Concussions In Sports Analysis

In 2015, the NFL reported 271 concussions through practices, games, and workouts in the 2015 season alone (Breslow). The NFL is the most popular sport in the US (McGarry and Schwartz). It’s competitiveness and excitement were all people focused on until players recognized the true effects concussions can have on a player. Today, only a handful of players come out and speak about the problem, addressing their concerns. The cost of speaking out could be that you would lose respect from your teammates and coaches, as they are trying to preserve a game that they love. The benefit of speaking out would be the change that followed in order to reduce head injuries. It is very important to bring awareness to this issue so that the NFL can make

The NFL was still in denial of the epidemic, and that put many players in serious danger. Unfortunately, Seau is just one of the many players that suffer from this brain condition. Dave Duerson was a safety that was a part of the 85’ Bears team. Duerson went on to win one more Super Bowl, and get elected to four straight Pro Bowls. Duerson, also, reportedly suffered ten concussions in his eleven seasons in the NFL (Fox News). Just to put that in perspective, experts today say that if an athlete has three concussions in a lifetime, they should no longer play any contact sport (KnowConcussion.org). The very fact that Duerson was allowed to continue playing after 10 concussions just emphasizes the fact of how corrupt the NFL was, and still is, on concussions. Duerson went on the kill himself later in his life. The New York Times reported that hours before he killed himself, he sent text messages to his family, requesting that his brain tissue be examined for research (Schwarz). His brain showed clear evidence of brain damage due to the trauma it went through (Fox News). The terrifying concept of this problem is that an alarming number of retired players could be in the same position as these two; an article from the Washington Post wrote “more than 40

If the NFL is prompted to explore new technology in order to make the game safer, that could have a huge effect of the number of people with brain disorder following their career. Many players have experienced these life threatening disorders that cause tragic results. Frank Wycheck was a tight-end who played for the Redskins for the majority of his career. Wycheck was interviewed following an NFL concussion case settlement. He called it a “joke”(Red), and explained how he, himself, suffered from CTE. He explained how for years, he has been battling his concerns, anxiety, thoughts of suicide, and depression following his career (Red). Frank Wycheck is a prime example of why players must speak out. In order to save hundreds of innocent people from terrible mind-altering diseases, the game must change. Today’s players are going down the exact same road as many retired players. Bo Jackson, one of the greatest players to play the game, was voicing his concerns for the football players of today to ESPN; “The person I love in the NFL like my own son is Cam Newton. I cuss him out like my own son. But every time he takes a hit to his head, that scares me, it scares the hell out of me”(Newton). Bo Jackson was a two sport athlete. He played two professional sports, football and baseball. Many consider him to be one of the greatest