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History of american football
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Since 1958, American Football has been growing, in both popularity and as a sport, to become a dominant force in the country. As a result, more and more families are allowing their kids to play the game in leagues across the country and are not concerned with concussions. Even though people who defend the game will say the science is not yet definitive, tackle football should be banned for kids under the age of fifteen because concussion injuries are on the rise among the youth and the coaches are not yet trained to handle this injury. In August of 2013, the National Football League announced they were paying $765 million to settle a lawsuit involving thousands of its former players over problems related to head trauma (Richardson). This is just one sign of the growing concern that the sport’s collisions pose a serious risk to long-term player health. There is little known about how a full season of head hits affects the largest group of football athletes: the nearly four million youth and high school student players. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year emergency departments treat an estimated 135,000 children ages five to eighteen for sports-related brain injuries (National). Most of these injuries are concussions, and the children recover. The long term effects on children who suffer repeated concussions, even mild ones, is still not known. It’s hard to imagine a child as a disabled, middle-aged man, but repeated concussions could put a child at risk for severe conditions such as early onset dementia, Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders that require neurosurgery, but no one wants to think about while on the sidelines at a football game. Around one million Americans play high... ... middle of paper ... ...otball teaches the proper entry point for contact, around the hips, to prepare kids for full contact when their bodies are ready, or at least readier, for it. None of this is likely, at least anytime soon. Science or no science, the real reason five and six year olds will keep padding up and hitting is consumer demand. If Pop Warner offered only flag football, its executive director John Butler estimates, “90 to 95 percent of our members would drop out” and play for independent teams “because whether it be kids or parents, they want to play tackle football.” Of course they do. They watch it on Sundays. It’s fun. But as Eddie Mason responded, “Sometimes you have to take the decisions out of the hands of the parents and you have to just make the change. You say, well, we don't offer tackle at this age, we offer flag, and these are the reasons why (Associated Press).”
Are young children putting their health and even their lives at risk if they partake in the sport of football? Some claim that the American sport is far too dangerous and the risk of concussions and injuries far outway the pros of the physical sport, while others insist that technological improvements and new regulations have made the sport safer. Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor of history and education at New York University, argues in his paper, “We Must Stop Risking the Health of Young Football Players,” that football is a sport that is too dangerous for the youth. He states his belief that technological improvements in helmets and changes in the rules of the sport have had little effect on reducing injuries and that nothing has worked.
A. Background In recent years, there has been an increase in research investigating the long-term effects of repeated head trauma on the brain, especially in athletes. Following his discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Dr. Bennet Omalu inspired a movement of research aimed at establishing better safety standards and protocols in football. It was not until 2002 that the initial connection between repetitive head trauma, such as concussions, and brain injury was suspected (Ott, 2015). As common as concussions were during the late 1970s and 1980s, they were often swept under the rug, as they were seen as insignificant injuries.
Concussions 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.
Football 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.
Football 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.
