"Iron Mike" Webster (above) was the prototypical Pittsburgh Steeler of the 1970s. Webster was described by Steelers' Coach Chuck Noll as "the best center who ever played the game" ("Former Steeler Webster," 2002, para. 18). He prided himself on playing despite being injured. Unfortunately, "that tough-guy insistence on playing hurt may have led to the brain damage. Webster's doctors said the concussions during his career damaged his frontal lobe, causing cognitive dysfunction" ("Former Steeler Webster," 2002, para. 9). Mike Webster became the first player to raise awareness of the serious nature of concussions. He was referred to as "Patient 0 in the NFL's League of Denial."
Dave Duerson, Defensive Back for the Chicago Bears (1983-1989). Like Webster, Duerson was 50 years old when he died after shooting himself in the chest to preserve his brain. Duerson reportedly "left a note asking that his brain be given to the NFL's Brain Bank" for further study ("Dave Duerson," 2011, para. 6). It was confirmed by the researcher who diagnosed him that Duerson had "moderately advanced" brain damage related to blows to the head" ("Dave Duerson," 2011, para. 1).
Junior Seau, Linebacker, San Diego Chargers (1990-2002), Miami Dolphins (2003-2005), New England Patriots (2006-2009). Seau was only 43 when he died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds in May, 2012. He too was later diagnosed with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). Seau's family ultimately sued the NFL, accusing them of "deliberately ignoring and concealing evidence of the risks associated with traumatic brain injuries" ("Junior Seau's family," 2013, para. 2).
The tragic circumstances that led to the premature deaths of these and other former NFL players cannot be undone. However, one of the ethical issues that arises is whether the NFL and other sports leagues respond by being transparent about the evidence that is available. Since Frontline aired the program League of Denial, the PBS site has tracked the number of concussions that have occurred during each NFL season via a "Concussion Watch." As of this date, 123 were reported for the 2014 NFL season. When it is broken down by position, the cornerback position appears to be most vulnerable - with 24 players at that position who reported suffering concussions.
It is apparent from our discussion in class that more and more people are taking concussions seriously - whether it be athletes, athletic trainers, and/or hopefully also coaches. Here are some questions for your comments: Is the NFL doing enough to deal with the repercussions of concussions? What about other sports - is enough being done to expose the dangers of concussions so that they are fully addressed? I asked how many in class might rethink their willingness to allow and/or encourage their children to play a sport in which there is a likelihood of concussions occurring. What are your thoughts about that in light of the reading(s) and discussion in class? Did our discussion influence you to rethink your sports involvement - as a coach, athlete, trainer, etc?
References
Concussion and Sports. (2015). Brainline.org Retrieved from http://www.brainline.org/content/2008/12/concussion-and-sports.html
Concussion Watch. (2014). PBS.org Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/concussion-watch/
Dave Duerson had brain damage. (2011, May 3). ESPN Chicago Retrieved from http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/news/story?id=6465271
Former Steeler Webster dies at age 50. (2002, October 3). ESPN Classic. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/classic/obit/s/2002/0924/1435977.html
Iron Mike Webster: Patient zero in the NFL's League of Denial. (2014, September 29). Frontline. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwVm_9Sfv2I
Junior Seau's family sues NFL. (2013, January 23). ESPN.com Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8872778/junior-seau-family-files-wrongful-death-suit-vs-nfl
With the emergence of lawsuits and attention in the media surrounding concussions, the NFL is beginning to take precautions to diagnose and properly treat concussions. Allowing athletes to take more time to heal is a necessity to ensure that athletes remain healthy for the remainder of their lives outside of playing professional football. I do not hear much in the media regarding concussions in other sports. The media displays football as being the main focus for concussions in correlation with long-term mental illness in professional sports.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the articles assigned to us, I am reluctant to let my children play football. After reading the article about Kosta, as well as having friends who personally knew Kosta, I am fearful that my children could experience a similar outcome. I understand that concussions are a risk in all contact sports, but the likelihood of suffering from a concussion or blow to the head/neck may be reduced in a sport less physically demanding and violent.
As a personal trainer, I have the possibility of training an athlete in the future. I want to ensure that my clients participating in competitive sport have the strength to perform their sport to the best of their ability. With the knowledge I have regarding concussions, I am more inclined to create a training program that may help to reduce the likelihood of losing one’s balance by increasing core stabilization and kinesthetic awareness.
•Kali Morgenstern
Kali,
DeleteSince you knew more about Kosta, do you think he suffered concussions as a wrestler? Or did he have previous involvement in football where he may have had concussions?
