Concussions Should Not Be Allowed To Play Football

For example, “Concussions have been a concern for professional athletes, but they’ve become more common among youth players too. Between 2001 and 2009, the number of kids under 19 visiting emergency rooms for concussions each year increased by 62 percent.” (Source #1). If kids didn’t play football, then nobody would have to worry about kids damaging their brain. Another example, “In many sports, physical contact is part of the game. But when athletes hit their heads, the impact can shake up their brains and cause concussions.

This is why people need to have the proper gear. "By the time they get to high school, kids have a 5% chance of sustaining a concussion for each season they play" (Zimmerman). If they choose to keep playing football then they will eventually end up with a brain concussion or brain damage. Over the years 65-80% of head injuries go unnoticed ("Stopping the..."58). Football player ignore the fact that it is just a headache.

However, these injuries tend to occur less in the field which implies they mainly occur later outside the field. The American Journal of sports of Medicine has in fact reported that in almost a thousand High School footballs, four of them have had brain injuries. The research done therefore indicates that in every 1,000 games around four players were injured. The public has come to learn that most of these injuries occur in High Schools hence it’s surprising and shocking. Young boys suffer from concussions while trying to lift their organizations.

It isn't a secret that football is a dangerous sport, one of the common injuries are concussions, even though helmets are worn. The cause of these injuries is due to head trauma which in turn causes concussions. Too many could cause an impact to the brain called degenerative brain disease. "Each year in the United States, an estimated 1.1 to 1.9 million sports- and recreation-related concussions occur among children aged 18 years and younger. 1–3 Potential long-lasting effects of concussions on developing brains include decreased physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep health."

In 2006 Boston Children's Hospital and the leader of sports concussions Doctor William Meehan says "Given the number of kids who play, I would be really surprised if there is an increased risk. He also says "we are talking millions of players who would be suffering from this. I don’t want people to stop playing the sport due to something that is a low, low risk." The low risk of concussions is not the only reason you should let your kids play football. For the love of the game, football is Americas most popular sport.

In my research I found that helmets were not mandatory until the 30’s which left a lot of players open to injury especially when half the players were wearing helmets and the other half were not while playing on the field. A concussion is a disturbance in brain function that occurs following either a blow to the head or as a result of the violent shaking of the head. Common symptoms of concussions include headache, amnesia, confusion, pressure in the head, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, ringing in the ears, slurred speech, sensitivity to light or noise, fatigue.

In Source A “Hard Knocks” it states, “NFL acknowledged publicly for the first time that concussions suffered while playing football can lead to long-term negative health effects. Last year, the NFL revealed that it expects nearly a third of retired players to develop permanent brain impairments.” This is very crucial to the reason why I feel that getting rid of recreational sports is a good solution to the problems that it is causing because the National Football League is saying that concussions can lead to head problems and also brain problems in the long term. This is important because it shows us that players are getting hurt very frequently and that if this continues there will be a massive number of people with brain

In the recent years, doctors and players are giving more attention to concussions due to increased awareness, of the effects caused by repeated concussions. Furthermore, no sport is immune to concussions every sport has concussion related injuries. As a result, one out five high school athletes suffers a sports concussion. Thus, impacts the student athlete tremendously as they become a sideline watcher. In the

The pressure put on kids to perform from coaches, parents, and peers is a lot, and can lead an athlete to put a sports team over their own health. According to Dr. Aaron Karlin, the Director of the Concussion Management Program at Ochsner, “A concussion won’t appear on a CAT scan or MRI, as it is a functional injury to the brain”(Ochsner). Due to the fact that these injuries do not show up on scans, it is completely up to the injured athlete and anyone surrounding them to report any symptoms after a big hit. Although this may sound simple, some athletes ignore symptoms to stay in the game or to return quicker after already being taken out. In a report from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council it stated this,” There is still a culture among athletes that resists both the self- reporting of concussions and compliance with appropriate concussion management plans” (Hoffman).

However, football is also known for inevitable injuries that can change a player’s life forever. Therefore, football is not worth the risk. Although statistics and personal experiences prove that football is not worth the risk, some believe that football can build better lives. Statistics show the dangers of football, including the fact that “in 2014, more than 9,500 concussions were reported among high school football players in the U.S.” This shows how football can have a negative effect on young players.