Through sports or through everyday life, concussions tend to happen. An estimated 300 000 sport-related traumatic brain injuries, predominantly concussions, occur annually in the United States. Sports are second only to motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of traumatic brain injury among people aged 15 to 24 years. (U.S National Library of Medicine). Coaches and parents often do not go through the right procedures or protocols when dealing with a teenager who has received a blow to the head. The usual questions that are asked when there is a head injury are, “what day is it, what’s the score, and how many fingers am I holding up?” Now these are not poor questions, but these questions alone cannot determine if a person has suffered a concussion. The correct method, which they are now implementing in most professional sports leagues, is for anyone with a head injury to take a legitimate concussion test performed by the team doctor. (WebbMD) At present the symptoms can be hit or miss. After receiving a concussion, research shows that an “estimated 80 to 90% of concussions heal spontaneously in the first 7 to 10 days”. (Barton Straus) But, it is important to remember not to return until all symptoms are
The story gives examples and studies of NFL (National Football League) players, and how their lives react to brain injuries and concussions. “Despite all the money invested in the sport… Publicity about the long-term symptoms suffered by brain-injured football players has lowered participation in the sport…” (Burleigh 612) Football, no matter what you do to it, will forever be dangerous and the hotspot of concussions and problems of the brain. The added padding or penalties cannot stop a such a thing as a concussion, the only way to get rid of them is to get rid of the sport all together. There has been millions of dollars put in for researching to limit severe head trauma, which has seemed to lower the casualty rate of NFL players, but still there is cases of concussion-related
“Concussion rates for children under the age of 19 who play football have doubled in the last decade, even though the overall sports participation has declined” (Youth Football Concussion Statistics). Football is extremely popular in American culture. Children all across the world love watching and playing the sport. However, many studies have shown numerous possible long term effects of starting the beloved sport when young. Undeveloped brains have a harder time recovering from bumps and blows that occur during playing time. After examining the long term effects of children playing football, it is clear that the tradition of tackle football in youth should be held off until the brain is more fully developed,
Recently, attention has been brought to American football players on the risks of football due to countless concussions and lifelong health problems caused by blows to the head and improper equipment, therefore, the requirements for the equipment should be updated. Not only has the National Football League been found guilty of not realizing it, but the doctors and sports trainers have also. Head trauma early in life can greatly affect you later down the road. Head trauma is nine times out of ten, not curable. Therefore, it is greatly life threatening. Although football is a great pastime sport, it comes with many risks and health issues.
As an American traditional sport, football appears to be a dangerous influence upon the youth causing physical and mental restraints. In today’s society, preventative measures no longer seem to be a priority, focusing more on players and their MVP status. What worries people are possible head concussions affiliated with football itself and strategies to overcome this burden might excel by educating high school students on safety measures and forcing a regulatory guideline on students who have suffered head injuries. As serious as it sounds, concussions are not only severe to players, but can also cause long term effects.
Children at the age of 14 and under shouldn’t be able to play tackle football. So many bad things can be the result of kid getting tackled or even making a tackle. The result can be a very terrible accident in the neck area, or a concussion and brain injury near future. Physical play can also bad for the body to grow. Football is tough to sport teach.
Even though the devastation of concussions is just rising to the surface, they have always been around. In 1994, the NFL started a committee called the MTBI (Mild Traumatic Brain Injury). Dr. Elliot Pellman was appointed as chair, and he was quoted saying, “We think the issue of knees, of drugs and steroids and drinking is a far greater problem, according to the number of incidents” (Ezell). This quote shows how concussions did not hold much importance, even though it should have been the committee's main focus. This is ironic, because in today’s sport world concussions are a highly talked about topic. They hold such significance that some rules are even being changed to lower the risk for players.
Following 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...
All parents experience fear of their child playing sports due to the possible injuries a young athlete is susceptible to. ‘’Groups say they 're concerned because each year more than 60,000 high school athletes sustain a concussion. It 's an injury that temporarily affects brain function, though it may or may not cause a person to lose consciousness.’’ This statistic was generated by a group of doctors that specialize in concussion research. The increase of concussions in sports have a profound effect on athletes. Concussions rates in 2011 dramatically increased; their occurrence in athletes has increased by 200% over the recent years. With a recording of 3,800,000 concussions in 2012, it proves that change needs to occur for the safety of high school athletes.
The National Football League, since establishing it’s name in 1920, has become known for much more than just the sport. In more recent years, the news has reported on scandals involving the NFL and it’s players concerning domestic abuse, cheating scandals and most vividly the issue of concussion related deaths. From the beginning of its time, it has been no secret that football is considered a high-impact sport that comes with cause for injury, such as concussions. What was a secret was the link between concussions and brain disease. Drysdale (2013) noted a concussion occurs when “When the head is in motion and is stopped suddenly, “the skull stops, but the brain, swimming in spinal fluid, continues forward, sometimes striking the rough inner