Football Concussions

Marcus Thomas

Professor Brodsky

Eng 214

16SEP2016

Football Concussions

This paper will discuss the dangers of playing football, and the effects of head trauma that playing the sport can cause. Many former players are now suing the NFL stating that the league knew about and hid concussion research, and the damage that it can cause. Many exNFLers have even resorted to suicide as a means to end their suffering. CTE which is a neuro degenerative disorder caused by repeated blows to the head have been found in autopsies performed on players who committed suicide. We will discuss if the NFL is doing enough to highlight the dangers of concussions, and we will also discuss whether or not parents should let their kids take part in football.

To the football fan the game is a sport and it is entertainment, but to the player on the field it is anything but a game. The sport is predicated upon how much violence you can inflict upon your opponent. A player’s aim is to impose his will on the opposing player, and the opposing player is seeking to do the exact same thing. Football forces players to have a gladiatorial mentality, and playing with dizziness and wooziness from a head hit is part of the process. Often times a player will not voluntarily remove himself from a game out of fear for his job, or his desire to help his team win. This was on full display during Thursday night’s NFL season opener. In the NY Times article NFL say’s refs missed Cam Newton Head hits. Lee Igel an associate of medical ethics division at NYU Lagone medical center states “In a way, the Cam Newton situation is the latest example to personify how tough it is for the N.F.L. to figure this out going forward,”. Igel recognizes the fact that players will not voluntarily remove themselves from a contest and the onus is on the NFL. This raises the question of how will the NFL detect a head injury. Igel went on to state “It’s medical interests versus business interests. Because there are enough different factors weighing in, it looks unsolvable.” This reinforces the notion that players routinely are more concerned about leading their respective teams to victory as opposed to their health. This mentality can manifest at an early age. High school players will often times hide concussions in order to not harm their chances of receiving a football scholarship. Unfortunately, playing through concussions and not acknowledging it can double the recovery times. In the article Playing with concussions double recovery time Tad Seifert, a neurologist and director of the Sports Concussion Program for Norton Healthcare, in Louisville, KY outlines “The developing brain has been shown to be more vulnerable to head trauma, and may cause physiological damage that may be permanent”.

Personally I am well aware of the dangers of playing football. I played 4 years in high school where I went from being 3rd string in my freshmen year to a Orleans parish all-star my senior year. I also played 2 years at Grossmont junior college in San Diego, and spent a summer working out with the city college of SF rams where I sustain a fractured finger in which I am still recovering from. Although football is physically dangerous it teaches discipline and hard work. Moreover, it fosters a warrior like mentality within the players that will assist them in their journey through life.