Should Athletes Be Required To Avoid?

Many athletes, especially those in high school, play contact sports like football or wrestling that require athletes to be in heavy contact with each other, increasing the chance of injury. Perhaps the most serious injury that many coaches, parents, and even athletes shrug off is the concussion. A concussion occurs when the athlete experiences trauma to the brain that alters their cognitive ability, memory, or judgement. Concussions are extremely serious injuries that must be handled with care and medical professionalism. Athletes should be required to sit out and rest to allow their brains to fully heal before returning to play because they have an increased chance of being injured further, because further concussive injuries increases the chance of permanent damage, and because athletes must recognize the severity of having received a concussion. The most prominent short-term consequence of allowing an athlete to return to play without …show more content…
The concussion represents a massive obstacle in contact sports, being one of the few injuries a student can suffer the effects of their entire life. The only way by which the safety and well-being of our athletes can be safeguarded to the best of our ability is allowing them to heal completely before returning to sports. One of the most massive imminent dangers of a concussion is known as "second impact syndrome". This syndrome occurs when an athlete receives another concussion after not having fully healed from prior trauma and becomes brain dead as a result. Do we truly want to risk the lives of our athletes by sending them out to play, knowing they might