...Contact Sports Head/Body Injuries Research Paper November 19, 2013 Down, Set, Hut, Hut! The ball snaps, and everyone clashes into each other like warriors in battle. This is what we love about the game of football. While we are enjoying this rugged game, behind the scenes there are players in pain on and off of the field. From them having concussions to broken toes, or in other words from head to toe, every game possibly being there last one depending on the extremity of their next injury they still continue to play and entertain us. In this paper we are going to journey through some of those injuries and issues due to this sport we love and how we could help solve it, and help these athletes we love so much be able to stay in the game of football a little longer. To start off, although we’re just focusing on NFL, I have to let you know it’s not just affecting them, but the little ones we having playing this sport as well. In an article I read entitled, “Hits to the Head Don’t Differ in Age, Research Indicates”, it says that more 25,000 kids ranging from ages 8 to 19 are taken to the emergency room seeking treatment for concussions each year (Belson, 2013). This goes to say that although we enjoy when the adults are doing all this physical contact, but when it’s our own kids do we feel the same way? Well, in this case think of those NFL players as you do your children. What if they could never play again, on or off of the field? In reading another article by Sabrina Rogers...
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...HEAD INJURIES IN THE NFL KENNETH BASSETT ENG 122 PROFESSOR WELLS 5/19/14 Playing football as a kid was always every little boys dream of one day becoming a professional player in the NFL. Suiting up in cleats, shoulder pads, and helmets was always a fun time. Back in high school when the coaches would make you have two a day practices to get ready for the fall. In the back of the players minds, and even their parents is the idea of a very bad injury or even a concussion. What is a concussion you might ask? Concussion is a temporary unconsciousness caused by a blow to the head. The term is also used loosely of the after effects such as confusion or temporary incapacity. Concussions can be very difficult to spot especially since plays don’t necessarily have to be knocked out in order to receive a concussion. This is why players who suffer from head injuries are often told to shake it off and get back in the game. Many concussions in high school go undiagnosed due to lack of staff, player, and family knowledge about concussions. Being able to recognize a concussion is the first step in protecting athletes. Ways to recognize a concussion that has either been knocked out or still conscious would be if a player feels dizzy, confused and forgetful, complains about headaches, and/or vomit or feels nauseous. Concussion symptoms can either occur right away or in some cases they can begin weeks later after receiving the hit that caused the concussion. Concussions...
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...will compare data from sports injuries and see the comparisons between those sports injuries and those in football. The major injuries are concussions, ligament tears, and serious bone fractures which greatly affect all major athletes. Even knowing these serious injuries can and do occur, this researcher believes that professional athletes should take the risk if they are passionate about the sport they play. According to The American Journal of Sports Medicine there are many different injuries caused from playing football. A big percentage of severe injuries were caused by foul play. (46%) of injuries were caused by contact and 54% involved no body contact. Trauma was caused of (81.5%) of the injuries. Joint sprains predominated...
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...In America, football fans have declared their sport the national religion. This could be true with hundreds of thousands of fans going to games and millions more watching on television every Sunday. It is more than a game for some fan but it is more a game for the players. To keep up with growing fan base, football has become more competitive with larger, faster and stronger players. Although this allows for greater entertainment with bigger hits and more spectacular plays, the reality is it all comes at a price. Parents place their kids in football at younger and younger ages. As a result the exposure allows for better football players in the future but it also means more and more children are subject to greater risk of head injuries. The...
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...sports throughout the last decade. They are the most common head and brain injuries suffered by athletes. A concussion is “a type of traumatic brain injury that is caused by a blow to the head or body, a fall, or another injury that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull” ("Concussion - WebMD: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention"). The major problem regarding concussions is that they are not visible to the human eye. Concussions occur all the way from Pop Warner leagues as a child to the professional leagues. My friend has played football his whole life. Unfortunately, he has been plagued by concussions ever since he started to play the sport. He is a prime example of an ordinary kid who plays a sport he loves, but has altered his future forever. Commissioners are actively trying to reduce the number of head injuries that occur while playing. However, the main problem regarding head injuries in sports is that players tend to rush back to their respective sports, without proper testing and treatment. This results in athletes risking their playing careers, a life filled with long-term head complications, and eventually putting their lives in danger. As an injured athlete, there comes a point where you have to ask yourself, is rushing back to the game really worth a lifetime filled with head injuries and complications? So what do team doctors need to do differently when treating head injuries? Junior Seau and Sidney Crosby are just two out of thousands...
