Football teams need to be more concerned about their players suffering concussions. Most people do not even know what a concussion really is. A concussion is a bruise to the brain due to a sudden blow to the head (“Concussions in Sports”). This is one of the most common injuries in football, however, this is one of the more serious injuries. Football is a gruesome sport which is why football teams need to be on alert in case a concussion hits.
Sports teams need to be more concerned about concussions because a concussion will affect a player short and long term, it also can lead to brain disease, and after a player sustains their first concussion, they are more likely to get suffer another. Concussions will have an affect on a player short and long term. Doctors say, “People with concussions also may find it difficult to perform their daily activities, whether it is going to school or to work.
How fast people recover depends on age, state of health, the severity of the injury, and how they take care of themselves after the concussion” (Goldsmith 41). This shows how a concussion will affect someone short-term. These are some basic symptoms that help identify that someone has a concussion. People can’t see if other people have concussions, it depends on if they have difficulty performing activities. That will help someone figure out if someone really has a concussion.
This is how concussions impact players short-term, but they also have an impact on players long-term too. A former ESPN analyst said, “Several players known as hard-hitters in the 1980s, such as former linebacker Richard Wood, now suffer from migraines, disorientation and short-term memory loss” (“NFL Head Injuries) This shows the long term effects from concussions. Richard Wood formed New York Jet, even today suffers from from concussions he got when he was playing. He’s 62 right now he got his concussions 30 years ago and he still shows symptoms.
He can perform daily tasks no problem, but he sometimes forgets things and has persistent migraines. The short term and long term effects have a large impact on players, however acquiring brain diseases due to concussions is much worse. Suffering concussions over time can lead to serious brain diseases. Doctors proved that, “Recent studies have shown that head injuries sustained by NFL players can eventually lead to debilitating, chronic brain diseases such as dementia” (“NFL Head Injuries).
This is a problem because the NFL isn’t doing enough to protect their players. Yes, the players do provide entertainment for everyone, but if the NFL keeps being careless many franchise players won’t be able to play. NFL players should be better protected by the NFL so players don’t develop brain disease, and won’t have to get sidelined during games due to concussions. Doctors researched and found out that, “A total of 87 out of 91 former NFL players have tested positive for the brain disease” (“FRONTLINE”).
This shows that the NFL doesn’t protect their players enough. Only 4 former NFL players out of 91 weren’t diagnosed with concussions. The NFL needs to take better care of players so this doesn’t happen as often. Although brain diseases due to concussions are a tremendous problem, one thing that is much worse than that is a player’s chances of getting another concussion. Once a player suffers their first concussions they are more likely to develop a concussion.
Studies show, after the first concussion, the athlete is four times more likely to suffer another” (“Concussions in Sports”). This is very important because as players get more and more concussions. Eventually they will develop permanent brain damage or they will develop brain diseases. If a player does suffer their first concussion their coaches need to be very cautious so their player doesn’t suffer another. Doctors research, “The NFL averaged 5. 4 per week in 2009, 7. 6 in 2010, and 8. 4 last year” (“Concussions in Sports”).
This shows how often that concussions occur. The NFL averaged 5. 4-7. 6 of players a week suffering a concussion. That’s does not seem like a big number considering how many players there are in the NFL, but it is a big problem because the concussion is going to affect the team and fans as much as it does the player (“Concussions in Sports”). It will affect the fans because their team will not be able to see one of their favorite players play. It will affect the team because they will not have a centerpiece that helps glue the team together.
It will affect the player because he will get to see his teammates play and he will feel that he should be out there playing with his team trying to get the win. Some may argue football teams are protecting their players by redesigning the helmets, however “There is no evidence that current helmet designs can cut the risk of concussions” (“FRONTLINE”). So even if the player has the best helmet on the market, there is no chance that the helmet will cut the risk of a concussion.
