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Concussions in the national football league
Concussions in the national football league
Nfl concussion research
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Many memories are made in football, but sadly some of the greatest players cannot recall them. The National Football League has been associated with concussions and brain traumas throughout the years, but lately it has been exposed by media and NFL veterans. The league recently “reached a $765 million preliminary settlement with thousands of former players who were suing the league over its treatment of concussions…” (Waldron). Many former players are experiencing the effects of taking hard hits over and over again; they were not properly treated, which makes the injury worse and long term. The concussion issue in the NFL is more prevalent today, because it affects not only the players, but the league as a whole. 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. One of the earliest players to bring awareness to brain traumas was Mike Webster, a former Pittsburgh Steeler. In April of 1999, he claimed to be disabled with the NFL Retirement Board. He also had dementia which was a result of the brutal hits he endured during his football career. Webster ran into many problems at the e... ... middle of paper ... ...eb. 06 Nov. 2013. "Heads Up Concussions in Football." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. McClement , John . "Should Sport Officials Enforce Concussion Rules?."SIRS. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. McGrath, Ben. "Does Football Have a Future?" SIRS. The Conde Nast Publications, Inc., 30 Jan. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. Mihoces, Gary. "Redirect Notice." Redirect Notice. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. Pennington, Bill. "A New Way to Care for Young Brains." SIRS. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. Smith, Stephanie. "What Will Happen to Former NFL Player's Brain?" CNN. Cable News Network, 26 Feb. 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. Waldron, Travis. "What Does The NFL’s Concussion Settlement Mean For The Future Of Football?" ThinkProgress RSS. ThinkProgress, n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2013.
The average NFL player takes up to 1,000 blows to the head throughout their football career. Some of those blows can have the force of a sledgehammer (“RealNatural”). Based on a research study by Dr. Jesse David, there were 265 concussions reported in the 2012 season, during the 2011 season there were 266 concussions, and 270 concussions in 2010 season (Kacsmar). It has been known that repeated blows to the head can cause long-term brain damage since at least the 1950’s, long before most of the NFL players had begun their careers (“RealNatural”). Past infractions of the NFL have already resulted in over 4,500 forme...
Football is a very violent sport. There is a lot of concern over the risks posed by hits that injure the head and potentially the brain. The players say they have suffered one or more brain injuries. They want the NFL and helmet maker, Riddell, to set up and pay for medical monitoring and treatment programs for all former, current and future NFL players. Liberals are big supporters of the respect for human dignity. In that case, the NFL tentatively agreed to pay $765 million to past players with health problems that can be caused by concussions. Although research and progress within the scientific and medical communities is understandably slow, the same could be said about the NFL's response to concussions and the dangers they pose to new research reveals new findings. However, some liberals believe that it has taken to long for the NFL to respond to the perceived crisis and its attempt to regulate the concussion treatments which could eventually lead to players ...
Mr. Webster would even ask to be tased because he could not fall asleep. Eventually, Mr. Webster became homeless and medications did not help him function. In the year 2000, Mike Webster issued a lawsuit to the NFL stating that football caused his head trauma, dementia, brain damage, and cognitive issues. During this lawsuit, the NFL denied all allegations and in 2002, Mike Webster died.
Injuries are a huge part in professional sports. When playing a professional sport athletes do not always take into consideration that their bodies are vulnerable to injuries. One of the leading injuries that can end athlete’s career is concussion. According Kia Boriboon author of the article “Concussion Management In Football: Don 't Shake It Off” concussion occurs when the brain repeatedly collides with the skull. Concussions are serious and cannot be taken lightly they are detrimental to a person’s athletic career as well as life. Players who have suffered from a concussion or like symptoms of a concussion are at risk and should not continue playing their sport until cleared by a medical doctor, who is an expert in concussions. If concussions are not treated with the appropriate medical care, it can cause physical and mental health problems for athletes well after their professional career have ended. In
There were 2,350 participants in this study with each player being enrolled in any one of the Ivy League schools, University of Virginia, or University of Pittsburgh. Players who experienced a mild head injury during practice or a game were removed from the field to be examined and assessed for “cognitive and psychosocial dysfunction through the use of neuropsychological techniques and self reported questionnaires up to four times after injury” (Barth, et al., 1989). In order for a player to be diagnosed with a mild head injury, he must have had either a head contact injury or a complete loss of consciousness that lasted under two minutes and displayed some sort of memory and/or attention deficient. The results of Barth’s study showed that there were 195 documented mild head injuries. Of these injuries, 56% of them occurred during a game, as opposed to during practice. The players who received the most injuries were the offense linemen followed by the defensive back and then the defensive lineman. The most common activity in which players sustained a mild head injury was by blocking an opponent and the most common mechanism of injury was a helmet-to-helmet collision. A headache was the number one symptom reported by players who experienced a concussion (Barth, et al.,
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.
