The threat of injury has become a cause for great concern among sports organizations across the world. Local leagues are struggling to find enough people to play, and professional organizations face lawsuits from former players dealing with the consequences of injuries. Concussions and injuries in sport are becoming a major concern for both athletes and parents alike. The uproar created by the media on this issue has caused many parents and children to question the dangers of their own sports. This essay will analyze the effect that injuries have had on participation among youth in both contact and non-contact sports. The world of contact sports faces serious concerns if these safety hazards remain a problem. Concussions and injuries in sport …show more content…
Some experience traumatizing blows such as a torn ACL or a broken bone, others just a sprained ankle or a muscle contusion. The truth about contact sports is that the risk to have a life changing injury is always there. In the United States alone more than 3 million kids between the ages of 3-19 are treated in the hospital for sports related injuries every year. Basketball is another sport that faces serious threat due to the risk of injuries. In the past five years kids aged 6-18 are playing less and less basketball. There was a drop of almost 700,000 kids over the short 5 year time span. The drop in popularity can be directly correlated to basketball having the third highest injury rates of any sport. Basketball presents major risks on long term health in areas such as the knees, ankles, hips and teeth. The overall risk of sustaining a major injury, such as a torn ACL or MCL, is quite high compared to other sports. Basketball is a sport that is struggling to maintain participation levels due to the high risk of suffering one of these major injuries that can plague athletes throughout their entire adult …show more content…
It became evident that contact sports were beginning to feel the repercussions of injuries and non-contact sports were reaping the benefits. Injury rates in football had a major effect on the popularity among youth and the sport in general. The head trauma experienced from former players is causing many parents to doubt whether they should put their kids in the game. Football is a sport that faces serious questions about its future due to injuries. The game is going to struggle to remain on top as people try to keep their kids away from playing and people stop finding it exciting to watch. Basketball also saw a decrease in popularity in recent years. Although basketball doesn’t face the same concussion risks as football, basketball faces high injury rates in the knees, ankles and hips. The injuries sustained in basketball can lead to long term health consequences. Participation in non-contact sports has increased as a result of the increase in concern over the safety of contact sports. Swimming has increased rapidly over the last 6 years to become the most popular sport in Canada. It is one of the major indicators that people are beginning the transition from contact to non-contact
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.
Children who are active recklessly engage in activities where injuries can occur. Nobody can predict when or how seriously anybody will get injured during an activity, however, the risks of children playing tackle football is prevalent where the dangers are imminent. The game of tackle football on a youth level is dangerous for children since they are developing physically and mentally. According to an article from The Atlantic, “America’s most dangerous football is in the peewee leagues, not the National Football League” (Barra, 2013). According to a journal article, “sports injuries account for approximately 23% of pediatric emergency department injury related visits” (Podberesky, Unsell & Anton, 2009). “Of these sports injury-related
150,000 players less than basketball. Injury’s that players get are not that serious, such as
Nonetheless, some parents are still very reluctant to put their kids in football or rugby. This, I believe, is why high contact sports could eventually perish. Fewer and fewer kids are playing sports each year where there is an elevated risk of a head injury or concussion. (Paine) Parents do not want to gamble with their children’s mental ability and thus deny their children the opportunity to participate in high contact sports. In some sports, they have changed all sorts of rules and almost completely changed the game to ensure player safety. For instance, Hockey Canada called for a rule change to delay body checking in minor hockey. Instead of having the kids learn how to hit in PeeWee (ages 11-12), they have pushed it back an age group to Bantam (Ages 13-15). (CBC Sports) Parents were becoming too nervous about placing their children into a sport where there was hitting or hard body interaction for absolutely no reason. Why spend thousands of dollars for your child to play a contact sport and risk having them injured when there is little chance of making it as a professional athlete. Essentially, contact sports are becoming less popular among younger children and
Since football’s inception, it has been considered a manly sport. Young boys have been encouraged by their parents to participate in the game. For many boys, it is considered a rite of passage. However, football is a dangerous sport. A study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy found, “an estimated 5.25 million football-related injuries among children and adolescents between 6 and 17 years of age were treated in U.S. emergency departments between 1990 and 2007. The annual number of football-related injuries increased 27 percent during the 18-year study period, jumping from 274,094 in 1990 to 346,772 in 2007” (Nation 201). These reported injuries include sprains and strains, broken bones, cracked ribs, torn ligaments, and concussions. A concussion usually happens when a player takes a hard hit to the head or is knocked unconscious on the playing field, and if not diagnosed and treated quickly, a concussion can result in death.
