Concussions are a growing and relevant topic, in today’s sports and health. Information from research found in recent studies, has caused more players, doctors, trainers, and parents to worry and be cautious. This led to my question, should parents of athletes stop their child from playing in contact sports? In this paper, I will show that due to the rapid occurrence of concussions in various sports, harmful short and long-term effects of concussions, and regulations that have been put in place from legal cases, contact sports are not safe for children right now. But, by analyzing the mistakes of why attempts in the past have failed, and using advanced technology, a solution can be created. A new type of helmet and equipment can be used to protect athletes from concussions. Non-contact sports could be used as a safer alternative for the time being, while still giving the same benefits as contact sports. Although it may not be the most popular, or favored answer, it is still the safest option. The consequences that have been discovered in recent research, are too serious for a child’s health to put at risk. Until new technology is created, that can guarantee the safety of an athlete, parents need to keep their child away from such violent sports.  

A contact sport, includes any sport that has possible collisions that could cause head trauma. Obviously, there are multiple sports, even non-contact, that could involve an injury to the head but there is higher chance for injury in these contact sports. These sports mainly include football, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, or any sport that involves intentional collision. For this paper, the focus will be directed on a popular sport in the U.S., football. Smaller sports will also be referenced, so the audience can be shown the frequency of concussions throughout sports all together. This will stress the overall need for a solution of protection. For example, many believe that soccer is a “non-violent” and soft sport, but research shows a large increase in the rate of concussions in the sport of soccer (Cornstock, Dawn, etc.). A study done by three scientists, in 2015, was completed to observe the trends over time in boys and girls high school soccer concussions, and identify the reasons concussions occur. Results from the study showed that an overall rate of concussions increased over the time of the study, and the main reasons were due to athlete-athlete contact, and heading (using your head to hit the ball) (Cornstock, Dawn, etc.). Using the results from this experiment, you can see how common and easy it is for an athlete to sustain a concussion during the game of a sport, even one that isn’t considered as dangerous as others. It also may come to surprise, but bike riding is also a leading cause in sports related concussions (Camarillo, David), adding on the variety of ways a concussion could be sustained. 

The Rhode Island Medical Journal defines a concussion as “...a complex pathophysiologic process resulting in transient neurologic dysfunction following a biomechanical insult to the brain, with or without loss of consciousness. Falling on the mild end of a traumatic brain injury spectrum.” (Feden, Jefferey P).  In sport concussion are usually caused by collision of the head to another athlete, ground, or ball. Whenever the skull contacts the surface of another hard object, the brain catches up with the skull and then makes a collision with the bone, causing the swelling and damage of the brain (Camarillo, David).  Once an athlete sustains head trauma, they may experience any of twenty different symptoms of a concussion, ranging from a headache to nausea, or irritability (Feden, Jefferey P).  However, these symptoms are not always easy to recognize by an athletic trainer or medic, which is a possible explanation to why so many concussions can go unnoticed (Feden, Jefferey P).  Athletes could also possibly hide their symptoms to continue playing, causing a missed diagnosis. Rest is always required for an injury to the head to ensure a safe and complete recovery (Proctor, Mark). Without a rest or break from physical activity, more trauma can be sustained to the patient (UW Sports Medicine). There were phenomena presented in the mid 1980’s that supports this idea, which describes a second impact to the head prior to a full recovery of an initial concussion. If this phenomenon were to occur, it could possibly lead to serious damage of the cerebral cortex in the brain, and permanent neurologic disability or death (Feden, Jefferey P). This syndrome shows very serious and deadly short term causes, however there is not a whole lot of evidence to support, and seems to be incredibly rare.  With all the information presented, it seems as if scientist have only scratched the surface behind the research of concussions. There are plenty of red flags shown from the short-term effects of concussions.

