Concussions Change Perception of Contact Sports

(co-written with Sean Halsey)

Recently, NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau committed suicide after a strenuous battle with depression. Studies on Seau’s brain showed that he suffered from sever brain damage. Multiple concussions that he suffered during his illustrious 19-year career led to his brain damage. This tragic loss has parents across America questioning whether they will allow their own kids to participate in contact sports.

            “I do not want my sons playing football” said Joe Dennis, camp director of Grady Glee, “Just because it is such a brutal sport, its different for adults to play than developing children.” Parents across the nation agree with Dennis’ point of view as a recent study done by the National Sporting Goods Association states the overall participation in youth football is significantly dropping by the year.

courtesy of networlddirectory.com

            While the level of concern rises, the athletes that play the sports seem to be taking a different approach. A study by ESPN showed that 54 percent of players would play a game with a concussion if it was the championship game, and 46 percent said playing is worth the risk of injuries if it meant they could play in the NFL. “The concussion issue is huge but I don’t see a solution,” said Chad Ryhm, a former football player and sophomore at Clarke Central High School. He believes that if a player truly loves the game then it is worth the risks involved.

            At all levels, sporting leagues continue to attempt to make the game safer for their players. To make the game safer, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has implemented a concussion policy in which several athletic leagues follow. In Georgia, all high school student-athletes are required to take a series of test called the IMPACT test. IMPACT measures that athletes brain activity, and how likely they are to receive a concussion. If a player does not pass IMPACT, they will not be physically cleared to play.

While correct tests and policies contribute to safer games and matches, so do equipment improvements. Football helmets like Russell’s Revo Speed can contribute to safer equipment. The Revo Speed helmet is the first helmet design using energy managing materials and a facemask attachment system that disperses energy of frontal impacts. Even with attempts to make the game safe, parents like Dr. Welch Suggs, a sports journalist at Grady College said,  “This is a really scary area, I feel there is too great of a risk to allow my own son to play.”