Dr. Spencer
Reading the articles about concussions, I can say that as a former football player I look at these cases and I agree and understand that we need to protect our players from being hurt no matter what the injury is. I also have to say that playing a sport like football that is physical; you’re almost placing yourself in harm’s way. If I were a boxer, I would have to understand I am an athlete that will get hit in the head because it’s a part of the sport. I can say the same about being a UFC fighter. I feel like these sports ask you to be very physical and because of that, you’re signing up for something that could hurt you. Teaching a guy how to tackle will definiently help to lower concussions in the NFL but I can see injuries starting to occur other places because you can’t hit high. I see a future of more knee problems because that would be the easiest place to target to save you money as a player. Now that football is attempting to help its players from these problems are we starting to turn the game into a game without pads? To me, it seems to be headed that way. Will boxers and UFC fighters sue next is another question if they haven’t already. Just wondering because these are sports that are voluntary to anyone who wants to be a part of them. I am glad that football is caring for the safety of its players but I hope we are not taking away too much from the sport.
ReplyDeleteVincent Marshall
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFor me, personally, concussions have always been about information and self-accountability. In the scheme of things, the information has changed drastically from even the time that I was playing. When I was playing throughout high school and college, a concussion was something viewed as something you played through and a toughness issue. I personally have had a few documented concussions, but know in my heart quite few others that went undocumented. When I was playing, the football culture at the time on how concussions were perceived and treated, I felt more like it would be a sign of weakness to admit if I was having post-concussions symptoms. So, instead of reporting it and taking pre-caution, I continued to play through it and just deal with it. In this day and age with the information that is available, there is no need for any athlete to take that path now. This is where self-accountability comes in. Regardless of any pressure or influence a player may get to continue to play with concussion symptoms, the protocols and information that are now in place no longer justifies having a concussion as a toughness issue. Therefore, the individual needs to be confident and comfortable that self-reporting and being honest with the team’s medical staff is for the full benefit of the player’s well-being. With the concussion information and knowledge that we have today, the emphasis now needs to go to athletes that it’s okay to acknowledge and seek medical attention for concussions. The only way to get athletes to be comfortable with that is to help them understand and know that nothing is wrong with reporting and following protocols for head injuries and taking the proper steps to insure that they have recovered fully before participating in their sporting event.
ReplyDeleteKevin Anderson II
I have learned a lot more about concussions and the consequences of repeated concussions throughout my coursework this year. The articles we read for class and a documentary I watched last semester really emphasized how someone’s life can be affected forever from these injuries. I think "Iron Mike" Webster's personal story is one that has really stuck with me throughout all of the discussions. I do not think that the NFL or any other sport entity does enough to emphasize the impacts and the lasting effects of concussions in fear or legal ramifications. From all of these articles, I would definitely rethink my willingness to allow my child to participate in some of these sports long term. I understand that all sports have some risk of harm but I would allow him/her to try anything and everything. If I see that their physical and mental health are being impacted by the severity of the sport I will be hard-pressed to allow my child to continue long term.
ReplyDelete-Marissa Tashenberg
I do not think the NFL is doing "enough" to protect its athletes from concussions and the long-term medical problems associated with them. However, I also wonder if it is possible, in a game like football, to do enough to protect the players. The nature of football involves big, fast, people meeting in high-impact collisions. Improvements to the technology used in helmets has taken great strides, but still does not completely protect against devastating head injuries. The rules that have been changed in the NFL to prevent concussions seem great for reducing concussions, but also seems to raise the possibility of major lower body injuries. Does solving the concussion problem validate vicious hits to players knees?
ReplyDeleteI only have a working knowledge of the concussion policies in soccer. I know that professional soccer in the US and England have immediate concussion testing rules, meaning that a player who has been involved in any head injury type situation must be taken from the field for concussion testing. The player may only return to play if cleared by the trainer/medical team. However, increasing awareness in soccer hasn't been a major priority in my opinion mostly because the injury is much less common than in football.
I still would be open to allowing my son/daughter to play football in the future, but I would hope that by that time concussion protocols and preventative measures will have improved by leaps and bounds. I love the game of football, think it teaches many great lessons to young people if taught in the right way, and can be a great social outlet for young people. I would want my child to be able to experience all the positives of football, but would definitely have to consider the negatives if the concussion problems haven't improved much from their current state.
