Growing up, I was an energetic, athletic child who loved playing sports. Whether it was spring/fall softball, summer league swim, or polar bear club lacrosse, I always had enormous amounts of adrenaline and a competitive nature. Sooner or later, I quit both swimming and lacrosse to focus on travel softball. In the twelve years I played softball, I was my team’s catcher for ten years. It was my favorite position for many reasons but for the predominant point being that I was involved in every pitch. Looking back now, I can recall the numerous occasions in which I was hit in the head and “shook it off.” To my recollection, they were not that “severe” as none of them resulted in a loss of consciousness and I resumed playing. Because of this, I never took into consideration the likelihood of those head impacts resulting in a possible concussion. Once diagnosed with my first concussion, I became intrigued in society’s interest and awareness of this issue. 

Concussions are not just a traumatic hit to the head in which a very relaxed, quiet, and timely recovery process is needed. Contrary to popular belief, the loss of consciousness is not a necessity to be considered a concussion; nor are headaches and dizziness the only symptoms. I am sure many are unaware that concussions can result in long term health problems as well as the attribution to more serious brain issues and diseases later down the road, including Alzheimer’s. The truth of the matter is that many people are unaware of what a concussion in fact is. By just reading the few sentences above, a large percent of society can agree to the fact that they were not aware of these facts. The number of people today that are involved in any level of sports is increasingly large. Well the scary thing is, these athletes, old and young, are those in society who do not know what concussions are. 

Sports-related concussions are a huge concern in all levels of sports especially in youth and high school athletes. While there are many reasons and theories as to why the number is increasingly high, sports are still being played. Not only do parents, doctors, and coaches have concerns on this topic, but anyone involved in an athlete’s life, both on and off the field, has worries too. The concerns can go as far as the classrooms; teachers are apprehensive because a concussion’s recovery time and process results in the absence of that student athlete in the classroom for a lengthy amount of time. You would think that high schools, the place of four of the most important years of one’s life, would stress the education of an issue like this. The fact that high schools have the highest percentage of athletes should be the reasoning that the symptoms of concussions as well as how to prevent, protect, and recover should be taught. As you continue reading this, I leave you with this question: Why are concussions being overlooked/going unnoticed, and what measures are being taken to prevent them and raise awareness? As an athlete who has had both diagnosed and undiagnosed concussions, I worry for the problems I will face later down the road. I wish that I knew more on this issue earlier in my athletic career to better aware myself in the event of concussions. Raising awareness, not only in athletes but in society as a whole, can decrease the number of concussions and prevent them in the future. 

There seems to be a stigma for concussions that is simply the fact that one must endure a loss of consciousness from a traumatic hit to the head. The common misconception is found in that fact that “a person will become unconscious during a mild concussion, but in fact, most people do not lose consciousness (Abbott Company). This stigma goes to show that, in general, society lacks the knowledge of a concussion. The lack of knowledge and education on this issue is alarming especially in sports. Any athlete is taking the risk of getting injured when they play a sport. Some sports have a higher risk and higher number of concussions due to the amount of contact used. There are so many doctors and researchers who specialize in concussions, as well as millions of different sports teams from all different levels, yet they are not coming together to bring this topic the awareness it deserves. In all my years of playing, I was never given any sort of educational session or any information regarding concussion awareness and have seen firsthand the extent of this issue. 

A research study, authored by Janie Cournoyer and Brady L. Tripp, suggests that many high school athletes lack the education and knowledge of concussions. Out of the 334 varsity football players that were questioned in the survey, the athlete’s average age was 16.3 years and had an average of 2.1 years of experience in high school football. With that being said, these athletes know the game pretty well, but that does not mean they know the risks they take. The survey consisted of a questionnaire that specifically focused on concussion education, outcomes, and symptoms. Out of all possible symptoms, only three obvious ones were identified. These players were not aware of symptoms including nausea, vomiting, neck pain, difficulty concentrating, or behavioral changes. These results are terrifying being that football has the highest risk for concussions. Fifty-four percent of the athletes said that they received concussion education from their parents, while sixty percent received it online or in class. However, twenty-five percent admitted to never receiving any information concussion education. “One of the main factors responsible for athletes not reporting their injury to an appropriate health care professional is a lack of knowledge about the signs, symptoms, and consequences of concussions” (Cournoyer and Tripp). The authors of this study promote the education of concussion as a main measure for prevention. They also suggest instructional videos, “Heads-Up” tackling, and pre-participation meetings to improve the knowledge of concussions not only in athletes, but in coaches and parents as well.

