“I had no idea what a nickel [defense] was,” former NFL quarterback, Kevin Kolb stated, referring to his inability to recognize certain defensive formations. Concussion have been brough up as a major issue in all levels in football, from high school to the NFL. As defined by mayoclinic.org, “A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that affects brain function.” In the National Football League, about 182 total concussions happened in the preseason and regular season, and mostly by head-to-head collision. The league has enforced multiple protocols to manage concussions, some like to argue the enforcement has been inconsistent. League officials have made attempts to ban certain hits on players and approving safer helmets, concussions still happen leading to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
The consequences of concussions extend beyond immediate symptoms, posing serious long-term risks such as behavior mishaps and rational decline. Studies done by Harvard University have shown that “Among a group of nearly 2,000 former NFL players, one-third think that they have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).” These numbers can be alarming to most, but high school players face unique risks to these. They have many injuries going untreated due to the lack of athletic trainer access or unawareness of the symptoms of a concussion. From a study done by Carle Illinois College of Medicine Study, about 53.3% of concussions have ben from American football, then followed by soccer with 20.4%. This raises concerns about the productiveness of safety measures at the youth level.
Public knowledge of head injury caused by football has grown massively in recent year, compelling policy and social reform. For instance, lawsuits against the NFL have convinced the league to take responsibility for players safety, leading to settlements and stricter protocols. Improvements in helmet design and field conditions have thus far been inadequate to solve the issue. Parents are becoming more unsure if football is a risk they are willing to take with their children, opting for more non-contact sports. The more concussion dangers and publicized, the more football needs to risk their own popularity with more safety choices in order to protect the players health.