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...During each National Football League (NFL) season, hundreds of concussions are recorded, and potentially a significant amount are not even reported. Increased concussions have short-term and long-term effects on players, and these effects are damaging to their health. Right now, little is being done to solve the problem, and the NFL is trying to pretend that concussions are not a big problem since injuries are common in football. However, the fact is that increased football head injuries over the years have created a big problem that the NFL cannot avoid. They should consider the proposed solution which will help reduce head injuries in the league. The solution will help them save lawsuit money and show the public that the league is dedicated to their players’ well-being. Problem The problem with the NFL is that the league is taking minimal steps in...
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...admit or realize when they have a concussion or a head injury whenever they receive them and that they can hurt them badly. Concussions and head injuries in football aren't something new and happen all the time on the field. Players are constantly getting hurt from big hits to their head in the NFL and aren’t always showing the big picture of this. Even though fans of the game of football won't be as amused if there were new rules of less hard hits in the upper region of the body, the NFL should be more aware of players getting hurt from constant blows to the head because this can affect their mental mindset in the future and players can get severely hurt....
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...Is helmet to helmet football collisions too dangerous? Is chop blocking too dangerous to be doing? Is there a way to stop this or a way to prevent it from happening. At least a way to minimize the injuries in football? I believe that I have a solution to these injuries caused in football games and practices. It would require little to nothing in expense and the consequences of these would be less severe than they are now. Is a concussion really harmful to the human body? A scientific study has been tested on concussions, and yes, they truly are harmful to your human body. A concussion not only causes damaged brain cells, but a loss of memory, high blood pressure, and permanent loss of sensory cells. Helmet to helmet contact is the number...
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...The Big HIT in the NFL: Head injuries are changing the way the game is played I firmly believe that the future of the NFL and all of its players is in jeopardy of being lost as the American sport as we know it simply due to the fact that too many injuries are occurring in the NFL today than what was happening in the past. Sure past players got hurt, but players now hit ten times harder, play ten times tougher, it’s obvious they are due for a serious injury, it’s just a matter of time and when, surely they make millions each year, but is all that money worth the risk of losing your life or possibly harming it? Imagine this, you’re at your sons final football game as he’s a senior about to graduate, he’s got the crowd rooting for him, he’s the one who snaps the ball, yes the quarterback of the team. The defense is running full force, showing blitz when suddenly “ WHAM!” he takes a huge hit from a defensive player and stays laid out on the floor , suddenly coaches and staff from the team rush to the field while he remains still, the crowd silent , awaiting the outcome . Slowly he gets up with the help of the staff and coaches, he’s then carted to the locker room by team staff where they tell the parents that they are checking him for a concussion because it’s UIL protocol when it comes to hard extensive hits taken by a defenseless player. Not one person who loves football can deny that the big hits and huge plays are the main reason we watch the game, but has anyone ever stopped...
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...Football is the epitome of strategic warfare, encapsulating violence, might, strength and valor into a colossally barbaric sporting event. Hall of Fame legend, and former wide-receiver of the New York Giants, Frank Gifford once said, “Football is like nuclear warfare. There are no winners, only survivors." Over the last fifty years, football has grown to become America’s most popular game, however, this fame and glory is accompanied by an alarming rise in tragic accidents on the field of competition. Even with rules and regulations meant for the protection of both the players and the integrity of game, traumatic injuries are escalating at an alarming rate. In all leagues ranging from pee-wee to the National Football League (NFL), the athleticism and size of the players are at an all-time high and continues to increase each season. However, such increases in athleticism have highlighted the greatest flaw in modern football: the iconic football helmet has become the single most destructive weapon in sports. Helmets have become the heads of missiles that launch through the air and crush into opponents’ skulls, leaving players with closed head injuries as a result of multiple concussions. The football helmet found its roots with the leatherheads; however the false sense of security and protection the helmet provides has led to the worst injuries the sports industry has ever seen. The multiple hits to the head can and will eventually lead a player to the emergency room with a concussion...