As I mentioned above, a way to better improve the knowledge of concussions is pre-season educational meetings. On top of that, a practice that has become increasing popular is the use of pre-season testing. Pre-season testing has become very useful if an athlete has suffered a head injury. Each person’s brain is different; therefore, the severity of one person’s concussion may be different from another’s depending of the “normality” of their brain. For this reason and for many others it is very important to receive a pre-season screening/ testing for reference as a baseline in the event of a concussion. At my middle school, each member of the football team was required to receive the test while an opportunity was given for any other athletes was given at the beginning of the school year in which few non-football players attended. Once I entered high school, there was no opportunities available for anyone to receive, however, yet again, only the football team was mandated to take the test. 

According to the Sports Concussion Institute, it should be a coach’s priority to know their athletes. As for athletes, they should know how their brain and their cognitive functions work, prior to the start of the season. The way for an athlete to do so is through a Baseline Concussion Test. This is a neurocognitive, computer-based test, that measures different aspects of how the brain’s functions. Those aspects include memory abilities, reaction times, informational processing, speed, and impulse control. Completing this test before the sports season provides a baseline of the normality as it measures what that particular athlete looks like when they are healthy. In the event that a concussion occurs at any point in the season, a similar test will be taken and then compared with the results prior to the start of the season. When this test is not used, “an individual’s post-injury test scores can only be compared to the general population” (Sports Concussion Institute). Neuropsychological testing adds diagnostic value to the symptom reporting as it is. A baseline evaluation for comparison is useful however “testing can be beneficial in the athlete without pre-injury data as well” (Feden 24). While this testing is inexpensive, easily accessible, and has proven to be reliable and valid, many argue that this testing should not be considered mandatory. 

An athlete can attend multiple informational meetings, take numerous educational classes, and know everything they need to know about concussions; however, it is what they do with it all that will determine if it makes it effective for them or not. It is in part the athlete’s responsibility to notify his coach or other teammates if he/she feels any possible concussion like symptoms, or simply just had a hit to the head. You would think that because it is in the best interest of the athlete that they themselves would seek the help, however in some cases they do not. Why? Concussions equal recovery time, which equals absence from the field, which means missed playing time. This is almost every athlete’s biggest fear. 

I can remember everything about one softball game in particular. It was the first Saturday of May, my parents were at my sisters prom pictures, so I went to the game with one of my teammates. The sun was shining on this beautiful Saturday afternoon, and I mean shining. I had sunglasses on when I was playing third base, along with my required facemask as my protection. I always hated that facemask; for one it was very hot, and two it was just not very fashionable. That day though, it saved me from having more problems than I did, well in a way. A pop fly was hit straight up in the air to me. I called it, went to catch it, and lost it in the sun. The next thing I know I was shaken up on the ground and the umpire had called a time out. I told my coach I was fine and that I could continue playing, but he insisted that I come out for the inning and at least hydrate a little, so I did. At the end of the inning, I went back into play although I already had a huge bruise forming that did in fact make me look/ feel like a unicorn. After the game, I called my parents to tell them how the team and I played and that I was hit in the head but told them I was perfectly fine. I was in denial that I had a concussion. I was showing many symptoms which was obvious to those around me, especially everyone who had just seen the play. My parents were not in attendance to see that actual hit, so that could be how I got “away” without a medical examination. But I lied to myself, and I lied to my coaches. Why? Because there was nothing more I hated than being injured and missing playing time. Doctors, coaches, parents, researchers, etc. can all stress the removal from play after a head injury, but it lies in the athlete’s hand to be willing to accept the severity of the hit and come to the realization that it could be bad.

