Concussions Should Avoid Concussions In Professional Sports

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When a player suffers a concussion while playing football, he should be removed from the game and not be able to return immediately, unless a doctor says it’s okay to continue playing. Since the NFL doesn’t enforce the gravity of concussions, about half of football players with concussions go back to playing. For example, when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took a hard hit to the head, he was back playing 5 minutes later, meaning that the NFL ignored their 15- minute concussion protocol (Taylor). The American Academy of Neurology reports that “athletes are at a greater risk of head injury within ten days of suffering a concussion and that by returning to the field so quickly, they risk long-term complications.” The NFL should toughen the return-to-play protocol because repeated concussions will worsen the effects of the brain injury. …show more content…
Half of the concussions are caused by contact with another helmet. In the article Editorial, “One neuroscientist suggests magnets inside helmets would repel hits to the head from opposing players and reduce concussions by 80%” (Taylor). Another way of reducing head impacts by 30% is by fitting a “special covering onto the existing helmet, a ProCap, which put[s] padding on the outside of the helmet, giving [it] a puffy, inflated look”. In a study done in Washington D.C., there was no concussions among those wearing the ProCap and six among those without it (Nussbaum). Players shouldn’t choose their helmets based on aesthetics but on how well they will protect their skull. Ridell, the NFL’s helmet sponsor is not as protective as it should be so the NFL should cease to have a helmet sponsor and instead ensure that players use the safer helmet. Our heads are more fragile than we think, so not only should the helmets be changed but also some game