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Concussions - Changing the Face of Sports

            Just recently on March 16, 2015, Chris Borland, a 24 year old linebacker in the National Football League, retired after just one season due to concerns about the long term effects of repetitive head trauma. Borland believes that it isn't worth the risk because of the health problems that can occur. The thing is, he may be making a good choice; there have been more than 70 ex-players that have been diagnosed with progressive neurological disease after their death. Studies have also shown that brain damage issues like depression and memory loss have been connected to repetitive head trauma occurrences (Farinau – Wada). With this recent news, it could bring more attention to concussions and their effects on people's health.
             A concussion is a brain injury that is caused by getting hit in the head or a violent shaking or the head and body. That means that in some way your brain gets bruised and the nerves in your brain become damaged. According to Medical News Today, even after the symptoms of a concussion are gone the brain is not completely healed. That can cause for re-injury to occur and lead to more serious injuries. With that being said the long term effects of can concussions can be very serious and can cause future problems as serious as death. With all of these dangerous effects, there are many ways to prevent and treat concussions and their long-term effects with safer equipment, better treatment practices and more education on the injury.
             A study done by Dr. Lassonde on the long term effects on players of the Montreal Canadians hockey team who had suffered from severe head trauma revealed interesting results. Dr. Lassonde found after many visual and auditory tests as well as brain tests, there is abnormal brain wave activity for years after a concussion as well as wasting away of the motor pathways (Nordqvist). These findings could be significant in how to treat traumatic head injuries and how much violence should be allowed in sports.


Essays Related to Concussions - Changing the Face of Sports

1. Concussions and the Changing Face of Sports

In full contact sports like football, concussions are a major problem because they can occur so often or easily. ... Although there is no way to completely stop concussions from happening in sports, there are many ways that youth, recreational, and professional sports are going about preventing it to their best ability. ... In other sports there are many know and practiced ways to prevent concussions too. ... If that is the case, why do people return to full contact sports in such a short period of time after the concussion? ... Around 2 million concussions occur in sports each year. ...

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2. Concussions in sports

Present day medical procedures have brought the epidemic of concussions to the forefront and of all sports and by doing so it has changed rules, procedures and equipment of a lot of sports. ... Concussions can be caused by a direct blow to the head, face, neck or elsewhere on the body with an impulsive force transmitted to the head. ... It is ironic that in certain sports less protective gear is worn to protect players from concussions. ... Football is one of the most popular sports to be plagued by the issue of concussions. ... With those comments in mind it seems inevitable that in the fut...

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3. Soccer and Concussions

Just like the millions of kids who play sports, especially competitive contact sports like soccer, hockey, and football, Zack was competitive, and loved playing the game. ... However, wanting to be "part of the play" caused consequences that changed Zack's life forever. ... By eliminating headers in children, Ultimately, the decision to require helmets, neck exercises and eliminating headers in younger leagues should be grounded in the idea that all soccer players should be kept safe, or face the consequences of concussions later in life, such as "significant short- and lo...

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4. Two Diseases Without a Cure: ALS and CTE

Concussions are caused by a large blow to the head or body that can then lead to dizziness, sleepiness, loss of memory, migraines, and, in females, personality changes. ... Since it has been discovered that brain trauma and concussions are now what is causing ALS and CTE's, sports officials and referees are now changing and adding rules, and designing tests to make sports, like the NFL, safer to protect the athletes from getting these diseases. One of many tests used by sports officials is an imPACT test, an online test used to evaluate whether or not an athlete has received a concussion....

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5. Football: Violence Begets Head Injuries

It is believed that increased awareness of the prevalence of concussions in contact sports has also contributed to the loss of participation among high school boys across the country. ... In these stadiums, players face off against fierce competition. ... Therefore, the concern should not lie in concussions, but rather the overall physical trauma to the head. ... The issue of head injuries in contact sports, most popularly football, continues to concern many as its awareness grows in the community. ... To do so, however, would change our culture, and possibly views, as a nation. ...

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6. Head Injuries in the National Football League

Some of the common causes of concussions are accidents involving vehicles, sports injuries, and even some genetic traits. ... In an article for Sports Illustrated, Romanowski explains how he does not know how many concussions he has sustained but knows that he has had suffered both dizziness and nausea during the first three games of the 2003 regular season. ... Not only do concussions have short term effects but they can also lead to long term problems. ... This lawsuit also is alleging that the NFL could have changed some of the rules of the game that may have prevented head injuries in some...

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7. The Crossroads of Pop Warner Football

After the contact was initiated Donovan flopped to the ground, landed face down, and laid there motionless. ... The sports culture for youths in suburbs, which have more education and have more sports to choose from, is starting to change as they fade away from football, which could explain why Pop Warner lost 23,612 players from 2010-2012(Fainaru 1), while their urban and rural counterparts do not have the options to play other sports and do not receive the education to realize youth football is dangerous. ... This means that kids will change their eating habits, most of the time for the wo...

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"Using good sportsmanship in Everyday life" Do you want to get hit on the head with a flying elbow because the other team lost? Of course not! No matter the age you can be faced with this threat. You should not ever get smacked with a elbow, but every sport has...

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9. Tackling NFL Head Injuries

The NFL's national revenues underpinned by lucrative television rights now exceed $9 billion, making it the richest sports league on earth. ... The rule is intended to stop injuries including concussions, spinal cord injuries, and even death. ... If people want to see gory hits to the head there are sports out there for it such as boxing and UFC. ... "It's a concern players likely will face five years after they retire, when their health benefits expire" (usatoday30/sports.com). ... After rounding the first corner as I approached the face of the first jump all I could see was a giant...

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