Pabe 1

Juan Pabe"
Professor Jerri A. Harwell"
ENGL 2010-055 Position/Proposal"
17 November 2015"
Are Concussions in Youth Sports Part of the Game?
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After a hard hit, one of the players I coached stayed on the ground. At the point, the Ref-

eree stopped the game and allowed the coaching staff on the field. I checked on my player and he
seemed a little dazed but he was ok. We helped off the field and moved on with the game. Before
the trainer could arrive to check on the injured player on the side line, the player decided to try to
get back in the game. I had to physically grab him before he could leave the sideline and tell him
he could not go in until he got checked by a trainer. He responded Coach, Im fine. I feel good.
All my training up until this point said that unless I notice dilated pupils, slurred speech, or disorientation then the player did not have a concussion. Although, I had a feeling he wasn't completely ok, my training said he should be fine. At this point i made a big mistake. I said Alright,
go back in
That same play, he tried to make the tackle, but fell before reaching the ball carrier and
took a knee to the helmet. He stayed down again, however once I got to him, he was unconscious. I was terrified. Although he regained consciousness, I knew i was responsible for this injury. I was scared of the kind of damage I had caused to this young teenager. I kept thinking why
did I let him back in. I kept wanting to justify this action by thinking to myself that nothing I was
taught, helped me identify the concussion.

Pabe 2
I was a young football coach in
2010, when this incident occurred. This
was before the public was aware of the
severity of concussions, and most of all,
the severity of concussions in our youth.
As an athlete growing up, concussions
were part of the game just like any other
injury. In a sport like football, at a young
Figure 1: Darrell Royal, former player and coach
shares his opinion about football

age you are taught to tough-it-out. Football was

meant to hurt, so you had to rub some dirt on your wounds, and the next play, be the one delivering the punishment rather than taking it. It was all about the physicality of it, it was about pride
and being tougher than the other guy. In order to prove that you had to do your best to hurt him,
not just beat them on the scoreboard, but to physically put him down. Thats the game i grew up
playing. Thats the game I always planned my future kids to grow up playing. As the years went
by society and sports changed. The long term effect of athletes suffering concussions started to
be more noticeable. Athletes are suffering from physical, psychological, and neurological disorders and have caused long term disability, or at times, death. While all
aspects of sports are changing in
order to make the athletes safer.
What has been happening in the
Figure 2: Number of traumatic brain injuries by age group

Pabe 3
youth levels? According to Michelle Healy in 1.35 Million Youths a Year Have Serious Sports
Injuries children and teens are more likely to sustain a concussion and have a longer recovery
time than adults. Healy also writes that concussions in youth sports is growing 12% of all ER
visits (163,670) involved a concussion, the equivalent of one every three minutes. Nearly half
(47%) were in kids ages 12 to 15.
Concussion awareness has been growing throughout
the years. It seems like in 2012 the death of Hall of Fame
linebacker, Junior Seau, caused a paradigm shift. Junior
Seau was a linebacker in the National Football league
whos career at the professional level lasted about 17 years.
In 2012, Junior committed suicide caused by signs of depression. Although Juniors death wasnt directly linked
Figure 3:Junior Seaus final season in 2009 with the
New England Patriots

to Chronic traumatic encephalopathy a neurodegener-

ative brain disease linked to repeated concussions. This however seemed to be the final straw for
many and influenced widespread research into recent suicides of professional athletes, mostly
former NFL players, that did show signs of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. A movement began, opposing the NFL and their lack of concern
about the mental health of their players. The
movement worked. The NFL changed the rules of
the game to provide a safer environment for the
players. This eventually spread to other professional sports, but most of all, it spread all the way

Figure 4: CTE damage is most commonly found in

certain areas of the brain

Pabe 4
down to collegiate and youth levels.
To some, this solved the problem. The game changed, and it took away from their joy of
seeing the vicious hits they were anticipating in all levels of the game. They have given up
enough. Some lost interest in the game, claiming it was now boring to watch. New Helmets were
developed to raise the risk of sustaining a head injury. In the youth coaching world, coaches were
confused as to how to coach the game with these new safety rules.The game most of these
coaches learned to love, now required basic training and certification from them to volunteer
their own time to help kids. Some did not feel like this was worth their donated time. All these
changes give the illusion that there are no further steps to take in order to put an end to concussions. This begs the question, why spend all the extra time as a coach in additional training if
kids are still getting concussions?
Concussions happen in sports constantly even with extra precautions, and I understand
that, but part of the problem is choosing to keep playing. In the article written by Larry Wigge
Scary Business he wrote about Eric Lindros, a famous hockey player in 2000s. Landros was
known as one of the best and also as the Baddest Hockey Dude in hockey history due to his
aggressiveness. He suffered 6 concussions in a 27 month period of time. Wigge goes on to explain that Landros was a restricted free agent and was given clearance by his doctor to play. He
wanted to go back to playing even knowing the risks. Fellow players stated they respected him as
a player but encouraged him to retire. Stating, they didnt want to see him carried off the ice with
another injury. Lindros knew there was a gamble if any team decided to pick him up, but stayed
positive saying he felt great and how hockey is so important to his life. This is what we see with
players in all sports. They work so hard for these moments and the sport becomes a huge part of

