Concussions in youth football today create a serious issue going forward.  The dangers of permanent damage and serious injury raises questions of whether or not football should be played by today's youth.  I am interested in researching this topic further because I think this is a serious problem today.  One of my favorite sports is football, and even though I never played, I still feel connected to the sport.  This research question affects me in a few ways.  I feel strongly towards the safety of the game, and for the longevity of the sport.  I feel that if no changes are made, football may become obsolete.  Parents will refuse to let their children play if they could obtain life threating injuries due to a concussion.  There needs to be added safety to the sport so kids can safely learn the fundamentals and the proper way to play to avoid injury.  I also am affected by this question because I care about the lives of football players.  Watching these athletes suffer from diseases such as CTE, and even suicide, makes me cautious for all football players.  I do not have any personal experience regarding this topic, as I have never played football or had a concussion.  I do feel that even though I have no personal experience regarding this topic, I have enough knowledge and passion in the sports field to be qualified to write about this.  It is my passion to work in the sports field and I have been following concussions in sports.  

My first source was an article from the Rhode Island Medical Journal, written by Dr. Jon Mukand.  In this article, Dr. Mukand lays the scientific definition of a concussion, as well as the symptoms one would experience.  He goes on to lay out the differences between a concussion in an adult, and one in a child or adolescent.  This surprised me, because a common misconception in today's society is that concussions are all the same.  A concussion in a child takes longer to fully heal, and it is easier to aggravate.  This article's major values are that concussions should not be pushed aside, and they need to be paid full attention too.  The interests at stake in this article are children's safety.  He refers to rare cases of a concussion going untreated, which leads to further, much more serious injuries.  He stresses the need to recognize and treat concussions before they get to this stage.  Dr. Mukand is a credible author who writes for the Rhode Island Medical Journal.  He does not have a serious bias, but being a doctor he feels strongly towards the safety of the athletes.  

Another source I found was from the Military Medicine, a monthly journal containing scientific papers, articles, etc.  This article in specific calls the reader's attention to examine and study in depth concussions at the youth sport level.  The author wants to attain consistent knowledge that will help in future situations.  This source does not contain any statistics; however, they do say that more research is necessary.  The major stakes in this article point to the author on the fence between which side he wants to take.  He fully understands that safety is the number one priority, but he does not want to take too much away from the game we know as football.  The author cautions of a possible decline in contact sport participation if concussions continue to provide a serious threat to today's youth.  Frederick Erdtmann is a director on the Board on the Health of Select Populations.  He has written for Military Medicine in the past, and his contributions are backed up by his credibility.  

The third source I found was a 2014 court case against a high school district due to a student's head injury obtained in a football game.  I thought this was an interesting source, because it's a unique supporting piece.  This shows real-life troubles caused to a student and the repercussions of it. The ruling of this case required coaches to attend instructional courses to receive proper education on how to spot, deal, and treat head injuries, specifically concussions.  I felt this was an important piece of information I could use, because part of my argument would be to implement this across the country.  I feel every coach, trainer, and player should be well educated about concussions.  The major value of this article is to point out that some schools or teams may not be educated enough to properly handle concussions.  Kids future and their lives are at stake, and concussions can permanently damage a child, and prevent them from living a full healthy life.  Because this source is a court case, I am unsure who the author is, however the source appears in the American Journal of Trial Advocacy, which has credibility. 

This research question is arguable because some people feel that football is football and concussions are just a part of the sport.  However, some people, me included, believe football has become fatally dangerous, and that exposing children to this vicious sport is cruel.  There are clearly two sides to this argument, and this makes it debatable.  The different perspectives affect my own because I can see equal arguments for either side, however I still feel strongly about my stance and will stand firm in that belief.  I would need to revise my research question because it may seem a little too specific, however I do feel I can obtain significant information and articles regarding this subject in order to develop and present a well written and thought out argument. 

