Life After Concussions

Words: 1262
Pages: 6

Addie Hammond

Ms. Yakich Academic English 3 1 March 2024 The Inherent Dangers and Riskiness of Football Should lives remain at risk by playing a sport? Professional sports will always remain inherently dangerous. The nature of hard collisions and tackles remains engraved in the history of many sports. Every week viewers tune in to watch their favorite athletes play their sport, yet week after week professional athletes continue to obtain injuries. The well-being of athletes in football remains at risk every single time they play. The future of these athletes remains dependent on whether they can survive another week of intense, brutal, and aggressive competition. Football teams need to implement more safety precautions because of long-term
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Several experts state that football can lead to substantial medical conditions and alter a player’s lives. Transitioning from professional sports to retirement poses challenges for athletes. The toll of no longer playing a sport one has played their whole life, coupled with the challenges they obtain from playing the game, can make life after retirement extremely difficult. The development of a degenerative disease while playing football affects one’s retirement greatly. Early dementia remains a result of repeated concussions and can lead to a shattered shell of the former player (“NFL Head Injuries”). Having Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia tremendously affects the quality of one’s life after retirement, and makes life for family and friends increasingly difficult. Suicide after playing in the national football league poses a much higher risk than one would think. Once retired, many expect players to live lavish and pleasurable lives, but some do not think of the lasting effects playing has on the body. CTE poses another degenerative disease that develops from brain trauma while playing football. CTE, also known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, can lead to suicide. A leading expert …show more content…
During a game two weeks later, he collapsed and died of acute subdural hematoma, or bleeding in the brain. Doctors concluded that his earlier head injury had probably contributed to his death”(“Highschool”). After enduring an intense head-to-head collision, more precautions should have been taken to protect the life of Will Benson. Starting and playing in a game just two weeks later remains very risky. The school's athletic trainers should have assessed Will, and never let him unknowingly play his last game ever. Athletic trainers should try their hardest to prioritize the safety of their athletes and implement precautions to make sure they remain safe. Benson's life was taken decades early because of the failure of those around him to protect his life. All in all, heightened safety measures remain essential for the continuation of the sport of football. Year after year, players continue to receive debilitating diagnoses from events like head-on collisions. The safety of the players needs to remain a top priority for any league, because the players keep the league running. Instead of putting the livelihood of players at risk every week, the livelihood of the players should remain protected each time one steps out