The second impact phenomenon was mentioned before as a short-term caution from one of the three major concerns after a concussion, the other main concerns are post-concussion syndrome, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (Feden, Jefferey P). Post- concussion syndrome is understood in many ways in the medical field, but is generalized to be persistent cognitive, physical, or emotional issues that are present well after a concussion time frame of recovery (Feden, Jefferey P). Some signs of prolonged symptoms include, migraines or headaches, difficulty learning in a classroom, or any sleeping problems occurring about eight to ten weeks after a concussion (Feden, Jefferey P). If an athlete sustains another hit to the head before they are fully healed, it can exacerbate the symptoms or possibly worsen the process of recovering (Feden, Jefferey P).  The other concern of a concussion is the possibility of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which describes the cumulative repeated hits to the head (Feden, Jefferey P).  With the repetitive head trauma incidents, this theory is suggesting that there are some harmful long term causes associated with the damage that is caused to the brain. Research supports that neurological functions may decrease with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), like the same effects that disease’s such as Alzheimer's, or dementia may cause (Feden, Jefferey P).  Although there is not strong research behind these claims yet, the repercussions are too serious to put at risk. The authors of League of Denial The NFL, Concussions, and The Battle for Truth, interview a brain surgeon who was once a professional football player, to show how his opinion of contact sports completely changed after all his research was done. He talks about how head trauma is inevitable in football, despite all the pads (Fainaru-Wada, Mark., and Fainaru). More from this book shows how possible brain trauma from football had a correlation to multiple early deaths of former NFL players. The book talks about former linebacker Junior Seau, who committed suicide at an early age of 43 due to possible brain damage from football. The brain scan of Junior, showed very dark colors and distortion compared to an average brain scan (Fainaru-Wada, Mark., and Fainaru). Revealing information like this to current athletes will show the danger of continuous head trauma. In addition, Bo Jackson, a hall of famer in the NFL, recently came out to the media to say he would’ve never played football if he knows what he does now (Chari, Mike).  This has a lot of meaning behind it. One of the most famous and athletic players of all time is saying he would’ve never played due to the terrible repercussions of concussions that has personally affected him. Bo went on to describe how his life is harder now, because of all the hits he sustained during his career. Claiming that it’s hard for him to even remember what he walks into the room for, along with simple tasks (Chari, Mike). All these claims of post concussive symptoms are serious, but evidence presented by David Camarillo shows us that damage in the brain does show overtime. His research of players who are involved in head-on-head contact significantly decrease the size of the corpus coliseum in the brain (Camarillo, David).  This information supports all the claims of long term symptoms from a concussion. With all these negative effects, it shows that concussions can cause complications throughout life.    

Due to the severity of concussions and the possible dangers they present, there have been many legal cases that have been brought forward to make safe regulations. In the Marquette Sports Law Review, the author mentions how younger athletes are more vulnerable to concussions than adults. They require a longer recovery period, and are more sustainable to deal with the effects. (Wilson, Marie-France) Due to the vulnerability and dangers of these young athletes, this article presents a variety of legal regulations put in high schools, and required by the state to abide to, regarding a high school in sport concussion. One of the most important, and known regulation that has been put in place is the RTP (return to play) guidelines presented from the 2008 Zurich Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (Wilson, Marie-France). The outline of this legal consensus, requires an athlete who has a concussion to not return to any activity, until the patient participates in light aerobic exercises without any symptoms arising (Wilson, Marie-France). It also discourages any athlete from returning to the sport, within twenty-four hours to ensure the safety of the player. RTP guidelines have served as a major safety concern through the nation. The Zackery Lystedt Law in Washington State in 2009, required all fifty states to enact some form of concussion legislation, to increase awareness and improve athlete safety across the nation (Feden, Jefferey P). Although adults are less susceptible of receiving concussions, the NFL has created rules to secure the safety of the players, such as the act of removing a player from the game if their helmet comes off during a play (Fainaru-Wada, Mark., and Fainaru). RTP decisions are usually made by coaches, parents, or doctors, but as mentioned earlier, most concussions can go unnoticed due to various reasons. With such a concern, undiagnosed concussions have caused many legal cases which have also produced laws to protect young athletes. For example, in the Serrell v. Connetquot Central High School District case, a student athlete claimed that his high school athletic association failed to promote the guidelines found in the RTP rules (Wilson, Marie-France). The court ruled that the association is only responsible for scheduling games, however the schools and school district were responsible to provide the medical personnel who should make RTP decisions (Wilson, Marie-France). The result of this case, caused several states to require a concussion management program with RTP guidelines in their schools (Wilson, Marie-France). By having these programs, it allows for medical personnel to closely monitor any student athlete with possible symptoms of a concussion. Another example, comes from a family in Seattle. The son of this family, received a concussion during a high school football game. The high school did a poor job of ensuring his health, by sending him back to play too early. In response, the family took the issue to court, which created a state law that made requirements for an injured athlete to complete, before returning to play (Clarridge, Chrisine) . This case supports the RTP guidelines, and shows the danger of negligence in schools regarding the health of a student athlete.  These legal cases, and laws that have been put in place show the concern across the nation of concussions in student athletes. Due to the dangers and cautions of multiple contact sports, many laws and regulations have been required to protect the health of athletes. 

