Narrative Essay: Concussions In Football

Obsessive fans. Owns three days of the week. The Superbowl. America’s favorite sport. What comes to mind? The NFL. There are not many Americans that do not love football. We live for the big hit and the memorable plays that change the game. Along with those big hits and memorable plays come concussions. Lots of concussions. Concussions that are happening way more often than most people think. They are ruining the lives of players. As a female high school senior, I have an incredible love for the sport of football. I spend my Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays watching as many games as I can. I was like a kid in a candy store the first time I went to my first NFL game. I have a deep appreciation for what players put their bodies through to play the sport that they live for. Along with my appreciation comes concern. As soon as a player is down on the field, my …show more content…
According to Munro Collum, a professor of psychiatry and neurology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, NFL players are likely to have long lasting cognitive deficits (Park). Sure, people can get concussions from many things other than football, but the problem with football is that players have repeated exposures of blows to the head. Most football players would not quit the sport after their first concussion; they keep playing. It makes it much more likely for them to experience another concussion. This would only make the problem in their brains worse. Specialists at Johns Hopkins University did a study on memories of former NFL players. They found out that many of them scored low on memory testing that involved verbal learning and memory (Hedin). Memory loss is devastating to not only players, but the people that are close to them. Imagine not being able to remember an important time in life or the names of loved ones. It is imperative that football becomes a safer sport to stop these tragedies from