Tag Archives: concussions

Concussions vs. Fun

A huge debate has taken over the media, with the question, “Should kids be allowed to play Youth Football?” With surprisingly high concussion rates, many say youth football should be banned, due to some long term effects on kids. Recent research found that when children who play football and other contact sports suffer repeated jolts to the head, it can cause lasting damage to the developing brain. However, some parents seem to think kids should be allowed to play contact sports like football. Those parents say that it gets them physical activity, or promotes teamwork and discipline. They also say kids should be allowed to play, just for the love of the game. Some of the kids live and breathe football, and would be absolutely devastated if that right was stripped away from them. However, is fun strong enough to fight off the thousands of concussions that happen in youth football yearly?

In my opinion, kids should not be able to play football. When 2.5 million kids get concussed in four years, I think it’s a wake up call that this sport is too dangerous for kids to play. Frankly, not all the teamwork and discipline in the world can bring back all the damaged brains. Kids are constantly being stripped away of their lives just so they can have fun isn’t necessarily a good thing. More and more parents are pulling their kids out of football every year, and more people should follow. Youth football is a hazard, and it needs to be stopped.

~Kevin

Concussions in Football

I play football. I have also suffered a concussion from it. Concussions are a huge part of the sport. If you have watched more than one game, at any level, you have probably witnessed a concussion. Over the past two seasons, there has been 306 players who have suffered 323 concussions. That means multiple concussions for multiple people. Diseases like Alzheimer’s have been proven to be 35 times greater in past NFL players than everyday people. Most of this is due to concussions suffered in their career. Lots of times the player will go back into the game after suffering the head injury. And the most dangerous time after a concussion is within 10 days. This means they may suffer another one minutes after their first. This can cause the diseases.

Personally, I think their has to be better awareness if a player looks like they may have suffered a concussion. After they are diagnosed, they should still go through protocol to make sure they are ready to play the next week. When I played, I went to the doctors, and got approved to play then my coach had to make sure I was ready by increasing the amount of running and hitting I do each day. I was back playing again in less than two weeks. But most of the time players lie and say they feel fine, but really they don’t. This leads to more concussions within the same time frame, and diseases after their career. This is even bigger in youth football because children’s brains are still developing and can acquire these diseases even earlier.

~Frank

Gymnastics: Is it a Sport?

Is gymnastics a sport? Gymnastics may be one of the most hardcore, toughest sports invented. No offense football players, but the concussions that you guys get, looks like a bruise compared to the injuries gymnasts go through. A football player has to hold a football that is 10-15 ounces, where as gymnasts need to flip their ENTIRE body weight. There are 4 events. Each event is made up of different skills. Floor is made up of power, grace, flexibility, and strength. Beam is made up of balance, grace, flexibility, and, most important of all, bravery. Bars is made up of strength, and concentration. Vault requires power, and strength. Gymnastics is also scored out of 10.000. You will get points off for falling, bad form, forgetting a routine, missing a step, etc. Every single step you take makes a difference. In football, baseball and soccer, the only points that count are what your ENTIRE team scores.

When people ask me what sports I participate in, I say: “Gymnastics.” What do they reply? “That’s not a sport.” One reason it is a sport is because it is in the Olympics. Do you think that gymnastics would be in the Olympics if it wasn’t a sport? Probably not. Too many people say it isn’t a sport because it doesn’t have offense and defense. But, who cares? People consider swimming and diving a sport, yet, last time I checked, they don’t have offense or defense either. Football players get concussions, bruises, and turf burn. Gymnasts get concussions, broken bones, and bloody rips on a daily basis. When you say to a coach, “I’m injured, or I’m in pain”, they reply with a simple, yet firm, “Suck it up”. A quote I really like is:  “After a day of football a gymnast would be sore. After a day of gymnastics a football player would be dead.” I’m not saying gymnastics is better than football, just that gymnastics is just as tough as football.

~Cali

Concussions

Only over the past few years the NFL has really started to learn more about the lasting effects of concussions. The game of professional football is a very physical sport. Athletes collide with each other at full speed and take blows equivalent to the force of a 30 mph car to the head and body throughout the game. Many times they can develop concussions without even knowing about them and play the rest of the game with them. Last season there were a total of 190 concussions reported in the NFL. Over time these concussions can take effect on the brain and lead to chronic brain injuries. The NFL is facing lawsuits from former players that are claiming that the NFL covered up research about concussions in 1994. I personally think the NFL knew about concussions but didn’t care much for them until they got sued.

The NFL has taken action in order to cut down on the risk of concussions.  In 2011 they implemented new guidelines about concussions. If a player is suspected of having a concussion they will be given a test and if they fail that test then they cannot play. They must pass the test before they are able to play again. This is a good rule on the leagues part because before stars would be pressured to play with concussions because their teams depended on them in order to win. Also the fans want to see them play, but playing with a concussion can only make it worse. Another rule is that if a player’s helmet gets knocked off he must come out of the game for one play. And finally the manufacturer of the helmets for the NFL has taken action in helping to make the helmets safer for the players. The NFL has even donated $30 million dollars to research about brain related injuries. I personally think the only reason the NFL is taken action is because of the lawsuit but atleast they are doing these things to make the sport of football more safe.

~Matt Bonito

The Killer of Football

One of the biggest concerns in the world of sports, mainly football, is concussions. Out of 2,552 retired football players, 61 percent had suffered at least one concussion in their careers, according to a recent survey. Some players, such as former Philadelphia Eagles star defensive back Andre Waters, suppress their concussions for so long that they commit suicide or have depression for the rest of their lives.