- Joey Durant
Yes, I believe the NFL is taking precautions of concussions seriously and putting their best foot forward in dealing with prevention of them. The reason I feel this way is because I happen to be a huge fan the physical aspect of the sport and admire big hits. With that being said, I actually believe that they are becoming a little extreme and I have feared that they would eventually eliminate the physical and tough nature of the game. I say this because as a former football player myself, I understand that not all helmet to helmet contact is intentional. As a defensive player your job is to stop the progression of the opposing offense and prevent them from getting up field. Therefore, when making a tackle you have nothing in mind other than stopping the ball carrier which might lead to incidental helmet to helmet contact. I say this to point out that I believe sometimes players are falsely accused of targeting (intentional helmet to helmet contact). However, calling those controversial penalties is the leagues way of showing their effort in preventing head injuries. I also mentioned in class that they are beginning to teach a new way of tackling, a "rugby style" tackle, having players wrap and roll rather than form up with square shoulders. There are also little leagues that are supported by the NFL such as Heads Up football ( http://usafootball.com/headsup ) which teaches tackling fundamentals and brings awareness to concussion prevention. I do not have any knowledge on other sports as far as their efforts to prevent head injuries. I recall that in class I said that I would not think twice about my children playing football, I stand by that. I understand that there is risk but I also understand and would bet that probably most head injuries could be prevented with proper technique when making a tackle. Although the article brings the issue to light a little more, it does not have any influence on my willingness to be involved. However, I will say my opinion is definitely bias because of my love for the game.
ReplyDeleteJonathan Robinson wrote above comment.
DeleteI believe that due to the latest research and advancements that have been made in concussion based studies has really raised awareness in the NFL and collegiate level football. It is no longer a case of "oh he just got his bell rung," it has become a matter of keeping all individuals safe and decreasing the risk of reinjury. There is a lot of conflict at what types of protocols need to be done when a concussion is sustained. Each organization has their own protocols and I feel like that is where complications can still arise and there needs to be a nationwide protocol that clears athletes to return to play if they are physically able. I also feel that there are some coaches that are set in their old ways and have not really realized the dangers of concussions and the importance of healing the brain. I feel like all sports are aware of the severity of the concussions but how much they really believe in the need to heal is up in the air.
ReplyDeleteI feel that as an athletic trainer has really made me aware of concussions and the risks that are involved with playing. This will definitely be a factor in what sport my child plays especially when they are in their younger years. I feel that it is important to protect the young brain and make sure that they are fully aware of the importance of safe play.
Amanda Notley
DeleteI believe the NFL is taking a step in the right direction in regards to the improvements made to concussion protocols and prevention of injury. The NFL enforces illegal hits and even has an independent athletic trainer (not employed by either team) at games to monitor players for possible concussions. Unfortunately athletes, especially those that participate in contact sports, will never be able to completely avoid the risk of concussions. I think the best we can do is make sure the supporting staff is doing their best to properly detect and treat concussions. I think it is also extremely important to educate athletes on the consequences concussions can have on their heath as well as their quality of life in the future. Unreported concussions occur far too often and sometimes athletes are just prolonging their injury that may have resolved with some rest. Ultimately, the decision lies on the athlete. There are many cases where the sports medicine staff is unaware of all the symptoms, or the severity of symptoms, leaving them powerless in their attempt to protect the athlete.
ReplyDeleteAllie McDavitt
Back in the day of Mike Webster and Junior Seau concussions were looked at as being weak. It was the "football mindset". At my high school, our coaches would make us run off the field no matter what the injury was. There was no such thing as a player laying on the ground, waiting for a coach or trainer to come out and check him out. Once you came to the sideline you shook it off and went back in. Today, we know that this is ethically wrong. The issue with concussions starts with knowledge. Today, with the medical advancements and technology that is available, we have much more knowledge about concussions and the short or long term effect that they have on an individual. Concussion prevention begins with teaching proper techniques to the game of football at the pop warner level. The coaches are the ones who need to be coached up at this level about concussion prevention. As you move through the ranks to high school, college, and professional, the game gets faster and the collisions become more violent. I think that the NFL is beginning to take more prevalent steps to preventing concussions. Penalties, fines, and suspensions for illegal hits is one step the NFL is taking.
ReplyDeleteConcussions continue to be a larger issue in the world of sports, especially football. From an NFL perspective, I feel that the League is doing a significantly better job with the prevention and care of concussions. With the on the field rules that have been changed, IMPACT testing that is being used and the procedures that are taking place on the sideline after a concussion happens, the NFL is obviously taking a more serious approach to the issue. But, in my opinion, the issue is with the education of the players. The players have to understand the real life consequences that come with concussions. Players have to report the concussions so that they can get the proper treatment and care.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the question that was asked in class regarding allowing our future children to play football, I feel that there is no question I will let my kids play. To me, the issue with children playing football is at what age they start. In my opinion, kids do not need to play padded football until 7th or 8th grade. This will limit the amount of blows to the head kids have a chance of inquiring. Also, selfishly as a coach, it will allow kids to limit the bad football habits that they develop at a young age.