The world of sports is filled with great memories, grand moments and at times complete mayhem. There are moments like hitting a Home Run in game 7 of the World Series or memories of scoring an overtime goal during the Stanley Cup finals. However, there are also incredibly low moments when mayhem occurs such as an action or incident that results in a concussion. An injury such as a concussion can ruin your sports career or potentially your ability to function normally in the future. Concussions are caused by blunt force trauma to the head, a fall or an injury that shakes the brain inside the skull. Recovering from a concussion can take weeks, months or even years to heal. For some, it can impair your mental or mobility functions for life.
Concussions occur regularly on the football field and have always been an injury associated with football. They occur at all levels from little league to the NFL. One of the earliest reported concussion...
The NFL (National Football League) up until recent years has intentionally tried to cover up the long term effects of concussions on the brain. Is been hidden from the athletes at all levels youth through professional. Many player’s lives were changed and some lost as a result. Dr. Bennet Omalu was the first to shed light on the long term effects of multiple concussions on football players. Players like”NFL” Hall of Famer Mike Webster who suffered from dementia and passed away at the age of fifty. He became the first player to be diagnosed with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) by Dr. Omalu. As well as players at the youth level like Zackery Lystedt who suffered a concussion and was sent back into play he now suffers from permanent brain
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?
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.
According to Jason M. Breslow, players that receive repetitive blows to the head while playing football are more susceptible to life-threatening health concerns after their respective playing careers. Breslow’s decision to speak out about this controversial topic in his article with PBS may be extremely valuable with regards to recent legal actions filed against the National Football League, the NFL. This article may also be critical to those people who are debating whether to continue their playing careers, and to those who are considering picking up the sport for the first time. Breslow initiates the conversation by pointing out that an astronomical amount of NFL players who reported deteriorating conditions such as memory loss and depression
Recently, they have made a movie of major injuries it is called concussion. In this movie they show former football players who have had concussions and what it is like after having one. In ‘Concussion,’ forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu discovers a neurological deterioration, something that is very similar to Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of former NFL football player, Mike Webster. Later in time, Omalu named this disorder chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Many other athletes face this same problem with the same disease in the brain. Doctors are still trying to raise public awareness about the dangers of football-related head trauma. This movie has been a big part in changing the rules of football and how it is played. Researcher for CNN, Dr. Julian Bailes has said that, “We are taking out unnecessary head contact out of the sport, out of practice. We're enforcing rule changes," Not only has the movie ‘Concussion’ made an impact on how they feel about getting rid of the game of football overall but it also has many people in agreement, such as well-known doctors, that the game is a dangerous sport. Football players know that the game is a hard contact sport; they have to take every hit, hard or soft. These athletes that have been injured know what the game is about and all of the rules that go along with it. Therefore, the injuries that happen to them are on them if they sign up to play football, not because of the
From bright lights, big hits, and postgame interviews, to television commercials, team comradery, and multimillion-dollar deals. What comes next? Depression. Memory loss. Suicide. It’s not a strict protocol that fits every mold, however, the future lifestyle of a former player in the National Football League consists of constant medical exams and the inability to “access your entire brain” (Weller 47). Football has consistently had issues with head injuries no matter what level it is being played at and the NFL is a league filled with violent collisions from some of the world’s most athletically gifted players. Players are progressively being diagnosed with significant brain trauma due to the size and athleticism of the players in a game that is constantly evolving in terms of the speed and velocity at which these humans are colliding. But “can we make it more of an Indy 500 and less of a demolition derby?” (King 6). “Players are too fast and too strong to think they can hit each other in the head over and over and think they’ll keep walking away unharmed” (4). The effects of the collisions are far more impactful than the instant headache the player
Concussions are a major issue in football today. Many things are being done to prevent them, but some people don't think it is enough. New helmets are being made for concussion prevention, and the NFL is creating new rule changes to protect the players. There is also a lot of medical research being done on the topic of brain injuries.