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Concussions In Football Research Paper

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Have you ever seen a brutal or bloody head-to-head collision that has taken place on the football field? This is an occurring issue that we see happen in our daily lives. Every now and then, you hear in the news about an athlete coming down with a concussion. Concussions arise when an athlete experiences a vicious blow to the brain. Over the years, the National Football League has made efforts to make the game safer by implementing helmets and protective gear. But the use of safety equipment in the NFL has still not solved the problem of a degenerative brain disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). “In CTE, a protein called Tau forms clumps that slowly spread throughout the brain, killing brain cells” (Concussion para. 1). CTE …show more content…
Brown states “No one really knows what concussions mean, especially as you grow older. It’s not only not proven, it’s merely speculation that this is something that creates some form of dementia late in life. Our statistics—the ones I’ve seen anyway—don’t show that. I’m not convinced that anybody really knows what concussions bring, what they mean later in life if anything” (foxsports para. 5). Mike Brown claims that the idea of brain trauma in the NFL is speculation. He believes that no one knows what long-term impacts brain trauma has on athletes and therefore, he does not see a connection between the disease and football. Expert and owner of the Houston Texans Bob McNair, also states his reasoning behind why football should not be connected to CTE. “It appears that if you’ve had multiple concussions from whatever you’ve been doing, riding a bicycle, skateboarding, it’s not just football, that there’s a possibility it could lead to CTE” (foxsports para. 15). McNair considers that other physical activities can be connected to CTE. Thus, Mr. McNair believes you cannot come to a quick assumption that football is the only activity that could cause the brain disease. McNair is supporting the NFL’s claim that a connection cannot be made to the disease at this

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