While many stress the acknowledgment of concussion symptoms immediately following a play, one can argue that “symptoms may not become apparent for several hours after the injury (Graham et al. 100). ESPN’s Tom Farrey wrote an article expressing the concern in the increase in the amount of undiagnosed sports-related concussions. One of the most concerning findings is that college football players are purposefully playing through a majority of “potential” concussions. Reason being is due to this learned perception that their coach could possibly not support reporting a concussion. He uses a study that was conducted from researchers from Harvard and Boston University. This study found that college freshmen are far more likely than upperclassmen to believe their coach wants them to report a concussion. As one could anticipate, the problem is quite similar, if not worse, at the high school football level. Likely, a high school player has less ability to understand and report a concussion. The only difference and hope for improvement and a decrease in number in this case is the fact that the coach of high school teams should be more supportive of reporting concussions because the coaches are not being paid millions of dollars to win. Like Farrey states, “some studies have found higher rates of reported concussions in high school football than college football” (Farrey), and the numbers will never really be known because these concussions are undiagnosed. 

Taking the focus off the education and knowledge that athletes should have for concussions, it is important to stress others involved in the sports. The power of coaches, athletic directors, and the government in a way, can truly be beneficial to teams and individual players down the road. Coaches are always onsite of each game, practice, and down to every play. They know their players, they see what is going on and their title gives them the privilege of being responsible for that team. Like athletes, coaches should be educated on concussions, but they should also learn how to spot the mildest concussions and how to go about handling a situation without startling a player who does not want to sit out. Athletic directors have power over all coaches at a school. This is very important because they are the ones who can make it mandatory that at the start of every season, each team along with all the players and their parents, should attend educational sessions on concussions, as well as require pre-season testing, or at least make it optional. The government on the other hand, has all the power, but it is not a bad thing. Whether it be federal or state government, the potential they have is huge. Lawmakers can require concussion protocols for high school teams, mandate educational meetings and pre-season tests, as well as issue government rules and regulations to ensure the quality of the protective equipment being used, as a precaution. I never endured an instance in which any of my coaches, athletic directors or lawmakers used power like this, but Max Conradt did.

High school football players sure do love their team and the game, so did Max. Quarterback Max Conradt, seventeen, took the field for a game in the fall of 2001 that changed his life forever, but would not know that until a few days later. Max sustained a concussion, but started the next game without medical confirmation that his first concussion was cleared. He collapsed at halftime due to massive amounts of bleeding in his brain even though no remarkable hits were observed. He underwent three critical brain surgeries, was in a coma for three months, and then began the road to recovery with rehab at many different institutions. After this tragic incident, Max was no longer capable of living his normal life. Max did not want this happening to others so with Governor Kulongowski’s help, Max’s Law was signed. This law mandates all Oregon School Districts to use new guidelines for concussion management with student athletes. It provides “school administrators with information and resources about concussions. Successful concussion management policies follow the Recognize, Remove, Refer, Return protocol” (OCAMP). 

While many laws can be made, not all laws can really prevent concussions from happening. Return to Play guidelines have been created in response to the problem of concussions in football. The National Football League has adopted these guidelines and they actively promote them for youth football, while some states mandate the guidelines in all youth sports. Several states have passed laws that require any player suspected of having a concussion be removed from play immediately to seek medical attention. On top of that, most of these guidelines mandate education on concussion detection and the known risks of concussions. While Return to Play guidelines are very useful, one can argue the fact that they “do not address the problem of football-related concussion for several reasons” (Johnson 182). These guidelines are a post-concussion tool that can only prevent reoccurring concussions in athletes who return to sport participation too soon. A negative to all the good that comes from these guidelines is the fact that no evidence-based guidelines for safe return to play after concussions has been validated in children. With that being said, many will choose not to use the Return to Play guidelines. 

Sports related concussions will continue to be a “hot” topic amongst researchers, doctors, coaches, etc. With all the information given, “it is clear there is a need to build more awareness and understanding about concussions” (Abbott Company). As we advance through the era, new generations come, and what people we thought were young because they were still in high school, are now adults, graduated from college and spreading their new creative ideas into this world. Why do I mention that? Well technology will become more advance which means researchers can better their data and it can help with protective equipment. The future has so much instore for this topic. My generation in particular can be the change because the concussion numbers to this date are at its peak. Our generation has seen an advancement in technology already, so we have seen how it was then and how it is now. We can use that knowledge to go forward and come up with ways to decrease these numbers and spread concussion awareness. 
