Football is a competitive sport, but players should not have to risk serious injury to play. Unfortunately, tragic injuries happen all too often. In 2010, Rutgers player Eric LeGrand became paralyzed from the neck down after taking a hit in a game. According to PBS Newshour, since the beginning of the 2010 season, more than 41 NFL players have suffered a concussion, which can lead to serious long term consequences.
Players
College and professional football players often get the spotlight, but far greater numbers of young players are affected by safety issues. According to PBS Newshour, 1.2 million high school youths play football every fall. PBS reports that at least 50 high school or younger players since 1997 have died or suffered serious head injury.
Concussion
Concussion is a major safety issue in football and can have long term consequences. According to Fair Warning, head injuries can cause problems many years later such as depression, suicide and premature dementia.
According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, new rules were instituted for 2010, which detail what happens when a player get injured. The player cannot return to the game until cleared by medical personnel. A player also has to miss a play before he can return to the game.
Equipment and Tackling Methods
Fair Warning Reports that the Consumer Product Safety Commission will investigate football helmet safety. Currently, football helmet design focuses on preventing skull fractures and bleeding while overlooking protection from concussion. According to the NCAA, in recent years, they have modified game rules for safety. Those who target the head and neck area of defenseless players will face penalties for first contact with forearm, elbow, shoulder or helmet. In 2009, a rule was added that a conference review of these types of fouls is required. From 2009 to 2010, conferences reviewed 74 plays and suspended four players. In addition, conferences also sent written reprimands to some coaches and players.
Heat Safety
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, high school players and younger begin preseason practice in late summer during the hottest time of year. In the six-year span from 1995 to 2001, death from heat stroke occurred in 21 young players. The ACSM found in a round table panel review that players often started practice dehydrated, that the uniforms did not allow for heat dissipation and further study needs to be done on the relationship between creatine use and dehydration.
References
- Fair Warning: Consumer Agency to Tackle Football Helmet Safety Issues
- Fair Warning: Experts Urge Measures to Protect Pro and Amatuer Athletes from Brain Trauma
- American College of Sports Medicine: Youth Football: Heat Stress
- National Collegiate Athletic Association: A primer on NCAA rules for football safety
- PBS NewsHour: Head Injuries Raise Questions About Safety of Football
