Concussions in Sports
explanatory Essay
845 words
Junior Seau was one of the best middle linebackers in the NFL during his 20 playing years, amassing over 1,500 tackles, and delivering an insurmountable number of hits. In 2011, shortly after retiring, he abruptly committed suicide by shooting himself. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted a study on Seau’s brain and diagnosed him with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head trauma (Pilon and Belson). Seau is among countless other former players whose careers’ of playing football changed their lives forever. Former quarterback Terry Bradshaw told USA Today about how poor his mental health has become. He says, “I couldn’t focus and remember things, and I was dealing with depression” (Breslow, “NFL Concussions: The 2013-14 Season in Review”). Seau’s death and Bradshaw’s decline link to a growing epidemic in today’s sports: concussions. Recently, concussions increased in contact sports, specifically football (Breslow, “What We’ve Learned from Two Years of Tracking Concussions”). This increase, along with better awareness and pressure from lawsuits and the media, led to research for better concussion diagnostic technology and rule changes in football. Concussions and the effects associated with them forced football to evolve, for the better. A concussion is “a brain injury caused by a force to the head or direct force to the face, neck or chest” (“Comprehensive Concussion Center”). These traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) frequently occur in contact sports. Andrew E. Lincoln’s research on concussion incidence in high school showed concussions consistently increased in these sports, but most notably football. His study also showed, “Concussions increased 4.2 fold over th... ... middle of paper ... ...E., et al. "Trends in Concussion Indidence in High School Sports." American Journal of Sports Medicine. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 29 Jan. 2011. Web. 12 May 2014. . "New NFL Rules Designed to Limit Head Injuries." NFL.com. National Football League, 6 Aug. 2010. Web. 13 May 2014. . Pilon, Mary, and Ken Belson. "Junior Seau's Death Classified as a Suicide." New York Times. New York Times, 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 18 May 2014. . Vrentas, Jenny. "Where the Game Is Headed." The MMQB with Peter King. Time, 25 Oct. 2013. Web. 19 May 2014. .
In this essay, the author
- Explains that junior seau was one of the best middle linebackers in the nfl during his 20 playing years. his death and bradshaw's decline link to a growing epidemic in today’s sports: concussions
- Explains that concussions are traumatic brain injuries caused by a force to the head or direct force on the face, neck or chest. the nfl and the world of sports paid attention to this alarming trend.
- Explains that media and the lawsuit by former nfl players put even more pressure on the nfl to act on concussion epidemic. former players, a congressional committee, and even president obama are active in speaking out against the league.
- Explains that these factors led to several rule changes in the nfl aimed to limit head injuries and helmet-to-helmet contact in football, along with research in new technology in helmets and the science behind concussions.
- Explains that sports leagues, athletes talk concussions with dc lawmakers, and belson, ken.
- Explains breslow, jason m., "nfl concussions: the 2013-14 season in review." wgbh educational foundation.
- Explains what they've learned from two years of tracking nfl concussions.
- Explains the comprehensive concussion center at jefferson university hospitals.
- Explains dekosky, steven t., milos d. ikonomovic, and sam gandy, "traumatic brain injury- football, warfare and long-term effects."
- Describes trends in concussion indence in high school sports in the american journal of sports medicine.
- Explains that "new nfl rules designed to limit head injuries." the national football league.
- States pilon, mary, and ken belson, "junior seau's death classified as a suicide."
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- Concussions In Footballexplanatory essayFootball is one of the most popular sports in the world. It is played in a lot of different ways, fashions, and other countries. It can be a very brutal sport with players hitting at the intent to hurt one another. With these intents come great consequences. In recent years the head injuries involved with this brutal game play have been getting uncomfortably high. Many rules have had to be enforced for player safety, because of the increase of head injuries resulting in tragic effects on players both old and new. One of the injuries that have had the most devastating effects is the concussion.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that football is behind hockey with every eight per ten thousand players receiving a concussion, whereas hockey was behind.
- Explains that riddel's new "revolution" helmet is designed to reduce concussions, based on a new look at what hits actually cause them, not the blows to the top or front.
- Opines that riddeltm has stepped up to the plate to protect the players, not just for the sake of entertainment, but to keep them safe and healthy so the years they get the opportunity to play.
- Explains that football is one of the most popular sports in the world, with players hitting at the intent to hurt one another. concussions are an injury that falls under the traumatic brain injury category.
- Explains that concussions aren't traceable in football, just as they are not in many other sports. prevention is possible, but the only prevention method is not to play.
- Explains barton, lindsay, "concussion statistics in high school sports | momsteam."
