There is a huge hit on the field, and the crowd goes insane because they love to see these feats of the sport, but the player is not moving or getting up; paramedics rush the field and quickly realize that he is paralyzed from the neck down. Every single fan of the NFL knows the excitement that comes with seeing an opposing player get hit hard and struggle to get up, but are the effects of these hits known? These hits do not just happen at the professional level-all throughout high school and college players are being injured and the risk for re-injury is increasing. It was estimated that out of the 1 million high school football athletes, there were 40,000 major injuries per year (Jandial). This only shows the injuries that are recorded and the players were required to miss games, but behind the scenes, there were minor injuries that amount over the period of play. A concussion is defined as a “traumatic brain injury, or TBI, caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth” (CDC). This results in changes in the brain and may even damage the cells within the brain. Even though each hit that the body sustained might not be classified as a “concussive blow,” it is still forceful enough to knock the brain around and put a dent in the future of the player. The NFL and NCAA are attempting to solve some of the issues that result from these hits and prevent them in the first place. They are making the tackle box smaller in order to limit head-to-head contact and prevent the major injuries. Although this is a major step, it is not enough because players are still being paralyzed during play, and if not that, suffering from diseases such as dementia and paranoia later on in life. Every hit that is sustained during football puts stress on the brain and concussions result from this. The repetitive blows lead to diseases that affect the social and physical future of these stars. 

To begin, concussions drastically impact the lives of players who have experienced them. One of the most established centers in the NFL, Mike Webster, is considered the person whose brain sparked the crisis that now haunts the NFL. Pathologist Bennet Omalu was a part of the discovery of the link between Webster's actions and his brain trauma. The disease that was looked at in the brain was called “dementia puglistica – ‘punch-drunk syndrome,’…was characterized by severe dementia- delusion, paranoia, explosive behavior, loss of memory – caused by repeated blows to the head” (Laskas). Mike’s attitude after retiring completely changed, he was “lethargic. He forgot to eat…frightening his wife and kids…He slept under bridges…He zapped himself into unconsciousness, just to get some sleep” (Laskas). Going from being one of the best in the league to someone who scared their family is not a change that goes unnoticed, and it impacted the way the game was played. The tackling rules have changed throughout the years and it’s been for the safety of the players. In a Men’s Journal article, A. J. Hawk, a prominent linebacker for the Green Bay Packers was interviewed about the new rules that are being implemented and agrees that they have “changed things a lot. Anyone coming across the middle feels a lot safer than they used to” (Reidy). The major change is that helmet-to-helmet contact is not allowed and fineable, while others protect “defenseless receivers”- someone who is attempting to catch the ball and is blindsided by an opposing defender. Although these changes are being made, they still do not fully protect the players and their brains. There are many other cases like Mike Webster in which their lives were affected socially, and eventually killed themselves because the pain of living with the disease caused by concussions was too much. 

On the other hand, there are a a very limited number of skeptics who believe that this is not a crisis and that the disease does not result directly from the hits or concussions. CTE or “chronic traumatic encephalopathy” is referred to as “likely to be caused by a routine hit to the head as it is by a big, concussive blow” (Mahler). Those who argue against this being a concussion crisis believe that it just a small part of the “observable phenomena” and that naming it a crisis “diminished its urgency at lower levels of the game” (Mahler). Although this might seem viable because the spotlight is on the NFL, an immense number of tests and studies are being done on children who are playing at a pee wee and high school levels. One study conducted by Christopher Whitlow at Wake Forest involved 25 boys that ranged from eight to thirteen years old, in which it was noticed that “the more impacts a player had to the head, the more changes in a part of the brain called white matter, which is the basis of communication between different parts of the brain” (Park). This is a major part of the studies because as young children, their bodies and brain are still developing and having too many disturbances would damage the brain's connections in the future, causing issues that lead to CTE. Alice Park states that the “bad effects from concussions can continue years after the trauma, and brain experts say that damage to delicate neurons can also accumulate over time, even with repeated head injuries that don’t reach the level of concussion.” With these defects being known, more steps are being taken at younger levels to try to help ensure that these children are able to stay active and not destroy their future. 

