Review of Literature
A concussion is a brain injury typically caused by a blow to the head that results in a negative change in the function of your brain (Concussion Definition). In the past decade, more and more research has been done on the topic. And it has quickly been discovered that these brain injuries can cause more than just the temporary known effects. Because of this, concussions have become a frontline issue in the world of contact sports. There are multiple perspectives as to how this new problem should be approached, especially in the NFL. This discussion has come to be called the “Concussion Crisis (Carroll).
Football is an American tradition; but as research is being done and the long-term effects of the sport are being discovered, people are beginning to realize its dangers. And, concussions are a main cause of these problems. However there are still people who doubt the seriousness and validity of concussions. They argue people have been playing football for decades, and if head injuries were as big an issue as they are made to be today, they would have been discovered before. On the more political side of the topic, there’s a debate over the NFL’s responsibility in the matter. In a PBS article it was reported that a third of all NFL athletes will develop cognitive problems such as dementia or Alzheimer’s as a result of head injuries. And in the past two seasons 306 players have gotten one or more concussions. Many people seem to think it is the NFL’s responsibility to subsidize the athletes who have suffered from concussions, while others think it is not.
In the debate over the NFL’s responsibility, almost 5000 athletes have already sued the league. They accuse the NFL of withholding information about the severity of head injuries, and then profiting off publicizing and glorifying “the kind of bone-jarring hits that make for spectacular highlight-reel footage” (NFL.com). The grounds on which the players can sue are because all NFL players pay to be apart of the NFL players association, which acts as a union for these athletes (USA Today). However, they are said to have not provided accurate information about concussions. And for a long time, the NFL denied their role and defended themselves in saying safety was always a top priority. But last month, commissioner Roger Goodell fessed up and said “’do the right thing for the game and the men who played it”’ (NFL.com). Along with this came, a tentative settlement of about $765 million to players who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and encephalopathy.
The arguments against the validity of concussions are becoming more and more discredited with the amount of research and media attention the topic receives. Discussed in The Concussion Crisis by David Rosner and Linda Carroll, this camp’s main argument that these injuries were very rare and the few cases that were evident were flukes. But obviously, as more research and evidence is shown, this is clearly invalid.
Football is an American tradition; but as research is being done and the long-term effects of the sport are being discovered, people are beginning to realize its dangers. And, concussions are a main cause of these problems. However there are still people who doubt the seriousness and validity of concussions. They argue people have been playing football for decades, and if head injuries were as big an issue as they are made to be today, they would have been discovered before. On the more political side of the topic, there’s a debate over the NFL’s responsibility in the matter. In a PBS article it was reported that a third of all NFL athletes will develop cognitive problems such as dementia or Alzheimer’s as a result of head injuries. And in the past two seasons 306 players have gotten one or more concussions. Many people seem to think it is the NFL’s responsibility to subsidize the athletes who have suffered from concussions, while others think it is not.
In the debate over the NFL’s responsibility, almost 5000 athletes have already sued the league. They accuse the NFL of withholding information about the severity of head injuries, and then profiting off publicizing and glorifying “the kind of bone-jarring hits that make for spectacular highlight-reel footage” (NFL.com). The grounds on which the players can sue are because all NFL players pay to be apart of the NFL players association, which acts as a union for these athletes (USA Today). However, they are said to have not provided accurate information about concussions. And for a long time, the NFL denied their role and defended themselves in saying safety was always a top priority. But last month, commissioner Roger Goodell fessed up and said “’do the right thing for the game and the men who played it”’ (NFL.com). Along with this came, a tentative settlement of about $765 million to players who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and encephalopathy.
The arguments against the validity of concussions are becoming more and more discredited with the amount of research and media attention the topic receives. Discussed in The Concussion Crisis by David Rosner and Linda Carroll, this camp’s main argument that these injuries were very rare and the few cases that were evident were flukes. But obviously, as more research and evidence is shown, this is clearly invalid.