Concussions in the Nfl
Communication Studies
Nelson
Andrew Vanstratum
Concussions in the NFL Recently in the NFL, the issue of concussions has been thrusted into the spotlight, and for good reasons. From the 2009 season to the 2010 seasons, the amount of concussions increased by twenty-one percent denoting a serious problem in the NFL . The current NFL guideline regarding concussions is vague and needs to be changed. Currently the rule simply states that upon having a concussion, the player should not come back until he is fully asymptomatic. The problem with this is that concussions are often times tricky to diagnose and test, and when you couple that with the players’ competitiveness and motivation to play, it often leads to players coming back onto the field before they are truly healthy. The current NFL guideline needs to be remodeled to enforce a stricter, more uniform policy amongst all NFL organizations. Because concussions deal with brain activity, uniform policies are often hard to implement but through advances in equipment and monetary punishments the NFL is making tremendous strides to rectify the issue. Until recently, concussions were thought to have been a minor injury, an injury that would cause the player to sit out a few plays but not a whole game. Several former NFL players say that back when they played football, concussions were viewed as just a headache or a temporary loss of consciousness, but no big deal. Upon suffering a concussion, players were told to go back into the game a few plays later. If the player refused, coaches and media would often question the athlete’s toughness. However through scientific research in recent years, concussions have become far more serious and even have long term implications. One prime example is former Philadelphia Eagle safety Andre Waters. A defensive back known for his hard hitting, Waters said he quit counting concussions after his fifteenth. Four years ago, at age 44, Waters committed suicide. After Waters ' suicide,
Nelson
Andrew Vanstratum
Concussions in the NFL Recently in the NFL, the issue of concussions has been thrusted into the spotlight, and for good reasons. From the 2009 season to the 2010 seasons, the amount of concussions increased by twenty-one percent denoting a serious problem in the NFL . The current NFL guideline regarding concussions is vague and needs to be changed. Currently the rule simply states that upon having a concussion, the player should not come back until he is fully asymptomatic. The problem with this is that concussions are often times tricky to diagnose and test, and when you couple that with the players’ competitiveness and motivation to play, it often leads to players coming back onto the field before they are truly healthy. The current NFL guideline needs to be remodeled to enforce a stricter, more uniform policy amongst all NFL organizations. Because concussions deal with brain activity, uniform policies are often hard to implement but through advances in equipment and monetary punishments the NFL is making tremendous strides to rectify the issue. Until recently, concussions were thought to have been a minor injury, an injury that would cause the player to sit out a few plays but not a whole game. Several former NFL players say that back when they played football, concussions were viewed as just a headache or a temporary loss of consciousness, but no big deal. Upon suffering a concussion, players were told to go back into the game a few plays later. If the player refused, coaches and media would often question the athlete’s toughness. However through scientific research in recent years, concussions have become far more serious and even have long term implications. One prime example is former Philadelphia Eagle safety Andre Waters. A defensive back known for his hard hitting, Waters said he quit counting concussions after his fifteenth. Four years ago, at age 44, Waters committed suicide. After Waters ' suicide,
Cited: "Revolution Concussion Reduction Technology." Riddell. Riddell, 2010. Web. 26 Apr 2011. .