High school athletes need someone who is concerned about them, not the number of wins and losses throughout the season. Many sports coaches start the season with having the best intentions for the athletes, however, as the season progresses on the goals and motivation can begin to change due to the competitive nature. The important protocols and safety guidelines will sometimes be overlooked if the coach is unaware of signs and desperate for the win. Scott Sailor, the President of the National Athletic Trainer 's Association states, “We look at the big picture and whether what they are doing is going to be in their best interest or create more problems later on. Our job is to bring everyone together with the health of the athlete as the No. 1 priority..." (Sailor). Sailor described how often times when teams make it into play-off and championship play, the coaches will tend to judge the players’ …show more content…
If the coaches do not know the proper signs and symptoms for a concussion then they are most likely to believe the athlete, overlook the symptoms, and let them continue playing. The board of directors for the 2015-2016 National Athletic Trainers Association has been announcing their two focuses for this year are to: strengthen the athletes knowledge on concussions, as well as strengthening coaches and parents knowledge. The board stated, due to the significant impact of concussions and the constantly changing safety techniques, they are trying to produce the best teams possible to handle situations (Cournoyer). From the survey conducted, which contained concussion awareness information, it was found out of the one hundred sixty six people who participated eighty eight percent felt athletes should be knowledgeable about concussions, ninety three percent said athletes should be knowledgeable, and ninety one percent said coaches as well should be