Controversial Concussions

Debate regarding the health effects of concussions in the NFL and on all American football players has caused considerable controversy across the nation. Not only is it a problem for these professional athletes, but every day in the US, players suffer the consequences of these sports and the side effects of concussions. 

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that is caused by a blow to the head or body, a fall, or another injury that jars or shakes the brain inside the skull. Although there may be cuts or bruises on the head or face, there may be no other visible signs of a brain injury.

Players in the NFL are making known the serious risk of concussions, while the rest of them are dishing them out to the rest of the other players. Former NFL safety Hazma Abdullah went on a twitter rant about how horribly the NFL treats its players, making sure the poor helmet safety didn't go unnoticed. 

There has been arguments popping up here and there for the past 20 years in the NFL about how safe the helmets are for the players and how safe it is to return to play after a concussion. Most of the players reply with the same statement; "Every player understood the risks of playing football, and we did it, and would do it over again!" The long term effects on these athletes is the bigger part of the problem. Retired players with significant amounts of concussions, especially those who returned to play too early, end up being suicidal, have depression, memory loss, and moderate to even severe brain damage. Players have even died from concussions. Since 1997, at least 50 high school football players have died or received serious head injuries.

There have been numerous attempt to promote concussion safety and reduce the number of these accidents. The only way to prevent it from happening in the first place, is to develop safer, more shock-absorbent helmets. Since it is harder to do this, companies like Schutt and Reebok have developed new indicators that hook up to helmets that can alert a coach if the player has a concussion. These are sensors that are attached to the helmet that turn from green to red when a player is hit with a g-force of more than 100. Although this does not prevent the concussion from happening, it can alert someone that the player is at danger if left in the game, and can prevent further injury. Doctors have found out that when a player is hit with a g-force of more than 100, there is a significant increase in the chance of getting concussed, even though when a quarter back is sacked by a linebacker, there is about a g-force of 150. Doctors and sportswear developers are working on new ways to develop safer equipment for players so they can be safer and in better shape not only on the field, but off the field, so that their heads aren't full of useless mush by the time they're 40. Some of the players who are in the NFL are only there because they managed to pass college with their masters in underwater basket-weaving, so the last thing we need is a bunch of brain-dead athletes who talk like Jameis Winston after winning the BCS Championship on a daily basis.

http://www.webmd.com/brain/tc/traumatic-brain-injury-concussion-overview

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2013/10/31/nfl-hamza-abdullah-twitter-rant/3324749/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concussions_in_American_football#Concussions_in_high_school_football