- Explains the incidence of concussion in high school football players of ohio and pennsylvania.
1397 wordsRead More - Should Children Play Tackle Football?explanatory essayFootball is America’s favorite sport. It is a fast-paced, hard-hitting game. Every week thousands of men and boys all across the country take part in football and every week these men and boys receive violent hits during the game. Frequently, as a result of these violent hits, the player receives a concussion. However, the long-term effects of concussions on players are not fully understood. New research shows that even a slight concussion in a football game can have lasting effects on a player. As a result of this research, children under the age of fourteen should not play tackle football.
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 - The Danger of Sports Concussionsopinion essayDue to the recent findings on concussion based injuries, chief bodies of sports associations from professional to organized sports should take all possible steps to protect athletes from the dangers of concussions sustained on the field of play using medical based assessments and time restrictions in returning to play too soon. The NFL has been pushing player safety more and more over the past couple years. Slowly but surely rules and regulations have changed to better protect athletes from the dangers of concussions on all levels of play; professional, college, high/middles school and organized sports for children. However to protect players from the dangers of concussions, we must first understand them.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that sports associations should take all possible steps to protect athletes from the dangers of concussions sustained on the field of play.
- Explains that concussions are hard to understand because scientists and doctors still don't fully understand them.
- Interviews danny miller, a 2013 high school graduate, who suffered numerous concussions.
- Opines that football is the leading cause of concussions for athletes, so we need to do something about it.
- Narrates how eric carroll suffered a concussion while playing high school football in the early 1980's. he said he had an awful headache and couldn't remember anything.
- Explains that princeton researchers annegret dettwiler-danspeckgruber and margot putukian have spent the past four years studying sports-related concussions to improve diagnostic tools and help better determine when it's safe for athletes to return to play.
- Opines that coaches and players need to be more educated about the subject so they can make the game of football safer for themselves and everyone around them.
- Explains that the nfl has dedicated more than $100 million over the next decade to medical research, with the vast majority going to concussion-related research.
1457 wordsRead More - Concussions In Sportsopinion essayThe world of sports is filled with great memories, grand moments and at times complete mayhem. There are moments like hitting a Home Run in game 7 of the World Series or memories of scoring an overtime goal during the Stanley Cup finals. However, there are also incredibly low moments when mayhem occurs such as an action or incident that results in a concussion. An injury such as a concussion can ruin your sports career or potentially your ability to function normally in the future. Concussions are caused by blunt force trauma to the head, a fall or an injury that shakes the brain inside the skull. Recovering from a concussion can take weeks, months or even years to heal. For some, it can impair your mental or mobility functions for life.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that sports are filled with great memories, grand moments, and at times complete mayhem, but concussions can ruin your sports career or possibly your ability to function normally in the future.
- Explains that concussions can occur in almost any sport. football is a physically demanding sport, but there are also sports with little or no contact.
- Explains that concussions can come in many different forms, such as sports or everyday life. sports are second only to motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of traumatic brain injury among people aged 15 to 24 years.
- Explains that concussions can cause headaches, short and/or long-term memory loss, and depression. sidney crosby missed an entire year of hockey because he received two severe blows to the head in two consecutive games.
- Explains that concussions were too often left untreated, causing depression in athletes, and suing the nfl for millions of dollars in compensation. probert had chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
- Argues that high contact sports are becoming less popular among younger children and parents.
- Opines that high-contact sports are dangerous but very entertaining, so changes should be made to ensure the safety of the athletes who play.
- Opines that professional leagues are implementing equipment grandfathering, while the nfl and nhl have a number of rule changes to protect players.
- Opines that our attitudes on concussions need to transform and change, not just with the coaches but with players and fans as well.
- Analyzes how will smith plays a neuropathologist who exposes the hidden truth about the serious effects of concussions in the nfl.
1985 wordsRead More - The Effects of Concussions on Athletesanalytical essayRecreational athletes, competitive athletes, high school athletes, college athletes, and professional athletes all have one thing in common: the risk of a concussion. It's impossible to go a season without one athlete from a team receiving a concussion. The more that these concussions are studied, the more we learn about them, such as their detrimental effects on athletes. Because of the risk of health issues and death that come with concussions, doctors, coaches, athletic trainers, and lawmakers are stepping in to protect athletes of all levels from receiving concussions.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the more concussions are studied, the better we learn about their detrimental effects on athletes. due to the risk of health issues and death, doctors, coaches, athletic trainers, and lawmakers are stepping in to protect athletes
- Explains that concussions can damage an athlete's brain and cause permanent brain damage and even death.