Concussions are more recently caused by a single, hard head to head blows in football games instead of repeated somewhat hard blows. The necessary wait time for a player to get back on the field is one game minimum. Unfortunately, football coaches all over the country often try to put players with concussions back in too soon, which usually leads to a worse injury and, in serious cases, permanent brain damage.

In my opinion, players should never suppress concussions from coaches. If you are a great player, you and your team may pay for the decision to suppress your concussion heavily down the road. You might miss a whole season and your team will suffer a huge loss just because you made a decision you thought would help the team. Now that’s irony. Also, I think coaches should never put players with concussions in because they feel better before their week is up. They may feel better, but the conditions and symptoms may still linger. No football game is important enough to risk permanent brain damage. Clearly, concussions are dangerous and, when handled incorrectly, can truly be killers of football.

~Michael Toscano

Shame on the Game for Damaging the Brain

     When you have big and fast guys running at each other in full speed, with the attempt of hitting one another, people are going to get hurt. Unfortunately, injuries have always been a part of the NFL and it’s the commissioner (Roger Goodell) and referee’s job to reduce those injuries while maintaining the integrity of the game. This isn’t an easy task. Yet, it has to be done. Therefore, Goodell added in new rules such as;  no leading with your helmet to make a tackle, (this prevents “defenseless” players from taking hard blows above the shoulder) if a player loses his helmet during the play, it automatically ends, during field-goal and extra-point attempts the defense cannot hit the snapper because he’s in a defenseless position (from snapping the ball), and the kickoff has been moved up to the thirty-five yard line (which limits the number of returns a game).

     I agree with Roger Goodell’s decision of inserting new rules to improve the safety of the players, especially after the suicide of Junior Seau which very easily could’ve happened because of the damage concussions caused to his brain. He played for twenty seasons in the NFL and probably suffered many blows to the head. In addition, the New Orleans Saints Bounty program promoted intentional hitting of people on the head and those who hit the hardest or knocked someone out of the game would get paid additional cash. What I don’t understand is why the players are mad at Goodell for new rules. These rules could easily spare the players five to ten more years that they will live for. However, as stated in the article, “New Rules for NFL Concussions: A Good Start”, “players are not concerned about dementia many years later.  They are concerned about the next practice, the next game, the next paycheck, and the next contract.” These are the main reasons NFL players have an average life expectancy of around fifty-five years. Except this year the league is making an effort to flip that statistic around. My advice to the players, keep your mouth shut.

~Andrew Mayano

Football

Football is one of my favorite sports. It is the most physical and violent sport in the country besides possibly rugby. Football is tough and is only for athletes who are willing to take a hit and give a hit. They also have to not be afraid to go up against big guys.Football gets you in very good shape with the constant sprints and lifting. One of my favorite positions in football is running back. You have to be quick and strong to play running back. The running backs take most of the damage for a team but can also lead a team to victory with their performance.

My opinion of football is that the players of the game are in better shape than any other athlete. Many people may argue this point with a track star or a basketball player but I would disagree with them. A trackstar may be faster but not stronger. Football players are more well rounded. They have speed, strength, agility, and endurance. These are the major attributes a football player must have in order to compete.

The thing that concerns me most about football is the injury risk. Concussions are one of the most dangerous injurys a football player can get. There has been much talk about putting pads on the outside of helmets which I think is a great idea because it will prevent injury. However, many think that the pads will look dumb and it will ruin the noise the helmets make when they clash into eachother that the fans love so much.

An article from ESPN quoted “What’s needed is to rethink the helmet, making it safer for both the player who wears it and the player being hit. Here’s how: Put padding on the outside of the helmet, so the helmet stops being a weapon.” I highly agree with this quote because it would really make the players safer.

~Andrew Criscuolo

Legendary Junior Seau Found Dead

                                 

Junior Seau was a legendary former NFL football player. Junior played part of his 20 years in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and the New England Patriots. On May 2, 2012 Junior Seau committed suicide and was found in his pool house. Many believe that the cause of his death was because of severe brain injuries from too many constant blows to the head. I agree with this, for many reasons. One, I have done some research and seen videos of many athletes with brain injuries and two, when people commit suicide most of the time they shoot themselves in the head but Seau shot himself in the chest. This brought many thoughts to my head and I believe Junior did this to let the world use his brain and study it to help find safer ways to protect players’ brains in football.

　This event really touched me and brought the attention of many to the dangers of concussions and brain injuries. The brain is nothing to fool around with and I think that anytime a player gets a brain injury, that person should have to sit out a minimum of two games and after that it’s the doctor’s decision whether or not the athlete is allowed to play. A lot of players are anxious to get back on the field and do what they love but the matter of fact is that they would rather sit out an extra game than risk their whole career if they get hit in the head again. My only question is for the NFL: If they know their players have a brain injury, are they still sending them out on the field to play?

~Chris Hillburn

High Number of Concussions in Girls’ Soccer?

Fifteen-year-old Allison Kasacavage suffered from debilitating concussions while playing soccer.She is one of hundreds of girls across America who each year suffer concussions while playing soccer.Girls make up 48 percent of the US youth soccer league. Studies show girls are reporting nearly twice as many concussions as boys in the youth soccer division.The number of girls suffering concussions in soccer accounts for the second largest amount of all concussions reported by young athletes.

What is the cause of these concussions?

When heading, players attempt to use their head to direct the ball, often jumping with opposing players which  can lead to collisions between players, therefore resulting in bumped heads and strained necks. Dr.Cantu says that heading is the most dangerous move in soccer because of the collisions that may occur between players. It wasn’t until Allison had her first serious head injury that her parents realized what a big problem concussions can be in soccer.The big question now is: should heading be banned from girls’ soccer?

~ Sarah Zarra