A major concern that everybody has when they have a son playing football is the possibility of concussions, even though there are plenty of programs that reduce the concussion rate significantly. A concussion is caused when there is a blow to the head that rattles the brain enough to essentially “bruise” the brain. Due to new research and funding there is a program known as Heads Up (Covassin, Elbin, Sarmiesnto par. 1). The Heads Up program teaches coaches, from youth to even some high school, safe and proper hitting techniques to reduce the possibility of injuries be sustained to the athletes. The program also teaches coaches about concussion awareness and immediate treatment. Heads Up teaches concussion symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, headaches, lack of balance, and confusion are definite signs of a concussion (“Surprising Concussion Myths and Facts” par. 12). The Heads Up program also corrects the common misconceptions that an athlete must be knocked out or have some form of memory loss to have a concussion and that a concussed athlete should not sleep. In a survey given out by Heads Up, 77 percent of coaches reported better being able to identify a concussion, 50 percent learned something new about concussions, 63 percent took concussions more serious, 72 percent are now educating others about concussions (Covassin, Elbin, Sarmiesnto par. 2). Based off of this survey, it is safe to say a majority of youth coaches are making the game safer.
Although I grant that concussions are still a very dangerous injury, I still maintain that programs such as Heads Up have helped reduce the risk of concussions. Concussions are still a very dangerous injury, especially to younger athletes. Once an athlete sustains a concussion, repeated concussion are much more likely to happen ("Surprising Concussion Myths and Facts" par 11). Another part of concussions that are so dangerous is that no two concussions are the same, which means people will react to concussions differently. In a worst case scenario, an untreated concussion could potentially turn into a CTE (Tayler par. 17-18). A concussion and CTE are by no means the same injury, and a concussion turning into a CTE is extremely rare in untreated concussions. A CTE is basically impossible to come from a well-treated concussion.
Although I grant that concussions are still a very dangerous injury, I still maintain that programs such as Heads Up have helped reduce the risk of concussions. Concussions are still a very dangerous injury, especially to younger athletes. Once an athlete sustains a concussion, repeated concussion are much more likely to happen ("Surprising Concussion Myths and Facts" par 11). Another part of concussions that are so dangerous is that no two concussions are the same, which means people will react to concussions differently. In a worst case scenario, an untreated concussion could potentially turn into a CTE (Tayler par. 17-18). A concussion and CTE are by no means the same injury, and a concussion turning into a CTE is extremely rare in untreated concussions. A CTE is basically impossible to come from a well-treated concussion.