NFL Concussions

Sports fans still believes that NFL is still hiding many facts about concussion amongst players. With fans’ urges to find the truth, many media sources interview ex-football players, doctors, and concussion victims to spread the truth about the NFL and actual effects. With testimonies from the concussion victims, awareness of concussion through the media helps facilitate the change in the NFL with regards to concussion protocols. According to John Shockey from DePaul University, he writes, “The increase in media framing of the NFL concussion crisis has made the issue important to the public and made them sympathize with the athletes and their families” (“Media Framing of the NFL Concussion Crisis Is Changing the Culture of the NFL”). Shockey

In addition to media coverage, I believe that fans and media should encourage NFL to create a better mental health program to help ex-NFL players and NFL should accept the proposition. While immediate effects of concussion such as nausea, headache, and vomiting, the players must worry more about long-term mental health issues including depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and other traumatic brain injuries. While many current and former players acknowledge the fact about long-term effects of concussion, not many players have enough money or connections to analyze their brains to check and recover from those mental issues. If NFL and other sports organizations create a great mental health program for current and ex-players suffering from concussion, the idea of concealment and distrust of those organizations will disappear by good deeds and create a philanthropic company figure for the

According to the New York Times journalist Alan Schwarz, he suggests, “The N.F.L.’s concussion studies have faced questions since they were published” (“N.F.L.’s Flawed Concussion Research and Ties to Tobacco Industry”). The NFL has formed a committee to conduct researches on concussions and its effects, although many data and researches are flawed and concealed from the public. Alan Schwarz also commented, “Confidential data obtained by The Times shows that more than 100 diagnosed concussions were omitted from the studies” (Schwarz). In order for NFL to fully gain profit without any backlashes on “not conducting a research” from the public, the NFL decided to create a study based on falsified information and omitted data. As a result, fans and even doctors was unaware of the situation on concealment. Because many doctors and researchers were part of the NFL teams, they could not defy the NFL and were forced to forge the data. In order to fix the forgery, independent researchers and physicians who are not affiliated with the NFL must conduct a transparent research to show actual research on concussions in the NFL. Since concussion issues are newly introduced, more reliable and thorough information is needed for players to safely prevent long-term brain injuries. With NFL’s pseudo logical data, the prevention and