Intro, Body 1&2

Grant Glennon

ENC 2135

Maddie Kahl

7 February 2018

Contact Sports

With the growing love for sports and sellout crowds, have we realized what we are watching? Could the sports that we watch be so dangerous that they are shortening lives? With the increasing level of technology going into contact sports makes people believe that these sports are becoming safer. Despite what you hear, “A government study found a lower death rate among former NFL players than among men in the general population. Former players also had a lower rate of cancer-related deaths. And the rate of deaths from heart disease was lower, too.” (NFL Player Fact vs. Fiction) Could this all just be a myth? After a little more research I found that maybe it’s not shortening lifespans but destroying the qualities of life. With research and interviews I can answer questions I never thought I would.

With contact sports there is always the risk of a head or neck injury. With technology doing its best to prevent this, there is still a huge concern, “One study estimates that the likelihood of an athlete in a contact sport experiencing a concussion is as high as 20% per season.” (Vanlandingham) But how serious are concussions and what is causing them? A concussion is caused by a blow to they head or neck area, bouncing you brain and smashing it to one side of your skull. This will cause obvious symptoms such as, “amnesia, disorientation, mental fogginess, confusion, nausea or vomiting, blurred vision or loss of consciousness.” (Vanlandingham)

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is the new and most recent disease that is overcoming athletes. Although this can only be diagnosed once the athlete is diseased, the symptoms are very serious and life degrading. Most people believe that CTE comes from concussions, but these two head injuries are entirely different. CTE symptoms are much more serious and long term. If an ex-player suspects he or she has CTE they must find help immediately. Treatment options are very vague. The amount treatment options are very low because of how recent this has been in existence. You cannot treat CTE itself you can only treat each symptom individually.