- Explains that kevin turner, a former professional football player in the national football league, has been diagnosed with lou gehrig's disease.
- Analyzes how briana binowski, a 16-year-old high school basketball player, knows how concussions can affect an individual's life.
- Explains that as high school football season kicked off in 2011, 31 states had signed laws preventing students from returning to the field too early after enduring a concussion.
- Explains adirim, terry a., "concussions in sports and recreation." clinical pediatric emergency medicine 8.1 (2007): 2-6.
- Opines that brady, erik, changed the game on youth concussions. usa today, 26 may 2011.
- Explains toporek, bryan, "concussion laws targeting student-athletes on upswing." education week 10 august 2011.
- Analyzes whiteside's article, "concussions are no fun: schoolwork taxing for injured athletes." usa today.
- Explains how the michigan neuro sport concussion program provides free, online courses for coaches and officials that allow them to understand how dangerous it can be for a player to try and just shake off.
1581 wordsRead More - The Serious of Concussions from Sportsargumentative essayA concussion is a common injury among athletes around the world. Concussions are serious injuries that should be treated with precaution and care. “A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that can cause long-term brain damage and diminish normal functioning” (Boriboon). Concussions occur primarily in sports with physical contact. Collisions occur often and it doesn’t always have to be with another player. According to the researcher Kia Boriboon, “A concussion occurs when the brain repeatedly collides with the skull, most often due to a blow to the head.” Even though we have a plan for dealing with concussions, it’s obviously not doing as well of a job as we expected. Statistics show that there are “estimates of 1.6 to 3.8 million sport-related concussions occurring in the United States each year” (Rigby). Without adding other countries into the mix, that is still a staggering number and it includes children. Children are less developed than adults, both physically and mentally. That may be the reason why children concuss more easily than adults (Tator).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that concussions are serious injuries that should be treated with precaution and care.
- Concludes that most sports have physical contact with the head, while hockey and football have collisions. concussions are becoming more common, and researchers need to find a solution.
- Explains that concussions aren't the only injury that can occur during or after the initial injury. second impact syndrome occurs while the brain is recovering from an injury and suffers another blow.
- Explains that the nfl, ge, and under armour are researching padding that protects the player against the force of an impact.
- Explains that physical therapists can play an important role in concussion detection and intervention.
- Cites the cmaj: canadian medical association journal 6 aug. 2013:975+. academiconefile. web.
- Analyzes how athletes who butt heads with coaches over concussion treatment take career hits.
- Cites brown, maury, "new mandatory batting helmet to reduce risk of concussions begins use inmlb."
602 wordsRead More - The Concussion Problem in Professional and Amateur Footballexplanatory essayConcussions have become arguably the #1 most prevalent issue in football today. The number of concussions throughout football has been rising for the past 20-30 years and there seems no way of stopping them. However, the NFL and many private researchers are set on finding a way to conquer this issue. They want to stop these concussions from happening and prevent the diseases resulting from them that have ruined so many football families’ lives. In order to solve this problem, I think that these researchers need to combine all of their knowledge to solve an issue that so many want solved. As soon as we conquer this “illness” we can return to enjoying the game that we love.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the number of concussions in professional and amateur football has been rising and has sparked much controversy in recent years.
- Explains the definition of a concussion in the nfl and how it affects professional athletes as well as amateur or youth football players.
- Explains that chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or cte, is a degenerative disease of the brain linked to symptoms of dementia and depression.
- Opines that the nfl and many private researchers are set on finding a way to conquer this issue. they want to stop these concussions from happening and prevent the diseases resulting from them.
- Explains that many private companies and researchers have taken the issue of concussions head on.
- Explains that the nfl has increased research on concussions throughout the 21st century.
- Explains that the nfl has long denied that concussions have any long-term effects. they argued that mtbi was a sham committee that "glorified the violence of the game."
2124 wordsRead More - Concussions In Sports Reaction Paperexplanatory essayFootball is a dangerous sport and there are many risks associated with the game. It is a demanding sport that not only takes a physical toll on the body but a mental toll as well. With new data showing the link between concussions and CTE, many people are left wondering, is football even worth watching and for that matter, even playing? The NFL initially denied the research of Dr. Omalu, but due to the fact that there has been a drastic amount of former professional football players being diagnosed with CTE, the NFL could not ignore this issue any longer.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that football is a dangerous sport, and there are many risks associated with it. the nfl initially denied the research of dr. omalu, but due to the drastic amount of former professional football players being diagnosed with cte, the nfl could not ignore this issue.
- Opines that the nfl developed an in-depth protocol to help further decrease the incidence of concussions.
