G'day Hive! The Super Bowl is behind us now by a few days and I'm sure Rams fans are still celebrating. If you're interested in what happens after the Super Bowl and beyond I wrote a post which you can check out here.
I'd be found guilty of being a bit of a party pooper by writing about CTE and the effects it is having on players. CTE is a degenerative brain disease which is associated with repeated blows to the head.
Are we doing enough to protect players in sports from diseases such as CTE?
Let me put a concussion into perspective. It is a brain injury! If a player has a broken leg he can't physically participate in a game. It's a little bit different because with a concussion, you could still physically participate in a game but the damage that is being done cannot be seen.
Ever heard of SIS? Second Impact Syndrome. If a person suffers a second concussion before symptoms from a first one have subsided, it could cause the brain to swell so rapidly that it's often fatal. So perhaps that puts a concussion into perspective. '
Much like a sports injury to your muscles, if you return too early you run the risk of further aggravation. That is what will happen if you return too early from a concussion. We now know that repeated concussions can lead to degeneration of the brain and CTE is the biggest culprit.
In 2014, the league agreed to a $765m settlement on behalf of more than 4,500 ex-players. The agreement could indeed reach $1bn in total taking into account severe injuries that may later occur. In 2017, 9% of NFL players suffered a concussion. That is huge! The NFL is leading the way when it comes to concussion protocols and prevention but it has done so out of need. It simply needed too in order to prevent further lawsuits.
The NFL has taken action such as assigning spotters who has the job of monitoring players on the field and can call a time out if they need to for the player to be escorted off the field and evaluated with a suspected head injury. That player no longer can return to the game.
There's then a five step process for players to get back on the field for future games. This goes from rest and limited activities, to an aerobics program, football specific activities, non-contact drills and then full football practice.
After all of that an Independent Neurological Consultant needs to sign off on a player returning back onto the field.
In 2018 there were some big changes to the kickoff rules. Players could no longer make a running start to the 35-yard line before the ball is booted. The league enforced that eight of the 11 from the returning team are to line up within 15 years of the ball which reduces the speed and frequency of violent collisions across the field.
Over in soccer, the MLS introduced a concussion substitute pilot program in 2021 which allows for an additional two substitutions per game if players have a suspected head injury. In the EPL they too have similar concussion protocols. If a player is suspected of having a concussion they'll be removed from the rest of the game and not allowed to return.
Is this all enough?
There needs to be a balance. Players know what they're signing up for professionally but there is a responsibility by leagues to protect the health and safety of all players. As we are learning more, the onus is on the leagues to keep up to date and do everything it can to protect players.
I never thought about concussion and head injuries much before. We all thought if a player got up after a big hit that they're brave and there's traditionally been a stigma about staying down even when hurt. We're all so used to consuming sports as a form of entertainment and we don't take a step back to think of the ramifications. Once the final whistle goes, life goes on for us all. For athletes, they pick up the pieces.
Next time there's a concussion or a head injury, I'll be sure to think a bit more extensively about it and the potential long term ramifications on our beloved sports stars.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Wolfgang Sport started in 2017 as a way to connect my passion for American and British sports. Today it's evolved into a blockchain sports blog pushing the boundaries into the crypto world and embracing Web3 technologies.