Zain Siddiqui Siddiqui 1
Mrs. Bender
10 Honors English
7 April 2016
How much of a role do football head injuries play in a player’s mental health after retirement, and where does the liability of the NFL end? Every little boy has the inescapable dream once in their lifetime, the dream that no boy can resist. It is the inevitable dream to become a sports superstar. Whether that is in football, basketball, or baseball, every boy has wanted to reach that stardom level. However, many do not consider the risks associated with the sport that their little minds cannot comprehend, especially with sport football. It seems that all that is spoken in the news about football nowadays (besides the constant off-the-field issues with players) …show more content…
The most common form of brain damage is a concussion, which is defined by braininjury.com as a sudden trauma-induced alteration of the alert state. Also given on the website is an explanation about how a concussion is caused by the impact of a force. Typically, when a human is hit head on, such as a linebacker tackling a running back with a shoulder to the head, there is initial impact that is very visible. This impact is the initial, or primary, impact, and involves the brain being smacked against the frontal bone of the skull. However, what is typically not seen or noticed by the common person is something known as the secondary impact. This involves the impact of the brain against the occipital and parietal bones of the skull, and often does just as much, if not more than the original impact. Often, this is known as the contrecoup injury, and is what causes brain injuries such as concussions. Concussions are what are most often found in active football players and are what receive the most attention from the media. According to cnn.com, in the 2015 NFL pre-season and season alone, there were 271 diagnosed concussions throughout the league. However, a nytimes.com article reads that the relationship between concussions and brain problems is less relevant than the impact cumulative hits on a human brain throughout their entire lifetime, as researched by scientists at Boston …show more content…
Concussions, and even hits to the head, can lead to bigger problems down the road for NFL players, even after retirement. There are many different consequences of concussions and constant head trauma from football, as stated by cnn.com: Here's some background information about concussions in the NFL. Reports show an increasing number of retired NFL players who have suffered concussions developed memory and cognitive issues such as dementia, Alzheimer's, depression and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). (NFL Concussion Fast Facts para. 1)
As can be seen, these constant hits and concussions can cause huge disorders and diseases in a player’s lifetime. These diagnoses can even sometimes be fatal, and lead to death. One disease that is most scrutinized today is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Recently, CTE has been a disease that is most commonly linked with concussions in football, especially after retirement. The effects of CTE can greatly vary, but cnn.com describes CTE
Mrs. Bender
10 Honors English
7 April 2016
How much of a role do football head injuries play in a player’s mental health after retirement, and where does the liability of the NFL end? Every little boy has the inescapable dream once in their lifetime, the dream that no boy can resist. It is the inevitable dream to become a sports superstar. Whether that is in football, basketball, or baseball, every boy has wanted to reach that stardom level. However, many do not consider the risks associated with the sport that their little minds cannot comprehend, especially with sport football. It seems that all that is spoken in the news about football nowadays (besides the constant off-the-field issues with players) …show more content…
The most common form of brain damage is a concussion, which is defined by braininjury.com as a sudden trauma-induced alteration of the alert state. Also given on the website is an explanation about how a concussion is caused by the impact of a force. Typically, when a human is hit head on, such as a linebacker tackling a running back with a shoulder to the head, there is initial impact that is very visible. This impact is the initial, or primary, impact, and involves the brain being smacked against the frontal bone of the skull. However, what is typically not seen or noticed by the common person is something known as the secondary impact. This involves the impact of the brain against the occipital and parietal bones of the skull, and often does just as much, if not more than the original impact. Often, this is known as the contrecoup injury, and is what causes brain injuries such as concussions. Concussions are what are most often found in active football players and are what receive the most attention from the media. According to cnn.com, in the 2015 NFL pre-season and season alone, there were 271 diagnosed concussions throughout the league. However, a nytimes.com article reads that the relationship between concussions and brain problems is less relevant than the impact cumulative hits on a human brain throughout their entire lifetime, as researched by scientists at Boston …show more content…
Concussions, and even hits to the head, can lead to bigger problems down the road for NFL players, even after retirement. There are many different consequences of concussions and constant head trauma from football, as stated by cnn.com: Here's some background information about concussions in the NFL. Reports show an increasing number of retired NFL players who have suffered concussions developed memory and cognitive issues such as dementia, Alzheimer's, depression and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). (NFL Concussion Fast Facts para. 1)
As can be seen, these constant hits and concussions can cause huge disorders and diseases in a player’s lifetime. These diagnoses can even sometimes be fatal, and lead to death. One disease that is most scrutinized today is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Recently, CTE has been a disease that is most commonly linked with concussions in football, especially after retirement. The effects of CTE can greatly vary, but cnn.com describes CTE