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Dustin Page

Professor Moore

ENGL-1302

31 March 2017

The Concussion Epidemic in Football

In the sport of football, traumatic brain injuries such as concussions has drastically

affected athletes of all ages and has had a significant impact on how the game is played.

Concussions in football is not a new discovery, rather it has been a serious issue since the sport

first began. Over the years, the NFL and the NCAA have attempted to resolve the concussion

issue by improving equipment, adding concussion protocols, and making rule changes to ensure

safety at all levels of the sport. Although these improvements made by the professional and

collegiate levels are making a difference, the area of the sport that needs significant change is

youth football due to the developing brains of the young athletes. Understanding what a

concussion is and how it is diagnosed, the history of the concussion crisis, and the effects a

concussion can have on the individual later in life is important to help educate the athletes and

their families of the dangers in the sport of football.

In all sports, it is important to understand what a concussion is and how to diagnose the

injury to ensure the brain can properly heal itself without risking further injury. A concussion is

defined as a trauma-induced change in mental statusoften caused by a blow to the head or a

sudden jolt or shaking of the head (Robinson, par. 1). In an article written by Richard

Robinson, he states that playing contact sports puts athletes at a significantly higher risk of

suffering at least one or more concussions. There are many different symptoms commonly

associated when suffering a concussion such as headaches, dizziness, confusion, ringing in the
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ears, and double vision to name a few. When diagnosing a concussion, there are three different

levels which are used to determine the severity of the injury: grade 1 which can be treated with

rest and the individual can return to sport the same day, grade 2 the individual cannot return to

the sport that day and must see a doctor, and grade 3 the individual must be examined by a

doctor on the scene or be evaluated in an emergency room. It is vital for athletes and their

families to recognize the severity of concussions and the damage the injury can cause while

playing football if not treated properly.

The long history of the concussion crisis began in the early years of football during 1906

and has continued to be a serious issue to this day. Football is arguably known as one of the

most dangerous and deadly sports in America and the athletes who play the sport are aware of

these dangers. According to the article The First Concussion Crisis written by Emily A.

Harrison, in 1906 concussions were occurring in almost every game without the players

themselves even noticing the injury. The sport has evolved over the years making significant

improvements to the equipment, implementing new rules, and enforcing concussion protocols to

reduce the impact of the injury in football. For example, football helmets have evolved from

being a leather helmet with little protection to a hard-shell helmet with a protective facemask and

chin strap. Regarding rules preventing concussions in football, the NCAA has been the most

proactive by enforcing an automatic ejection of the guilty player for head to head contact.

However, the NCAA does not require a universal return-to-play policy that each university must

follow. Each university can choose their own return-to-play policy guidelines which could vary

between being strict or lenient. This is evident in the case of Matt Scott who was the starting

quarterback at the University of Arizona. In 2012, Arizona played its biggest game of the season

when they faced off against the University of Southern California who was the ninth ranked team
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in the country. Quarterback Matt Scott was sandwiched by two USC players taking a hit to the

back and front of his head after attempting to slide to the ground on a running play. Scott was

slow to get up, quickly grabbed his head, and threw up shortly after taking the vicious hit.

Arizona called a timeout, briefly examined Scott, and immediately put him back in the game.

Three plays later, Scott threw the game winning touchdown pass that secured the upset victory

for Arizona. Following the touchdown pass, the Arizona coaching staff finally pulled Scott from

the game, he threw up again on the sidelines, and the team doctors gave Scott a sideline test for

further evaluation. If Scott would have suffered a serious injury following his concussion and

decided to sue the University of Arizona for failing to properly treat his injury, under the

Universitys current return-to-play policy, Scott would have been able to make a strong case.

The NFL has enforced a strict concussion protocol that the athlete must successfully pass before

returning to the field. Although the NFL enforces a removal and return-to-play policy, this

policy does not apply to private schools and youth football organizations such as Pop Warner.

