CONCUSSIONS
IN FOOTBALL
By: Ryan Chorazyczewski
6th hour
ATTENTION GETTER
THESIS STATEMENT
 There need to be new, safer helmets developed, along with
new rules on hitting in American football to reduce the
number of concussions.
Big Hit
http://www.passenlaw.com/blog/wpcontent/uploads/2009/12/NFLconcussion-TBI-guidelines-254x300.jpg
DETAILS ABOUT CONCUSSIONS
DETAILS ABOUT CONCUSSIONS
 “62.5% suffered at least one concussion” (“Blows to the
Head”).
• This statistic shows that over half of the players in the
NFL have suffered a concussion in a year.
 “24.0% suffered more than three concussions” (“Blows to
the Head”)
• Shows that almost a quarter of the players in the NFL
suffered more than three concussions.
DETAILS ABOUT CONCUSSIONS
 “Professional football players receive as many as 1,500 hits
to the head in a single season, depending on their position.
That’s 15,000 in a 10-year playing career, not to mention any
blows they received in college, high school, and peewee
football” (“The Helmet That Could Save Football”).
• This shows that these hits to the head happen almost
every play in American Football. This is why there needs
to be new rules to help stop this.
DETAILS ABOUT CONCUSSIONS
 “Researchers at Virginia Tech and Wake Forest University found
that some head impacts among football players in second grade
were as severe as those in college athletes” (“Hard Knocks”).
• Each injury is very serious
• Never underestimate the injury, even if a child is young
DETAILS ABOUT CONCUSSIONS
 “In a given football season, 10% of all college and 20% of high
school players sustain a brain injury” (“Preventing Permanent
CONCUSSION DAMAGE”).
• Shows these injuries are very common
• These injuries are just as bad throughout all levels of
football
Hit to the Helmet
http://www.wnd.com/files/2012/12/footb
all-hit-600.jpg
Causes of a
concussion
Initial impact
Brain strikes skull
• May rebound or
twist in severe cases
Brain swells
Causes of a
concussion
Player is hit with a power
averaging a force of 98 times
the force of gravity.
Shock wave flies through
head.
Brain hits skull.
Impact causes bruising of
brain and tearing of blood
vessels.
CAUSES OF A CONCUSSION
 “The human brain is basically an irregularly shaped blob of
Jell-O sitting inside a hard shell lined with ridges and cliffs.
After a football tackle or a hockey check, that blob moves,
and does so in irregular ways” (“The Helmet that could
save Football”).
• Tells how the brain is very fragile.
• Tells how the brain moves and why.
Helmet to
Helmet Contact
http://onpoint.wbur.org/files/2010/10/101
025_NFL_220.jpg
EFFECTS OF A CONCUSSION
 “Long-term survivors of a TBI may suffer from persistent
problems with behavior, thinking, and communication
disabilities, as well as epilepsy; loss of sensation, hearing,
vision, taste, or smell; ringing in the ears (tinnitus);
coordination problems; and/or paralysis” (“Traumatic Brain
injury”).
 TBI-Traumatic Brain Injury
• Shows how bad concussions can be
• Shows the long term effects that some football players
may face
EFFECTS OF A CONCUSSION
 “Returning to play too quickly risks second-Impact
syndrome, where swelling causes blood flow to be
compromised” (“Blows to the Head”).
• Many players rush to come back into play.
 Putting their health at risk by doing this.
Big Football Hit
http://www.momsteam.com/files/images/
Tebow_concussion_helmet_to_helmet_
contact_1.jpg
SOLUTION
 New helmet design that could help save football
 Reduces rotational forces that cause concussions
SOLUTION
 “Pop Warner is the country's largest football organization
for kids. Its teams now cannot spend more than one third
of practice time on tackling and blocking. Also, players can't
take a running start and ash into each other during drills”
(“Hard Knocks”).
• This shows that some precautions are being taken to
prevent concussions
• Most concussions take place in practice
 Limited practice = Less concussions
Helmet to
Helmet Contact
http://www.protectyourincome.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/03/Football-HeadInjury.jpg
CONCLUSION
 There need to be measures taken to prevent these awful
concussions. Here are a few things that I believe should be
done about this problem:
• Make new helmets
• Make rules protecting players
• Reduce hitting time during practice
• Teach all kids to tackle with their head up
 If not compliant, sit them down and talk to them
about the importance of keeping their head up.