- Opines that football helmets are a problem contributing to the prevalence of concussions. there is no scientific study that proves that they do not prevent them from occurring.
- Explains that the riddell vsr4 helmet provides minimal protection to football players.
- Explains that anatomy plays a crucial role, as each player is built differently. greenhill's study provides scientific data on concussion severity and improperly fitting helmets.
- Explains that the zero1 provides new hope for football players as its unique four-layer build and its ability to decrease the force of impact make it unlike any other helmet on the market.
- Explains how a cervical collar was designed to target the internal jugular vein of the woodpecker, reducing the amount of trauma the brain receives.
693 wordsRead More - Concussions In Sports: A Case Studyanalytical essayReferences: McCrory et al 2009. P.McCory, W. Meenwisse, K. Johnston, J. Divorft, M. Aubry, M. Malloy, R. Contu- Consensus statement on concussion in sport: The 3rd international conference on concussion in sport held in Zurich, November 2008, pg 434-448. Dick, 2009.
In this essay, the author
- Cites mccory, meenwisse, johnston, divorft, aubry, malloy and contu's consensus statement on concussion in sport.
- Cites hanninen et al 2016- sports concussion assessment tool – 3rd edition- normative reference values for professional ice hockey players.
- Evaluates the incidence of concussions in professional and collegiate ice hockey: are we making progress? a systematic review of the literature.
- Cites beckwith, greenwald, crisco, rowsen, broglia, mcallister, guskiewiiz, mihaliti, anderson, schnebel, brolinsan,
- Explains that training as treatment for long-standing adductor-related groin pain inathletes: randomised trial.
- Cites timothy f. tyler, stephen j nicholas, richard j. campbell, sean donellan, malachy p. mchugh, 2002: the effectiveness of a preseason exercise program to prevent adductor muscle strains.
483 wordsRead More - American Football: Technology and Regulation of Helmet Safetyexplanatory essayFollowing behind motor vehicle crashes, traumatic brain injury in sports is the second leading cause of traumatic brain injuries for people fifth-teen to twenty-four years of age. Immense concerns follows given that American football accounts for the highest incidence of concussions (Rowson and Duma 2130). In addition, th...
In this essay, the author
- Opines that american football's helmet safety remains an immense problem as the sport accounts for the highest incidence of concussions.
- Explains that traumatic brain injury in sports is the second leading cause of brain injuries for people fifth-teen to twenty-four years of age. american football accounts for the highest incidence of concussions.
- Opines that future innovation and technological improvements will provide better insight in understanding these test and concussions.
- Explains that the national operating committee on standards or athletic equipment (nocsae) implemented standards that eliminated skull fractures and conducted safety through scientific research, education, and performance standards.
- Opines that a major problem lies in the sport itself, with false advertisements, and the misconception that helmets will offer protection to the brain.
- Explains that the aggressiveness and dangerous impacts in football has caused for a push in innovation and to make the sport safer.
- Explains that testing methods have helped widening the understanding of head injuries. the results indicate that football helmets can work for all levels of play.
- Explains the hit testing method used by many researchers to investigate head impact in football.
- Explains that the star evaluation system at virginia tech provides performance ability of helmets through meaningful interpretation to the consumer.
- Explains that helmets are heavier and wider, filled with energy absorbing materials, air space, and padding to protect against brain injuries. the national football league is struggling with serious mental and physical health problems.
- Argues that future innovation and design are on the way to further reduce head impact response and concussions. the amount of athletes playing football, especially high school and children, requires stronger regulation on helmet safety.
- Explains that the noscae does not conduct testing or market surveillance in new or defective helmets to ensure safety.
- Explains that nocsae's standards have been updated, revised, expanded, and strengthened over the last 40 years, including helmet passing criteria and small changes to contribute to helmets.
- Explains that marketing companies use misleading information to demonstrate the effectiveness of their product. riddell, the leading marketer in the country, uses these studies to win the consumer over, using professional athletes in advertisements.
- Explains that the ftc oversees the false marketing claims to sell children's sports gear and impose penalties. senator tom udall asked the agency to investigate these misleading claims.
- Opines that athletes must understand that a mild brain injury is not an injury to be played through.
- Cites bellenbogen, richard g., mitchel s. berger, and h. hunt batjer. "the national football league and summary:
- Explains that concussion: leading a culture change in contact sports.
- Explains the development of the star evaluation system for footballhelmets: integrating player head impact exposure and risk of concussion.
- Summarizes the changes in size and impact performance of football helmets from the 1970s to 2010 in annals of biomedical engineering.
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