While Pop Warner football is not required to enforce the NFLs removal and return-to-play

policy, they do follow similar regulations to prevent further injury in the sport. Like the rules

implemented by the NFL, Pop Warner football has started limiting unnecessary contact in

practices throughout the season to decrease the risk of significant injury. In order to reduce the

amount of concussions in football, researchers must look at the history of the injury throughout

the sport and make the necessary changes to ensure the game is as safe as possible.

Concussions in football can have a significant impact on an athletes health later in life

and can also cause permanent damage to the brain depending on how many concussions they had

throughout their career. There are few studies that have been conducted to research the

permanent effects that a concussion can have on an individual after retiring from their respective
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sport. One of these studies which was conducted by Nigel S. King and Simon Kirwilliam, found

that the most common permanent symptoms of a concussion were fatigue, poor concentration,

sleep disturbance, taking longer to think, and irritability. In 2006, the NFL and league

commissioner Roger Goodell held a concussion summit which was the first of its kind in league

history. Although this was an important step in acknowledging the issue, it was not until 2009

that the NFL officially recognized the link between concussions and brain disease. Since 2011,

former NFL players sued the NFL claiming that they were not properly informed about the

dangerous and life-long effects concussions can have on an athlete after retiring from the sport.

In an article written by Daniel S. Goldberg, he states that there is mounting medical data linking

repeated concussions to brain disease coupled with the NFLs historically inadequate

management of concussions (Goldberg 809). Recently, the NFL has taken important steps to

tackle the concussion issue by publicly endorsing legislation concerning concussion laws, being

active in informing the public about concussions, and donating $30 million to the medical field

to research concussions. While research is still being conducted regarding the permanent effects

of a concussion, athletes need to understand how dangerous concussions can be and take

appropriate precautions to ensure they live a healthy life.

Since football is such a dangerous sport, it is crucial for athletes to understand what a

concussion is and how it is diagnosed, the history of the concussion crisis, and the effects a

concussion can have on them later in life. A concussion is caused by significant brain trauma

and can be diagnosed with symptoms such as headaches, confusion, and dizziness. Historically

the concussion crisis has been associated with football from the beginning and has forced the

sport to evolve over the years to ensure player safety. Although the sport has come a long way

since it first began, there is still further research that needs to be done to determine the lasting
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effects that a concussion can have on an athlete later in life. Now that the NFL has

acknowledged the concussion epidemic in the sport of football, there is hope for a brighter future

with less athletes losing their lives to this devastating injury.

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Works Cited

Goldberg, Daniel S. "Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, the National Football League, and the

Manufacture of Doubt: An Ethical, Legal, and Historical Analysis." Journal of Legal

Medicine, vol. 34, no. 2, Apr-Jun2013, pp. 157-191. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1080/01947648.2013.800792. Accessed 4 March. 2017.

Hunsucker, Josh. "Buckle Your Chinstrap: Why Youth, High School, and College Football

Should Adopt the NFL's Concussion Management Policies and Procedures." Mcgeorge

Law Review, vol. 45, no. 4, Dec. 2014, pp. 801-833. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lgh&AN=109093428&site=ehost-live.

Accessed 31 March. 2017.

Harrison, Emily A. "The First Concussion Crisis." American Journal of Public Health, vol. 104,

no. 5, May 2014, pp. 822-834. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301840. Accessed 2

March. 2017.

King, Nigel S. and Simon Kirwilliam. "The Nature of Permanent Post-Concussion Symptoms

After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury." Brain Impairment, vol. 14, no. 2, Sept. 2013, pp.

235-242. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1017/BrImp.2013.17. Accessed 22 March. 2017.

Robinson, Richard. "Concussion." The Gale Encyclopedia of Fitness, Jacqueline L. Longe, Gale,

2012. Credo Reference, http://search.credoreference.com/content/

entry/galefit/concussion/0. Accessed 5 March. 2017.