Concussion: A Theoretical Analysis

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We are probably not going to see the NFL accept any ads for the upcoming movie, Concussion, who's slogan is "Nothing hits harder than the truth." This movie is based on a true story about a Nigerian-born forensic neuropathologist, Dr. Bennet Omalu (played by Will Smith), who was the first to discover Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a disease that is caused by repetitive brain trauma, especially during contact sports such as football, hockey, boxing, bull riding, water polo, or whatever else you can imagine. Dr. Bennet fought against attempts by the National Football League to squash his investigation on brain damage suffered by pro football players.

If you follow sports, especially NFL and NCAA football, as I have for years, we love to see a big hit on the field. But when you start to watch stories of what our heroes of the gridiron end up becoming, it makes you stop and think. But, not everyone who plays the game is guaranteed to end up with major head trauma. Players know what they sign up for and to take the contact out of the game would kill it, for sure. That being said, pretending there's no problem is not an answer.
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They have penalties for helmet to helmet contact and also have provided their players with state of the art helmets that are designed to reduce injuries. There are also courses that are required for youth coaches to take throughout the nation called "heads up football" that are designed to teach young football players how to properly tackle each other

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