Derek Shay
According to what I know about concussions in sports, I do not think the NFL has done enough to deal with the concussion problem in the league. Even though the NFL has already taken several measures such as putting athletic trainers in the press box to warn potential concussions of games, the offensive patterns or defensive patterns do not change at all. The problem that this game could cause concussions is not addressed thoroughly. Furthermore, for many years, the NFL was reluctant to admit the possibility that playing football can cause concussions, so if this problem is expected to be fixed, I think there is still a long way to go. In addition, I also think that not enough is being done to address the concussions in other sports, because leagues or organizations like FIFA could provide players with safety protection, but they could not reduce the risks of concussions occurring.
ReplyDeleteI used to think that I was not going to say anything to make any influence on my child’s decision to play football. However, after Dr. Cho showed me a video about the death of Mike Webster last semester, I guessed I would not suggest my child to play football at that time. What is more, after I read this reading, I swore I would not say yes if my kid wants to play football, as the potential injuries are too scary. As for my career, I do not think the readings produced an impact on me. I still want to be a personal trainer in the future, and the most important thing is that I love sports.
----Veeco Zheng
Today knowledge about concussions and the damages they cause is actually being understood by all parties involved. For example the NFL has now implemented protocols and evaluations are being taken serious is most cases. Where the issue still lies is players trying to push through these and get back on the field and in some cases staff allowing players to return when they should not. Now with so much media these cases are being highlighted. If someone gets their bell rung and are clearly out of it and not ok it is clearly shown to everyone. I think this helps at the pro level of people not returning because television and broadcasts can show these situations. I think in other sports it is sometimes easy to hide a concussion if the player wishes to or does not realize they have one. I know I've probably had a few concussions but I never pulled myself. When I was younger I was just unaware of them in general. When I thought I had one in college I just continued to practice because I did not want to pull myself for an injury you can't see. As a coach I have flipped to the cautious side. Anytime a player hits their head or looks dazed I send them straight to the trainer to be evaluated. With all the research out there it is not worth it to risk further damage in the future for a kid. As far as the future about my children playing sports where there is a likelihood of concussions occurring does not really concern me at this point. What I enjoyed about my childhood was playing every different sport possible to see what I liked. If my child wants to play football or hockey I want them to have that opportunity. What I would be concerned with is the coaching and equipment. It may not be my favorite thing that they are playing the sport but if I could take the steps to provide them with the best environment I think that is all you can do as a parent.
ReplyDeleteCourtney Cox
The NFL did not do enough in the past to prevent, or raise awareness of concussions. Largely, this is due to the lack of knowledge on the matter. As medical technology and brain imaging advanced, medical personnel were better able to understand the impact that concussions have on the brain. I think that the NFL is doing what they can now to raise awareness. It took multiple law suits to bring the NFL to action and compensate former players for the injuries that occurred during their carriers. The NFL is implementing rule changes and fines to prevent head and neck injuries and I think that this is a step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteEvery collision or contact sport needs to have a day dedicated to learning about concussions and the importance of reporting symptoms. Changes have been made to teach proper form in tackling which is a step in the right direction, but more should be done to inform young athletes about concussions.
If my future son wants to play football then he will wait until high school. I may try and persuade him to play Rugby, as that is what I played in high school, and this will reduce his chances of sustaining a head or neck injury. The consequences of sustaining a concussion at a young age are greater than adults.
I agree with Vincent and what he has said about athletes electing to play a collision sport. As an adult, if someone wants to seek a career in a sport that may cause them serious injury then that is there choice to do so. I think that the biggest take away from this article, is that there was not enough done to aid these athletes in their recovery from concussions, and prevention in sustaining them in the first place. We need to provide concussion awareness to athletes on an annual basis, and make sure that they truly understand the impact of their decision to play.
Matthias E. Reiber
The discussion we had in class as well as the readings about concussions in football have raised my awareness in what seems to be a very widespread topic in the US. It is interesting that Dr. Spencer, mentions female soccer as a sport where athletes are particularly in danger of getting a concussion. Since I follow a lot of European soccer and the socio-political issues surrounding it, I have to say that concussion awareness has barely been discussed (at least not publicly). In fact, there has been an incident during the final game of the soccer World Cup, when German midfielder Christoph Kramer banged his head with an Argentinian player. Kramer went on to play for twenty minutes until he was eventually replaced. Only days later it was revealed that Kramer actually suffered from a concussion and after that the incident was no longer discussed in the media.
