Around the world, football has become commonly known as a sport for the very selective “tough men”. Over the past decade, there have been many problems with playing football in relation to mental and physical injury. In most recent years, the most common injuries have been concussions.
A concussion is a traumatic brain injury caused by a blow to the head. Football is a game of physical contact and hitting body to body. In football, to tackle someone, you have to lead with your head first and then hit them with your body. When you lean in to hit the player the other player will instinctively lean their head into each other. This is what causes one of the most deadliest injuries, concussions.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE, is the repetition of concussions that cause brain injury, that can ultimately lead most players to death. CTE can also cause memory loss, depression, anxiety, and many outlandish behaviors that can’t be controlled. Many famous athletes have had this disease, and they have had their lives changed forever because of the impact on their brains.
Aaron Hernandez, a former NFL star, was convicted of murder in 2015 for the killing of Odin Lloyd. After his death by suicide in 2017 in prison, an autopsy revealed that Hernandez suffered from severe CTE, and it was the worst case that autopsists had seen from someone that young. This case has since sparked important conversations about the long-term effects of concussions and brain injuries in contact sports like football.
Since the release of this case, the NFL has started to come up with solutions to try and prevent CTE. They are starting to give regular mandated neuropsychological tests before games, so concussions are controlled and have handed out Guardian Caps that help guide away from helmet to helmet contact. The NFL has also changed the kickoff rules to be more safe. Certain highschool teams have started the game without the kickoff and just placed the ball at the 30 yard line. People have also come to terms with the NFL, that players are now limited to playing because of their hits to the head.
Concussions are sadly becoming more common and more devastating to young, developing brains in younger people. Hopefully new ideas will develop and help create a safer way to play “America’s game”.