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...On October 31, 2013, Chad Stover died while playing football after receiving a concussion. Stover’s head made contact with another player’s thigh in the midst of a tackle, resulting in a concussion. Concussions are one of many injuries that are possible when playing football. Aside from all of the injuries, there are many helpful characteristics of the sport (football). Football aids in the development of children and young adults. From work ethic to relieving of stress football has many beneficial facets. Football is one of the many sports that provides Psychological increase in youth. The pros outweigh the cons, the cons are injuries while the pros are community building and a better psychological outlook. During a football game in October, Leshawn Williams received an injury to his knee thinking it was a type of ligament damage. Later over the...
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...The NFL’s Head Case The NFL and its teams have a professional medical staff that is assigned to each team. Their responsibility is to treat and evaluate players after an injury. While they claim that they only release players if they are completely free of symptoms and that also the players consent to feeling normal, the NFL should take on more responsibility with current and former players and acknowledge fact that they have knowingly allowed players to compete in games when they should have been kept on the sideline. There have been over 4100 former players who have been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) which also includes illnesses like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. There have been several suicide related deaths that have left many unanswered questions. Some have even left suicide notes that requested that their brain to be researched. Additionally, medical research has been able to show connection through several studies that head injuries, especially repeated, can cause traumatic brain damage. The main point of this research paper is to argue that repeated head injuries suffered by current and former NFL players are directly related to the neurological problems and the deaths of Junior Seau, Jovan Belcher and others, while also presenting the reactive measures that are taking place to prevent future occurrences in regards to rules and equipment. Every NFL football team is assigned a medical staff that is a paid member(s) of the organization. Their...
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...(National Football League) games. Hard hits are a major part of football, but they also come with their consequences. All kinds of injuries can occur from devastating hits, but the most destructive injury is the concussion. According to a video done by Sports Science, “100,000 concussions occur in all levels of football, and 60% of these are from head-to-head collisions.” According to an article on NFL.com, “154 concussions were reported in 2010, while there were 127 in 2009. Statistics show a 21% increase in head injuries.” In order to reduce the amount of concussions suffered by players, not only should the NFL put in new rules to protect the players and improve equipment, but the NFL players also need to do their part during and after their careers in order to keep their bodies healthy. When the offensive player is catching the football, he is in a defenseless position. He not only has to catch the football, but he also has to watch out for the defender. Many times, the defender tries to prevent the offensive player from catching the football. As a result, he unleashed a hard hit on the other player. Because of these hits, both the offensive and defensive players are put in a position where they are highly susceptible to a head injury. Basically, this situation is caused because of the defensive player; therefore, the NFL should take action to further discipline these players. Currently, the NFL fines and sometimes even suspends players because of hits to the head, but they...
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..."High school football accounts for 47% of all sport related concussions" ("Sports," 2013). High school athletes still have developing brains. Any injury to their brain can cause severe changes in development and cognitive ability. When thinking about sports, there are many that require more impacts than football. Take ice hockey for example. The athletes get pounded into the walls and fall down easier, but football players still acquire almost half of all concussion, and the majority of those concussions happen in practice. Football is one of the most watched sports in America, but is also causes a lot of injuries. Many people think this has to do with the football helmet, made in order to protect the head and brain of a player. However, stricter...
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...The National Football League, or NFL, has recently started enforcing strict rules regarding helmet to helmet hits; they are now fining and suspending players who commit vicious tackles or helmet to helmet hits. Many fans, players, and coaches complain against the helmet to helmet rule and grown upset about these newly enforced rules, while many still have favor for the new rule. This latest dilemma stirred up various amounts of controversies around the news and public. Several meetings and discussions took place on how the officials should officiate and make the decisions of how crucial and legal the degree of the hit made on the field. These new rules and fines should remain in the NFL to help ensure the players’ safety and cause fewer injuries to NFL players giving them concussions and other injuries that could possibly affect their future. The rebels of these new rules obviously express a variety of arguments of why they disagree with them. Numerous amounts of football fans, players, and coaches state that these new rules take the excitement away from the game causing all the football game to become dull and make them lose interest and love for the game. They also protest that the rules will too, take the physicality away from the game and players will not be able to play how the game is supposed to be played. Those against this movement by the NFL argued that these rules might force defenders to aim lower when tackling, and could cause more knee injuries and career-ending...
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