Concussions In Football

1937 Words8 Pages
Spencer Barclay December 15, 2014 RST 130 Final Exam-Traditional Essay 2 The most popular sport in America, and one of the most recognizable contact sports in the world is football. Due to its huge spotlight and the relatively recent emergence of retired NFL players reporting their constant struggle with concussion-related health problems, the issue of concussions in football is now more critical than ever. The NFL has tried to assess the situation, and although concussions are on a slight decline, recent studies conducted on long-term effects as well as the critique that the NFL has not done enough, makes concussions and player safety one of the most important issues in the NFL. This issue doesn’t just effect the players in the NFL, it…show more content…
These solutions include hiring more concussion monitors, addressing youth football programs and possibly including retired players in these youth football programs. Concussions in football has been a relevant issue for about 20 years now but hasn’t been a prominent issue in the sports world until the NFL began to acknowledge ex-players and their long term effects in 2010. For the past couple years, the NFL has implemented various new rules/penalties and has installed minor player examinations for concussion-like symptoms. The NFL’s minor rules in 2010 include the banning any player from leaving their feet and hitting a defenseless player in the head or neck area, as well as making players line up a certain way during extra points to protect the defenseless snapper. Major changes to the NFL include the commissioner, Roger Goodell, making it clear to players that possible…show more content…
The NFL has implemented various penalties and has constantly redesigned helmets, but these solutions have done little to limit, let alone prevent concussions and the possibility of long-term effects. With much research already done, and the constant redesign of helmets that show little improvement to preventing concussions, it has become clear that the only solutions for the NFL are measures to detect concussions and head injuries in an accurate and precise way in order to ensure players are not playing when they are susceptible to further injuries and long-term effects. Adding more concussion monitors in the stadium at all football games will allow more professionals to get a look at each and every play and make sure that all hits are examined for possible concussion scenarios. The main solution for dealing with concussions on the field is to utilize monitors in the helmet that measure all head impacts and flag any forceful impacts that may be a sign of concussion or other injury. The NFL could pair with the company Triax, a technology company that has developed headbands for athletes that monitor all head impacts with accurate and powerful sensors and flag any forceful impacts that may be a sign of concussion or other

More about Concussions In Football

Open Document