Recreational 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. Concussions occur time after time throughout different sporting events and many are familiar with the word concussion, but what really is a concussion?
Struggling to maintain consciousness as well as retain my vision after embracing a brutal hit enforced from an opposing player really makes me question the seriousness of football related trauma. How many injuries does it take until it really matters? For me, after having experience with concussions, I came to the realization that the positive externalities of football do not make up for the numerous negative externalities. Football, as well as any other contact sport, can be very dangerous and potentially threatening to a persons overall health and future.
Within the past year, the NFL has finally acknowledged for the first time the link between football and CTE after denying it for years; and getting hit with countless lawsuits from former players that filed for personal injuries lawsuit and compensation claims.
The first way to prevent sports injuries is by educating people about it. In most sports today concussions are the main injury. “Wear the appropriate equipment for the sport and wear it properly”(BIANJ Sports Concussions). Head to head accidents happen a lot in sports, especially football,hockey,soccer,
Sports are a great way for children to get out and be active. Some sports, like football, are very physical and could cause injuries to occur. One of the most serious injuries that can happen is a concussion. Concussions are head injuries that occur after a blow or jolt to the head. Symptoms of concussions include dizziness, blurred vision, vomiting, etc. Playing contact sports is just a known risk the parents and kids will have to be willing to take in order to participate such activities. Some parents do not want their children to participate in sports because they fear that they will get hurt. Other parents just take the risks because they want their children to learn to compete at an early age. Concussions are very serious conditions that
Paddock, Catharine. "Young Athletes: Injuries And Prevention." Medical News Today. MediLexicon International Ltd, 9 Aug. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
More than 38 million children and adolescents participate in organized sports in the United States each year. The most sports related injuries in kids are scrapes and bruises, brain and spinal injuries, teeth, ankles, knees, ACL, eyes, pulled muscles, sunburn and broken bones.... ... middle of paper ... ...
“Kids will be kids”, there is no situation in which this is saying is more true than in sports. Sports such as football and Baseball are some of the most popular among students and adults alike, and injuries while playing these games are extremely common. Tears, broken bones, and even head trauma are some of the most common- and dangerous- injuries. Thousands of children are injured every year from these sports injuries, and this could be prevented by implementing one single measure, not allowing young people to join tackle football teams. Young people should not be allowed to play tackle football, as studies have shown that the head injuries they sustain could impact their physical health in the future, because incurring head injuries at a young age can damage their mental health, and because the risk or serious injury is increased.
Have you ever gotten injured while playing a competitive sport? According to Stanford Children’s Health, there are more than 3.5 million sport injuries a year. Playing competitive sports has been debated about a lot lately. Some argue that competitive sports increase drug use, increases injuries, and causes stress. Others argue that competitive sports aren't dangerous and keep kids active.
It 's been outrageous , how many kids get injured per year playing youth sports for school and organizations. The youth who play sports receive plenty medical attention throughout the year due to injuries cause from actions made occuring in games. Health plays a big part in sports because if your are are not healthy many things can go wrong with the body including dehydration, heart problems , and muscle spasm. Playing a sport can be very hard to juggle with school and also getting talked down by coaches and parents. Dehydration is a high possibility because of outside sports that happen in the spring/summer and playing and practicing in humid conditions that you are not well prepared for can be bad and there will be consequences. Parents and