Pabe 5
their life. Thinking about giving up the sport is a worse fate than running the risk of playing and
knowing it can cause permanent damage.
Regardless of what the athlete chooses to do, it is negligent to think that there has been
enough done to be able to move forward. When it comes to the safety of our youth, especially
with injuries including brain trauma, there is never enough work that can be done. Topics like
this require continuous innovation to come up with new ways to help. As sports and athletes keep
evolving, so should our ways of preventing injuries. New equipment is developed to keep players
safe, however, this equipment is expensive to the general public and tough to find. Enough to the
point that only a few professional athletes wear them.
What can we do? What should we do? How can we take this matter into an athletes perspective and change their minds? Show the players that sitting out is acceptable, not a sign of
weakness. How do we explain to the parents that the game has changed and their kids are not
playing the same game they played at a younger age? Is this something that can be fixed?
The answer is Yes. There is a lot of work to be done. We must start by raising awareness
in our own community. Each youth team needs to schedule
a clinic prior to the season for players and their parents to
attend. This way they can all be aware of how serious concussions are and can help see symptoms when a coach
misses it. The goal by introducing this topic to the families
as a whole is to show that concussions are real and likely to
happen. Bring the topic into their homes as something that can be discussed openly. When the

Figure 5: Head Injuries in High school sports compared to

collegiate sports

Pabe 6
symptoms are introduced to the kids, some will be able to notice them on the field. Sometimes a
coach and a parent might not be able to see that a player is hurt, but, maybe one of his teammates
on the field will be able to recognize it.
Most youth sporting events have only one trainer (such as an EMT, Physical Therapist, or
Athletic Trainer) overlooking three or more games happening at the same time. This individual
will usually stand far away from the field at a place where everyone can see them, in case they
need his/hers assistance. This individual is clearly outnumbered and is not always able to handle
multiple injuries at once. If concussions in youth are brought to the attention of our community,
something can be done to schedule more EMTs and Firefighters at the games. Physical Therapy
is a growing field of study. Plenty of students or interns can volunteer their time by attending the
games to build their clinical hours. Its a win-win scenario in the sense that they will get more
hands on training and it will help their requirements. Although students are not professionals in
field, it is better to have someone their with minimal training rather than no training. Having at
least one person overlooking each game from the sideline would make a difference. They will be
able to witness the injury and respond right away.
The final step to begin the change in how we handle concussions in youth, is to provide
better coaching for our coaches. Specially in collision sports such as Football, Hockey, etc. As a
youth football coach, every year I take a test through usafootball.com in what is referred to as the
Heads up Program. This test is very basic. Teaching that unless you notice obvious symptoms
like slurred speech, disorientation, and memory loss you can assume that your athlete does not
have a concussion. In the beginning, I wrote about my mistake letting an athlete who was concussed, back into the game. This could have been prevented if I had more hands on training with

Pabe 7
concussions and how to handle an athlete who may have a concussion without showing obvious
symptoms. I propose that in order to keep a coaching certification, all coaches take an improved
version of this test every six months. As well as a hands on, in depth, seminar provided yearly for
coaches to attend. Funding can earned by way of fund raisers or donated time by first responders,
but this should provide each coach the information to be prepared for most situations encountered at games, but most of all, situations encountered in practice.
Concussions have been a big part of sports, and are now sports are more outspoken and
aware of the consequences. They have tried to
make moves to minimize the risk, but there is
still so much us as a society can do. If we start
young and with youth sports I believe we can
make a difference. Nothing is more important
than the safety we could provide, and with
these steps we could drastically lower the

Figure 6: Dont wait until its too late, act now!

amount of injuries. Sports should be fun and a time for your kids to be a part of a team to help
grow as a person, lets try to make it a safe environment for our children.

Pabe 8

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Works Cited
Brotman, Barbara. "Montador Autopsy Finds 'Widespread' CTE in Brain." Chicago Tribune. 13
May 2015: 1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
Brody, Jane E. Concussions Can Occur in All Youth Sports Aug 24 2015. Web. ProQuest. 5
Nov. 2015
Davidson, Keay. "Doctors Take Aim at Concussions Athletes' Views on Brain Trauma
Questioned." Milwaukee Journal SentinelNov 17 1996:10. ProQuest. 3 Nov. 2015 .
Healy, Michelle. "1.35 Million Youths a Year Have Serious Sports Injuries." Gannett News
Service. 05 Aug. 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher.Web. 09 Nov. 2015.
McKeever, Catherine Irene Kaminaris. Assessment Paradigm of Sports-Related Concussions:
Program Implementation, incidence, Severity and Recovery Trajectories in Collegiate
Athletes. Order N. 3138906 Drexel University, 2004. Ann Arbor: Proquest.Web. 5 Nov.
2015
Ogilvie, Jessica P. "MIND & BODY; Tackling Concussions; Hits to the Head Remain an Issue in
Youth Sports. but States are Passing Laws to Try to Keep Athletes Safe." Los Angeles
Times Oct 20 2012 ProQuest. 3 Nov. 2015 .
Segall, Eli. "The Costly Obsession: Youth Sports--Is It Worth It?." Las Vegas Sun. 09 Feb. 2014:
n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.
Teri, Matt. Concussions In Youth Sports. Parks & Recreation46.12 (2011): 15-17. Academic
Search Premier. Web. 5 Nov. 2015

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Wigge, Larry. Scare Business. Sporting News. Des. 11 2000: 46-49. SIRS Issues Researcher.
Web. 03 Nov. 2015.

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