NFL: An Uncertain Future
Concussions have become far too common in the NFL, because helmet-to-helmet hits happen on almost every play. A huge contributor to concussions is when a player gets hit in their head by the crown of another player’s helmet. These helmet-to-helmet hits do draw penalty flags, but players are likely to continue doing it because they are used to tackling by leading with their head. Concussions are becoming more commonplace and this not only makes NFL players miss games, but can also cause more profound problems after retirement. The brain is a highly complex organ, and we do not know all details pertaining to concussions or how to prevent them in the NFL; still today, it is impossible to test for CTE (a progressive, degenerative brain disease) in a living person. …show more content…
This disease is the consequence of a person getting hit repeatedly in the head until they develop problems associated with memory and depression. Karimipour explains what CTE is by saying its “A neurodegenerative disease closely connected with sports-related concussions or traumatic brain injuries is chronic traumatic encephalopathy, classified as a ‘progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes with a history of repetitive brain trauma…’” (Karimipour 54). In order to learn more about CTE, the brains of former and deceased NFL players are being sent in for research. This disease has not been made a popular topic until recently; new research has come out and incidents, such as players committing suicide because of head trauma, have taken place. The inability to diagnose and prevent concussions is a growing problem in the NFL, with CTE becoming a topic of discussion. The league is trying to fix this serious problem by making safer helmets, having specialists on the sidelines tracking concussions, and creating the concussion protocol. Equipment is always a matter of concern when someone has been diagnosed with a concussion, and it still leaves everyone wondering just how well it protects the players. Many people think that making a better helmet is the answer to preventing concussions, but that is not always the case. In author Lazarus’ article he states that quarterback Kelvin Kolb was knocked out of the 2010-11 season game with a concussion, but returned just a few plays later (Lazarus 6-7). Kolb, quarterback for the Eagles, chose to wear an older model helmet (released in 1988), lacking the new technology. This would bring up the question that maybe the new helmet would have saved him from the injury, but there is no way to know for sure. Stone states that “Helmets are intended to cushion that sudden stop of motion, giving the head enough padding to not harshly shake the brain, but the results suggest that you just cannot put enough padding into a helmet for that method to really be effective” (Stone). This is because the helmet protects the skull on the outside but it cannot stop the brain from moving around and being damaged. New equipment seems to be released each year, but concussions still happen in almost every NFL game, whether the medical staff detects it or not. Helmets play a factor in preventing concussions, however, they will still happen no matter what kind of helmet is worn. Head injuries are much worse than tearing an ACL because the knee ligament can heal over time but the brain cannot. The severity of this injury makes identifying a player with a concussion right away extremely important. Lazarus stated a few reasons in his article to explain why Kelvin Kolb was allowed to reenter the game after contact to his head. One reason Kolb could return was because of the medical staff; they did not have the time to run an extensive test and properly diagnose the concussion (Lazarus 7-8). It may be problematic to prevent a concussion, but the medical staff should be knowledgeable enough to take the player out to prevent a second, more serious one. Before the recent rule change, it was very difficult to work for an NFL team as a physician and make the decision whether to send a player back in the game or not. Especially if the player is a quarterback, where sitting a player for the rest of the game has such a
Concussions have become far too common in the NFL, because helmet-to-helmet hits happen on almost every play. A huge contributor to concussions is when a player gets hit in their head by the crown of another player’s helmet. These helmet-to-helmet hits do draw penalty flags, but players are likely to continue doing it because they are used to tackling by leading with their head. Concussions are becoming more commonplace and this not only makes NFL players miss games, but can also cause more profound problems after retirement. The brain is a highly complex organ, and we do not know all details pertaining to concussions or how to prevent them in the NFL; still today, it is impossible to test for CTE (a progressive, degenerative brain disease) in a living person. …show more content…
This disease is the consequence of a person getting hit repeatedly in the head until they develop problems associated with memory and depression. Karimipour explains what CTE is by saying its “A neurodegenerative disease closely connected with sports-related concussions or traumatic brain injuries is chronic traumatic encephalopathy, classified as a ‘progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes with a history of repetitive brain trauma…’” (Karimipour 54). In order to learn more about CTE, the brains of former and deceased NFL players are being sent in for research. This disease has not been made a popular topic until recently; new research has come out and incidents, such as players committing suicide because of head trauma, have taken place. The inability to diagnose and prevent concussions is a growing problem in the NFL, with CTE becoming a topic of discussion. The league is trying to fix this serious problem by making safer helmets, having specialists on the sidelines tracking concussions, and creating the concussion protocol. Equipment is always a matter of concern when someone has been diagnosed with a concussion, and it still leaves everyone wondering just how well it protects the players. Many people think that making a better helmet is the answer to preventing concussions, but that is not always the case. In author Lazarus’ article he states that quarterback Kelvin Kolb was knocked out of the 2010-11 season game with a concussion, but returned just a few plays later (Lazarus 6-7). Kolb, quarterback for the Eagles, chose to wear an older model helmet (released in 1988), lacking the new technology. This would bring up the question that maybe the new helmet would have saved him from the injury, but there is no way to know for sure. Stone states that “Helmets are intended to cushion that sudden stop of motion, giving the head enough padding to not harshly shake the brain, but the results suggest that you just cannot put enough padding into a helmet for that method to really be effective” (Stone). This is because the helmet protects the skull on the outside but it cannot stop the brain from moving around and being damaged. New equipment seems to be released each year, but concussions still happen in almost every NFL game, whether the medical staff detects it or not. Helmets play a factor in preventing concussions, however, they will still happen no matter what kind of helmet is worn. Head injuries are much worse than tearing an ACL because the knee ligament can heal over time but the brain cannot. The severity of this injury makes identifying a player with a concussion right away extremely important. Lazarus stated a few reasons in his article to explain why Kelvin Kolb was allowed to reenter the game after contact to his head. One reason Kolb could return was because of the medical staff; they did not have the time to run an extensive test and properly diagnose the concussion (Lazarus 7-8). It may be problematic to prevent a concussion, but the medical staff should be knowledgeable enough to take the player out to prevent a second, more serious one. Before the recent rule change, it was very difficult to work for an NFL team as a physician and make the decision whether to send a player back in the game or not. Especially if the player is a quarterback, where sitting a player for the rest of the game has such a