Concussions in Sports

Concussions in Sports

        Concussions have become nearly as bad as steroids in sports. They cause long term damage to the athlete and can make them more vulnerable to more serious brain injuries later in life. Scientists have begun to do more research on concussions as the years go by because of how much it is effecting athletes. They have learnt that it can happen to anyone at anytime. Concussions are very dangerous brain injuries. Concussions happen when your brain hits the inside of your skull causing dizziness, vertigo and in extreme cases throwing up. Us humans don't have very much protection to accidents like these so it is important to take precautions and be educated. Today I will be talking about how concussions happen to kids, the long term effects of concussions and how bad concussions have gotten in professional sports.

        The first topic I will be talking about is how bad concussions have become in professional sports. To be a pro athlete you need to be very skilled and strong because of how fast the game has become. Over the years these sports have become faster and more difficult and each year the amount of concussions have rose at a alarming amount. I'd like to argue that part of this is because the rules haven't kept up with how fast the game is progressing. With the amount of concussions that have happened there should be no problem with trying to make the rules more strict. Players are at a risk every time they step onto the field or ice because athletes are willing to pay fines in order to instill a devastating hit on their opponent which could be the biggest problem. These athletes are head hunting and trying to hurt each other just to increase their chances of winning. They are giving each other injuries that can affect them for the rest of their life. These crazy hits are ruining the futures of teams and players we love. And this brings me to my next point the punishments on this type of behaviour isn't strong enough, players will gladly take a three game suspension and a fine if it means their team having a better chance at winning. Especially when these players are making millions of dollars each year. Now athletes need to understand that by playing smart and not going the extra mile to hit someone could mean the difference between playing the game and injuring each other. I believe that if players truly knew how bad a concussion was they wouldn't be going around and trying to cause one on their opponents. They wouldn't be trying to give each other concussions, which means we need to bring this to the awareness of players. I am not saying that they shouldn't play to the best of their ability but intelligently picking their hit and respectively competing could help control the amount of concussions happening gin sports.

        The next topic I will be covering is the long term lasting effects that concussions can cause. After any concussion no matter how severe or serious there will be PCS's. This stands for Post Concussion symptoms. These symptoms include headaches, dizziness, vertigo, puking and make you "just not feel right." These symptoms vary in time that they will affect you. But in severe cases you could be experiencing these symptoms for years after the concussion even though before you were feeling perfectly normal. After years of research a band of scientists Doctor Bennet Omalu included have examined the brains of ex-NFLers. And it is nothing like it should be. After the years of head to head contact that they experienced while playing and them not doing anything about it their brains have turned to mush. Even the simplest things they can't perform or remember to do. After several concussions your brain will lose its short term memory and long-term memory capacity as well as your mental capacity. Not only do they leave you to post symptoms but also more vulnerable to more serious brain injuries such as Dementia and Alzheimer's. Studies show that 3 or more concussions leave you with a much larger chance of becoming depressed than the general public. Hopefully you can see that concussions are very dangerous brain injuries and that they shouldn't be taken lightly.