Concussions

If you even remotely follow sports, you have at least heard the word concussion mentioned, if not gained a new educational experience about concussions.  The sports & medical worlds are teeming with experts on this and viewpoints on that.  Here is an attempt at summarizing what you need to know:

1. What is a concussion? I will let smarter people than me answer that for you: HeadsUp
2. Concussions are a part of any sport.  Unfortunately this is true.  Anytime you involve contact or collision in a sport or game, there is a risk of a head injury.  Just as true: you can injure your head by slipping & falling on the ice....or in a car accident. The key is to do whatever you can to minimize the risk.  We accomplish this in life by wearing helmets when riding bikes, or enacting rules to discourage helmet contact.
3. Concussion testing for athletes is here to stay.  And it's a good thing. This area has grown by leaps & bounds over the last 10 years.  What is it? In a nutshell, it means establishing a return-to-play criteria for athletes, mostly after an athlete is suspected of sustaining a concussion.  There are cognitive tests, balance tests & a check of physical signs & symptoms.  If an athlete passes these and is cleared by a medical professional (in some states it's the law) then they can return to play.  A relatively new area of testing is establishing baseline tests on an athlete to determine what is "normal" for the athlete so that if a concussion is sustained, the medical professional can go back & compare the "then & now."
4. Focusing on football, aren't today's helmets enough protection? Yes & no.  Today's helmet technology helps to absorb the high-impact forces better than ever. But here's where things get tricky, in my opinion.  I believe that because the helmets are so good, they allow for some sort of "invincibility" mentality for players, resulting in techniques like leading with the head.  Let's be clear here:  I enjoy hard hitting football like a lot of people do.  There is nothing to get a crowd going like a "great hit."  But not when a player actually leads with his head as a weapon.   The other aspect of this is improper helmet fitting.  It's scary to see how easy the helmets are coming off these days, from the NFL all the way down to youth football. Again, my own opinion here, but I believe that there is not a strong enough push to make sure these helmets are on properly.

Which brings me to a point: we have to change the mentality of the game. We have rules that clearly state no "spearing" or leading with the head.  There is a monetary fine system in place in the NFL for helmet-to helmet hits.  BUT there is too much celebrating the cheap shots & deliberate head hits in the game today.  Thankfully, there are no more "Jacked Up" segments of Monday Night Football, but the football culture still thrives on "knocking someone out."    (Side note:  this is NOT some sissified attempt at making the game soft)  Read below:


Taken from USA Today's "The Huddle"
NBC analyst Rodney Harrison, a former NFL safety who was penalized for illegal hits at several points in his career, said on the network's Football Night in America that the NFL has to do more than fine offenders if it really wants to change the big-hitting culture (Harrison speaks more in the video below):

"I've had plenty of hits like this and fining me $5 or $10 grand really didn't affect me. But I got to a point where they suspended me and I knew the effect on my teammates, the disappointment of me not being out there; not the $100,000 that got taken away from me, but the fact that I wasn't out there. That's what they are going to have to do if they want to change the nature of these hits. You have to suspend guys."

Rodney hits the nail on the head (pardon the pun).  These guys can afford to pay fines.  Start by suspending players like James Harrison, not only for his hit on Joshua Cribbs yesterday but also for his comments.
Video of hit


This will take a culture change.  A culture change that encourages good, safe physical play, but also emphasizing that it's not OK to hit with your head.  


Thoughts??