One of the most established men in professional sports history, who was able to play both football and baseball at the highest level, named the “world’s greatest living athlete” recently came to USA Today Sports with a shocking revelation. Bo Jackson said that if “knew back then what he know now, [he] would have never played football. Never. [he] wish [he] had known about all those head injuries…And the people that did know that, they wouldn’t tell anybody” (Nightengale). He continues to state in the interview with Nightengale and USA Today Sports that “The game has gotten so violent…We’re so much more educated on this CTE stuff, there’s no way I would ever allow my kids to play football today.” This news shocked the nation and world of sports because of the achievements of Bo. Mr. Jackson was a running back when the league did not have as many protections for its players, but luckily he did not suffer from any type of concussive blow or disease that ended his career and destroy his life. Instead, it was a nasty hit by a linebacker which dislocated his hip and developed into hip necrosis. One of the presidents of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the time, Gay Culverhouse, watched Bo play during the era and feels the same as he does, that the risks are great and must be carefully thought out by those playing. She published a book called “Throwaway Players: Concussion Crisis From Pee Wee Football to the NFL,” which in chapter six, entitled “Yes, A Ding Is Serious”, delves into the stories of former players on her team and around the league. Troy Vincent, a cornerback for three teams, told a New York Times reporter that “50 or 60 times, I’m in the huddle, I don’t know where I’m at, don’t know the call, and I’ve got a player holding me up. I’m not sure if athletes really know what a concussion is- get some smelling salts and get back into the game” (Culverhouse 62). The fact that players were just encouraged to go back into the game, although they could not tell where they even were, is a troubling idea. Tom McHale “never knowingly suffered a concussion… suffered an estimate of over twenty thousand hits to the head” and later on, took his life away before the age of 50 because he could not deal with the stress of CTE. This in itself is one of the scariest dangers of football and the degenerative disease, although a concussion might not have even occurred, any disturbance to the brain can cause damage that adds up over time. 

With football being the leading cause of concussions among its players, it is very worrying that it is also considered the most popular sport in the United States for younger athletes. A study estimated that there were around 1,085,272 men and women playing at a high school level during the 2015-2016 school year (Jeffrey). From here, the numbers dwindle to small percentages to play in college. It is estimated that roughly seven percent, or 73,660 of those athletes, make it to the NCAA. It becomes almost minuscule from there, estimating that 1.5 percent of the college athletes make it to the NFL (Football). Although the numbers may seem small, the injuries mount up and proper medical personnel is expected to be on the sideline. In many cases, this is not the case due to the fact there are many different classifications and treatments for concussions. There is not one universal scale for the diagnosis and return-to-play guidelines which make the lines fuzzy and hard for athletic trainers to be trained properly (Jandial). For the NFL, the league does not allow for an independent neurological expert to be on the sideline during games, which if allowed, could enable a more strict set of guidelines for each team that must be followed by the professional (Mahler). With unclear rules that “must be followed”, the children and adults who enjoy the game of football are at a major risk for disease and re-injury down the line. 

More importantly, there is a phenomenon known as a post-concussion syndrome, which is when the “persistence of cognitive, physical, or emotional symptoms are well beyond the expected time frame for recovery”; which is defined as six to twelve weeks after the injury has occurred (Feden). If this issue occurs, the life of the athlete or whoever is concussed becomes dull with tests and remedies to try and treat the syndrome. These attempts at correcting the syndrome are all limited in research because it is newly being discovered. Another concern is that once a concussion happens, the chance that another sports-related concussion will occur in a short period of time is increased. Although the chances are not very likely, it is still a major concern due to the fact that it can lead to the “loss of cerebral auto-regulation, diffuse cerebral edema, and permanent neurologic disability or even death” (Feden). With the loss of auto-regulation (blood-flow) in the cerebral (brain) region, the neurons in the brain can stop sending signals to the body and result in loss of function. In Mike Websters case, he was forced to “wrap his hands with duct tape and stick a pen in the tape so he could write thousands of letters” (Laskas). On top of that, physical appearances changed, such as his teeth falling out. In the case of others who just suffered one or two concussions in the lifetime, subtle things such as the way they walk are affected. In a test administered by Doctor Meehan and his associates, as a part of the National Football League Players Association, three groups of people were set up, one with no concussions, one that experience one, and those who experienced two or more concussions in their lifetime. There were two tests given, one in which they participants walked without another task to do, and one with, and the results were compared. Those who had no concussions in their life and those with one concussion saw similar results in the decreased when asked to multitask, dropping from 1.15 meters per second to .90 meters per second. On the other hand, those with two or more concussions were significantly lower in both tests, going from 1.07 meters per second to .80 meters per second (Howell). These tests show that when more than one concussion occurs, the brain is not able to process as fast and send signals as quick as it used it, and it slowly deteriorates over time. 

All-in-all, during the fall season, America’s favorite past time becomes a dangerous sport that leaves its athletes at a major risk for injury and harm later on in life. As Jonathan Mahler said in his article, “Football is an inherently violent sport in which unremarkable plays can eventually add up to permanent brain damage.” The permanent brain damage ruins one’s life socially, emotionally and physically; and in many cases results in a tragic suicide that usually follows a tragic crime. There have been 33 confirmed cases of ex-NFL stars with CTE who have taken their life, and sadly some of them took others with them - mostly wives and children. Most of these stars never knew the bad side to playing the sport they loved until it was too late because of a lack of research and understanding by the NFL. With all the knowledge and studies being produced today, it should be evident that the league should do something to either further prevent the injuries from happening or at least monitor their player’s health and ensure they will be safe and care for them. Another way to prevent injuries at a lower level is to ensure that there is a universal scale for concussion guidelines and that all physicians show knowledge with it. Football is a sport in which fans rejoice in watching their team hit opposing players and make seemingly impossible plays, but it is time for the standards of talking and caring to be raised and provide resources for those who are traumatically affected. 
