Professional sports such as hockey and football are detrimental to the health of the players. Long term injuries from the physicality of sports like hockey and football eventually take a toll on a person’s body. Athletes playing hockey and football have suffered multiple concussions during one season, and the NHL and NFL are changing their rules to make hits to the head illegal/less frequent. Players especially in the NFL are now starting to retire at a younger age than before due to fear of head injuries, which shows that athletes are now choosing their health over the money that comes with playing professional sports. Lastly, many retired NFL, and NHL players have been diagnosed with CTE which is a disease caused by concussions and other
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CTE is a disease caused by a history of concussions and other head related injuries. Some former players have passed away at an early age and suicide. In an article by The Washington Post in 2016, a study was done and it was said that more than forty percent of retired NFL players suffer from brain injuries. Researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University studied 165 deceased people that played football whether it was in high school, college or in the NFL and found CTE in 131 of them. Jovan Belcher, a linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs who killed his girlfriend in a murder-suicide back in 2012, was found to be suffering from CTE in his autopsy, Belcher was 25 when it happened. Junior Seau, a Hall of Fame linebacker that played for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots shot himself in 2012 at the age of 43. Seau was also found to be suffering from CTE. Hockey players also have to deal with the possibility of CTE. Derek Boogaard and Steve Montador, two NHL players that died in 2011 and 2015 respectively and were both suffering from CTE. Boogaard was 28 and Montador was 35. CTE and other head related injuries have long lasting effects on athletes even after their playing careers are …show more content…
Players are now starting to choose their health over everything that comes with playing professional sports, and especially in the NFL there seems to be a trend where players begin to retire at an younger age due to fear of future injuries but mainly head injuries. Chris Borland, a linebacker that played for the San Francisco 49ers retired at the age of 24 following the 2014 season after only one season in the league. Borland stated that he wanted to do what was best for his health and that playing football wasn’t worth the risk. The following offseason another player retired after only playing one season in the NFL, A.J. Tarpley, a linebacker for the Buffalo Bills retired at the age of 23 because of concussions and him wanting to protect his future health. Tarpley said that he suffered his third and fourth concussions in his only season in the NFL. Some of the league’s best and most dominant players have retired at the age of 30 or under from the past and in recent years, Barry Sanders, Patrick Willis, Calvin Johnson, and Marshawn Lynch (including him even though he recently unretired). Injuries and concerns about concussion have caused current NFL players to think if playing football is worth risking their health in the
CTE is a disease caused by a history of concussions and other head related injuries. Some former players have passed away at an early age and suicide. In an article by The Washington Post in 2016, a study was done and it was said that more than forty percent of retired NFL players suffer from brain injuries. Researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University studied 165 deceased people that played football whether it was in high school, college or in the NFL and found CTE in 131 of them. Jovan Belcher, a linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs who killed his girlfriend in a murder-suicide back in 2012, was found to be suffering from CTE in his autopsy, Belcher was 25 when it happened. Junior Seau, a Hall of Fame linebacker that played for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots shot himself in 2012 at the age of 43. Seau was also found to be suffering from CTE. Hockey players also have to deal with the possibility of CTE. Derek Boogaard and Steve Montador, two NHL players that died in 2011 and 2015 respectively and were both suffering from CTE. Boogaard was 28 and Montador was 35. CTE and other head related injuries have long lasting effects on athletes even after their playing careers are …show more content…
Players are now starting to choose their health over everything that comes with playing professional sports, and especially in the NFL there seems to be a trend where players begin to retire at an younger age due to fear of future injuries but mainly head injuries. Chris Borland, a linebacker that played for the San Francisco 49ers retired at the age of 24 following the 2014 season after only one season in the league. Borland stated that he wanted to do what was best for his health and that playing football wasn’t worth the risk. The following offseason another player retired after only playing one season in the NFL, A.J. Tarpley, a linebacker for the Buffalo Bills retired at the age of 23 because of concussions and him wanting to protect his future health. Tarpley said that he suffered his third and fourth concussions in his only season in the NFL. Some of the league’s best and most dominant players have retired at the age of 30 or under from the past and in recent years, Barry Sanders, Patrick Willis, Calvin Johnson, and Marshawn Lynch (including him even though he recently unretired). Injuries and concerns about concussion have caused current NFL players to think if playing football is worth risking their health in the