While there are so many negative aspects to contact sports, others can argue of multiple pros that these sports can give. Participating in community sports can build strong social skills for athletes, along with the chance to work as a team with peers (Proctor, Mark). Physical exercise is also an important factor for a developing child to get. Carol Gerber, a sports medicine scientist, writes about how all these different types of exercises such as, cardio, resistance, flexibility, and neuromata training, improves the mental and physical health in adults and adolescents (Garber, Carol Ewing). There is an obvious correlation with continuous exercise and a good health (Garber, Carol Ewing). By allowing athletes to participate in physical activity, it can better their health and have a fun time while doing it. However, these athletes can receive all the benefits listed before but in a much safer way. Flag football for example is a great way for a child to have just as much fun and physical activity as contact football, but not have to worry about injury as much. Obviously, there is always a possibility for injury while partaking in physical movement, but using flags to “tackle” a player is much safer than continuous head-on-head collisions. That is, until a new solution is provided to prevent concussions. 

Despite the reassurance of non-contact sports, football has too much power to just disappear from the American culture (Proctor, Mark). There have been many attempts to prevent concussions in football, but no ultimate solution. In addition to all the RTP cases that were passed, there have also been improvements to technology that can diagnose a concussion. There are now sensors that attach to the skin, which monitor brain activity and can detect a possible concussion. This is done by comparing a baseline test of normal brain activity, to any erratic activity that occurs. (Camarillo, David) A mouthpiece with the same principles of sensors and technology has been tested to evaluate concussion (Camarillo, David). As exciting as these inventions are, they have still failed. The skin sensors are not accurate and have difficulty remaining on the skin, while the mouthpiece has been reported of inaccurate readings also (Camarillo, David). To continue, another invention has been created that acts as a personal airbag for your head, in case of a bike accident (Camarillo, David). The main issue with this product is the possibility of damage to the bag, or a cause of malfunction. As you can see there have been a couple of inventions, that have fallen just short of succeeding. My proposed solution takes the basic principles of these gadgets, and combines them. This invention shows up as a normal football helmet, but contains sensors and a triggered air tube, similar to the air bag concept. The principles behind this device use sensors, to detect brain activity all throughout the duration of a game attached by the buckle of the helmet. If a player has any deviant brain activity during the game, coaches and personal training staff are notified immediately. This resolves the issue of any possible missed diagnoses, along with preventing repeated hits to the head after a concussion. To continue, there will be separate sensors that are responsible for activating the air tube inside the helmet, in case of a head to head or head to ground collision. The role of the air tube is to restrict movement of the skull, preventing any thrashing of the brain that could stretch tissue or damage the corpus coliseum. By having an air tube, it will absorb the impact of the head and spread the momentum caused by a hit. This theory relies on the science of physics and momentum. This helmet would most likely be expensive to create, but would almost completely limit the causation of concussions in football, lacrosse, or any sport that uses helmets.

From viewing all the research and studies that have been done, it’s clear that concussions are not only dangerous but possibly deadly. The surface has only been scratched of the true hazards of concussions. Harmful short term side effects have been shown in studies to injure athletes. Because of these short-term repercussions and an area of worry, there have been laws passed in every single state of the nation to improve the safety and awareness of sport related concussions. Not only are concussions a serious concern legally, they also have taken spotlight in media. With the harmful long term effects showing in older professional football players, there is a big worry of current players. It’s obvious why concussions are such a big topic in today’s sports and health. Until new technology like the proposed helmet are introduced, it’s safer for children to stay away from the violent sports. With more non-contact sports becoming popular in the American culture, it provides a safe option with the same benefits as most contact sports. As a parent of an athlete, you must consider these cons to contact sports and realize that technology is not ready for a solution yet. It simply is not safe for an athlete to sustain constant head trauma. 
