,000 Players suffer from concussions caused by hard hits to the head each year. That does not sound harmless to you now, does it?
In this essay, the author
- Opines that rough draft football is a fun, entertaining, and harmless sport, but that is not what it is. hard tackles lead to many players end up with permanent brain damage.
- Explains that one third of all nfl players will never be able to live the same way again. football might be fun, but do you really think suffering from headaches for the rest of your life will be worth it?
- Opines that nfl players should be allowed to play tackle football until they're at least 14 years old. this is a step forward, but it's not the solution.
- Opines that making changes on age restrictions and how often players are tackled is a good step forward, but it's still not the solution. there needs to be more safety involved in how you can tackle
399 wordsRead More - Argumentative Essay: Should Children Play Football?analytical essayRepeated concussions can cause post-concussion syndrome, which causes problems with memory, mood, and focus, according to “Deadly Hits: The Story of Ex-Football Player Chris Coyne.” Coyne says that after concussions, he had memory lapses. For example, he went to the kitchen for Gatorade, and then forgot why he was there. During class, Chris physically could not take the information on the board and transfer it onto his notes. Many other football players experience this growing crisis, and be forced to quit their beloved sport, as Chris did. Also, brain disease is common in football players. According to the NFL, one in three retired football players could develop brain disease related to concussions. An even more eye-opening disease is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a brain disease that people can get if they have a history of brain injury, and it can only be diagnosed after death. As reported by Jennifer Shotz in “Should Kids Play Football,” eight NFL players who committed suicide have been found to have had this disease, Paul Oliver of the San Diego Chargers being the most recent one (12). If young athletes begin this sport from a young age, their chances of being hit will rise, and their chances of developing CTE or other brain diseases will rise significantly. Multiple, unreported concussions can lead to dangerous brain
In this essay, the author
- Explains that football is a great way to bring family and friends together, but it can cause many types of life-threatening brain diseases. children should not play football because they do not understand the risks football poses.
- Explains that kids should not play football because they don't understand the dangers of football and handle it immaturely.
- Explains that concussions can do a tremendous amount of damage to the brain for young athletes.
- Explains the negative effects of repeated concussions on kids, such as memory, mood, and focus.
- Argues that football has the most concussions out of any sport. it sends about 25, 376 athletes to the emergency room every year.
1020 wordsRead More - High Impact Football Injuriesanalytical essayFootball is not the only sport with high impact injuries. The top five highest brain injuries are football, girl’s soccer, ice hockey, girls basketball, and boy’s lacrosse. The long term negative effects of high impact sports are concussions and effects on the community. High impact sports cause concussions. A typical high school player receives about 650 hits to the head per season. This is significant because a player can play multiple years and have a lot of hits to the head per year. A second reason is at least eight players have died so far this year. This is important because hits to the head have caused people to die because of a sport.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that football is not the only sport with high impact injuries. the top five highest brain injuries are football, girl's soccer, ice hockey, girls basketball, and boy’s lacrosse.
- Analyzes how high-impact sports impact the community. the maplewood heights school board cut the football team in june because fewer than a dozen signed up. football instills pride in the kids.
- Explains the effects of high impact sports, such as concussions and effects on the community. high-impact sports are safer and have less negative impacts.
234 wordsRead More - Athletic Injuries In Youth Sportsexplanatory essay“Athletic injuries should be the number one concern for students who wish to play football. Chief among these concerns are concussions and other traumatic brain injuries. For instance, of all concussion-related emergency room visits, 40% are football players aged 12-15(USA Today). This shows that participation in football is much more likely to inflict brain damage than participation in other sports.”
In this essay, the author
- Opines that athletic injuries should be the number one concern for students who wish to play football.
- Explains that athletic injuries become more common in youth sports. they explain that concussions and long-term diseases can affect kids' brain development.
- Explains that young kids should not play tackle football or any other sport that may cause brain disease. adults can play dangerous sports because they don't have as much consequence as younger kids.
222 wordsRead More - Why Is Football Too Dangerous Essayopinionated essayIf by chance you are one of the lucky ones who make it that far, the effects of the injuries are compiling with each hit you take for this sport. At this point in your life the amount of hits you’ve taken and dealt are probably reaching a serious number. Research has found that 243 football deaths have occurred from 1990 to 2010. Out of the deaths 62 were due to brain injuries, this does not take into account the accumulating long term health issues caused by such hits. 38 of the deaths were from other issues such as an undiagnosed heart condition. These statics are
In this essay, the author
- Opines that football is one of america's most played sports, a fan favorite. there have been studies to prove this to be true.
- Opines that it is the worst advice anyone could give regarding young kids and football. research shows that numerous concussions over a period of years cause long term damage to the brain including, memory loss, sensory impairment, and neurological diseases.
- Explains that 243 football deaths have occurred from 1990 to 2010 due to brain injuries, and 38 of the deaths were from undiagnosed heart conditions.
- Explains that death is the worst possible outcome of this situation, but it's not the only outcome. the long-term effects are already there for you to deal with.
- Concludes that football is not worth the risk and sacrifice of a long healthy life after retirement. there are other non-contact sports that can be played and enjoyed without the health risks of football.
508 wordsRead More