ReplyDeleteHowever, head-to-head collisions, as it was the case with Kramer and the Argentinian player, seem not to be the only factor contributing to concussions in soccer. While doing a quick research the topic, I found an interesting article by Sam Knight called “The Cost of the Header”, which discusses the dangers heading a soccer ball.
Resources:
Gladwell, B. (2014, July 17). Dazed Kramer 'forgot he was in final'. Retrieved from http://www.espnfc.com/fifa-world-cup/story/1952530/nicola-rizzoli-reveals-extent-of-christoph-kramers-2014-world-cup-final-concussion
Knight, S. (2014, October 2). The Cost of the Header. Retrieved from http://www.newyorker.com/news/sporting-scene/cost-header
-Andreas Khuny
Andreas,
DeleteThanks for attaching the links to these articles. The statement that stands out to me in the second article is this: "roughly fifty thousand high-school soccer players sustained concussions in 2010—more players than in basketball, baseball, softball, and wrestling combined" (Knight, 2014, para. 6). This would be a good article to include in future discussions of concussions.
Thanks again for sharing on this topic.
Dr. Spencer
I would agree with saying concussions are a growing problem but the NFL is doing it's best to try step in and own up to some of the cases that have happened in the past. The majority of “big time” or “high revenue” sports and the first two sports that come to mind right away are hockey and football. Yes, both sports require protective gear like padding and helmets which is absolutely necessary yet, not enough. I am aware that there are new forms of tackling/hitting that are hopefully going to be implemented but there needs to be more done in order to stop the number of concussions and hard blows to the head. With that being said, football is a contact sport and athletes understand that when they sign up to play. There is a risk involved in every sport played and I believe that it is up to the athlete to decide what they can and cannot put up with after a certain amount of time. I just hope that whatever the NFL is up to will soon show positive results to reduce the amount of hard hits that these athletes have to endure throughout their career.
ReplyDeleteWhen I become a parent I honestly will not be hesitant to put my son in football especially if that's what he wants to do. There will be injuries in every sport and I don't think there is any way I could put him in a different sport to try and “save” him or “protect” him because there are risks in every sport unfortunately. Hopefully by the time I have a son and he's ready to participate in sports then there will have even better safety protocols in place and concussion will not be as much of an issue as it is today.
Jasmine Matthews
It is now 4:20 in Bowling Green which means that the comments will be closed very shortly. I'm not sure if the clock is set correctly on the blog but please note that comments should be posted by 4:30 today.
ReplyDeleteDr. Spencer
Concussions have really sparked the attention of the NFL and America over the last couple of years. I don’t think the NFL is doing enough to deal with the repercussions of concussions. Let’s face it; football is a fast paced dangerous sport. It is very hard to be 100% protected in this game. How do we make it 100% safe to play in the NFL? I don’t know the answer and neither does the NFL. I think the exposures of concussions are coming more from outside sources, rather than the NFL. I’m not surprised. Cigarette companies are not advertising the negative effects of its product. The NFL does not want to taint the sport or the league, so they speak up about issues pertaining to their league when the have to. Growing up, my mom did not allow me to play football. She didn’t “want anything to happen to her baby, and if someone was to series injure me, she would want to retaliate” Instead of football I played soccer and baseball. I do not want my kids to play football. I think the game is getting bigger faster stronger, and I do not want my kids to play football or hockey because I don’t think the risks are worth it.
ReplyDelete-David Sims
David,
DeleteI noticed that you raised your hand when I asked if you would not allow your future children to play football. I didn't realize that your mother would not allow you to play. If you think there are not risks of concussions in soccer, you might want to read the second link posted by Andreas. You brought up a good point when saying the NFL didn't want to 'taint' its product by advertising the negative effects of concussions. However, by ignoring them for so long, I think they have tainted their brand too.
Dr. Spencer
My view on concussions is a little harsher than most. I feel similar to the comments I mentioned that were made by James Harrison. Pretty much every job there is has a consequence to it. There's a negative to go with the positive. As far as concussions are concerned, it is a very scary and harsh possibility, but it may also result in the earning of a fortune if you are able to make it to the NFL. It is a risk-reward dilemma facing athletes. Many NFL players come from tough backgrounds where they need to find a way to escape poverty, violence, etc. The risk of concussions probably isn’t the scariest thing facing them. Everyone make sacrifices, but not everyone is rewarded with multi-million dollar salaries, fame, etc.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a question all high school and college athletes must ask themselves. They must decide at an early age what their view on concussions is and how concerned they are. If the they honestly feel that an NFL life may be in their future, then I say it is worth the possible risk of dealing with post-concussion syndrome.
Eric Vendemia