Concussions In Football

Concussions in football have become one of the most popular stories in the sports world today. During a concussion, a person’s brain hits the back of their skull and stuns their head. The brain then proceeds to bruise. This is a very serious issue, and should be handled professionally. Concussions usually take place on helmet to helmet contact or when a players head hits the ground hard. It is hard to prevent concussions from happening in the game because the players are not trying to hurt each other usually. The majority of the concussions that take place in football are accidental, but there are a few cases where players are trying to hurt opposing players. The National Football League pays players based on games played in a season, and players

One story that the book relates to is Tyler Sash. Tyler was a former safety at the University of Iowa who played for the Hawkeyes from 2008-2011. He suffered from multiple concussions while playing the game he loves. Sash forwent his senior season and was drafted by the New York Football Giants. He played in the National Football League until he took his own life by overdosing on painkillers. Tyler Sash suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy; Sash was twenty-seven years old at the time of his death. The author provides real life examples to help the audience understand how serious concussions can be. Dr. Culverhouse wins her audience over from this emotional event. Throwaway Players is full of real life struggles that player after player went through in the National Football League. Brett Favre, Terry Bradshaw, Ben Roethlisberger, and Steve Young are just a few of the names that are brought up by Dr. Culverhouse. All of those players were high quality NFL quarterbacks in their times in the NFL. What do they all have in common? Concussions, they have all had concussions, multiple concussions. Those men are now at a significantly higher risk to develop dementia than the average person at their

It’s not dangerous to play with a concussion. You’ve got to sacrifice for the sake of the team. The only way to come out is on a stretcher.” (Culverhouse 68).” Dr. Culverhouse included this quote because it shows where it all goes wrong. She responded by saying, “What seventeen or eighteen year old has the medical experience to make these decisions, (Culverhouse 68).” Gay is trying her best to raise awareness for the concussion crisis. She believes young football players are too uneducated to understand the importance of rest during concussions. Culverhouse also talks about the human brain and how it develops well past high school. These kids should understand the importance of how a concussion can affect a person later in life. Culverhouse firmly believes that no twenty year old should have to suffer from constant headaches, brain damage, depression, memory loss, and fuzzy thinking at such a young age. “Poor management of high school players’ concussions isn’t just a football issue. It’s a matter of public health, (Culverhouse 69).” She is saying that the issue is bigger than football. There comes a point in time where a person needs to go what is best for them, not best