Section: Introduction
The game of football has been a major part of American culture since its establishment in 1869 when the first game of college football was played (Birth of Pro Football). However, in addition to the fun and excitement of football, there is a far more dangerous and even deadly aspect of the popular sport. Concussions are a danger that all young athletes are aware of, or have at least heard of. Regardless, the issue of concussions is accompanied by a wealth of startling and disturbing statistics. Over a one year span, there had been 3,800,000 reported concussions in the United States; high school athletes playing football account for 47 percent of the 3,800,000. Sadly, over 100 players have died on the football field from …show more content…
Common symptoms of concussion include vomiting, headaches, dizziness, the slurring of speech, changes in behavior, and confusion (Mayo Clinic Staff). Where athletes are concerned, “Experts recommend that an athlete with a suspected concussion not return to play until he or she has been medically evaluated by a healthcare professional trained in evaluating and managing concussions” (The Mayo Clinic Staff). A big issue with concussions in high school sports is that they are not taken seriously enough. Athletes are sometimes allowed to return to the field after they have received a hit that could potentially cause a …show more content…
Therefore, players experience different levels of impact and it’s nearly possible to create a universally protective helmet when each player is hit in a unique way. “It has been determined that impacts are not uniform for every position in football – athletes experience different hits based on the positions they play...in order to quantify head impacts in terms of magnitude, location, and frequency, and differentiate collisions by position” (Polnerow). Through this study of NCAA athletes, it was confirmed that each position faces different risks and levels of impact. For example, “offensive lineman, defensive lineman, and linebackers experienced the lowest magnitude impacts but the highest frequency of collisions over a season, more than twice any other position. Running backs received the greatest magnitude impacts, while quarterbacks sustained the greatest magnitude and most frequent hits to the back of the head” (Polnerow). Therefore, the difficulty of creating protective headgear that suits each position is proven to be a prevalent issue. The study of college athletes barely begins to touch the surface of the dangers high school players face. “High school football players are generally not as fully developed and are more likely to be playing with improper form, potentially increasing the risk of injury” (Polnerow). That being said, the risk of injury in high school students is
The game of football has been a major part of American culture since its establishment in 1869 when the first game of college football was played (Birth of Pro Football). However, in addition to the fun and excitement of football, there is a far more dangerous and even deadly aspect of the popular sport. Concussions are a danger that all young athletes are aware of, or have at least heard of. Regardless, the issue of concussions is accompanied by a wealth of startling and disturbing statistics. Over a one year span, there had been 3,800,000 reported concussions in the United States; high school athletes playing football account for 47 percent of the 3,800,000. Sadly, over 100 players have died on the football field from …show more content…
Common symptoms of concussion include vomiting, headaches, dizziness, the slurring of speech, changes in behavior, and confusion (Mayo Clinic Staff). Where athletes are concerned, “Experts recommend that an athlete with a suspected concussion not return to play until he or she has been medically evaluated by a healthcare professional trained in evaluating and managing concussions” (The Mayo Clinic Staff). A big issue with concussions in high school sports is that they are not taken seriously enough. Athletes are sometimes allowed to return to the field after they have received a hit that could potentially cause a …show more content…
Therefore, players experience different levels of impact and it’s nearly possible to create a universally protective helmet when each player is hit in a unique way. “It has been determined that impacts are not uniform for every position in football – athletes experience different hits based on the positions they play...in order to quantify head impacts in terms of magnitude, location, and frequency, and differentiate collisions by position” (Polnerow). Through this study of NCAA athletes, it was confirmed that each position faces different risks and levels of impact. For example, “offensive lineman, defensive lineman, and linebackers experienced the lowest magnitude impacts but the highest frequency of collisions over a season, more than twice any other position. Running backs received the greatest magnitude impacts, while quarterbacks sustained the greatest magnitude and most frequent hits to the back of the head” (Polnerow). Therefore, the difficulty of creating protective headgear that suits each position is proven to be a prevalent issue. The study of college athletes barely begins to touch the surface of the dangers high school players face. “High school football players are generally not as fully developed and are more likely to be playing with improper form, potentially increasing the risk of injury” (Polnerow). That being said, the risk of injury in high school students is