Isiah Boyd

Deborah, Erskine
College Composition 111
12 December 2016
Headed for Disaster

Little does one know they possess the most powerful tool in the world at their disposal.
The brain, everyone has one, and are very capable of doing amazing, innovative, and beautiful
things with one simple organ. For an organ of soft nervous tissues that is in charge of functioning
the coordinating center of sensation and intellectual and nervous activity, it is very delicate and
sensitive to damage which can be very detrimental and costly. Our bodies undergo a significant
amount of wear and tear over time, but the wonderful thing is that those wears and tears can be
repaired naturally by our body itself or by the vast amount of technology available to us.
However, some damage done to the human body is irreparable, concussions/ Traumatic Brain
Injury(TBI) is one of those irreparable damages. Concussion/ TBIs is a serious issue, but
unfortunately isnt widely recognized as one because of the stereotype and stigma associated
with it. The cause of this increasing problem is the lack of awareness and installment of
preventive measures that can be taken to decrease the numbers of people getting a
concussion/TBI in the first place. The obvious effect is an individual receiving a concussion, but
the underlying effects are much more immense when broken down.
Concussions are commonly seen as just a blow that is dealt to the head resulting only in a
simple headache. Concussions are practically an invisible injury, so many are unaware and they
only way they for them to be diagnose is through the symptoms they exemplify. There is such a

massive misconception that in order to be concussed one must lose consciousness, but in fact
Many patients are not even aware that they've suffered a concussion, wrongly believing losing
consciousness is the key requirement. In fact, unconsciousness occurs in 5 per cent of
concussions - the remaining 95 per cent include any one of about 20 symptoms, including
confusion, headache, dizziness, feeling dazed, vomiting and poor concentration (Priest 14).
This common misconception is heavily present in the world of athletes especially
younger athletes. Young athletes are expected to perform, specifically those who play at the
competitive level in hopes of reaching the collegiate level, or even the professional level. Thus
having this competitiveness and drive to reach that level, many will disregard the safety
protocols of receiving a concussion and will continue to play the sport, unaware of the short and
long term repercussions that is present. With that being said, that poses a significant problem in
the cognitive development of these young athletes, further posing a major problem in generations
of people to come.
Coming from a parents perspective many questions arise to these overwhelming facts
such as, is it safe for my child to participate in sports? The answer to this question was made by
Governor-General of Canada, David Johnston. From being an athlete himself and receiving a
handful of concussions he is an advocate, along with others, to bring awareness to the issue. His
answer to the question asked by many is in expressing the significance of playing sports, And
yet sports are so important to healthy living and wellbeing. They're part of our identities as
individuals, as communities, as a country. They help us build so many life skills and bring us so
much joy. (Johnson A11) His response to the issue along with many others is to raise awareness
of concussions.

Concussions/TBIs have numerous causes but statistically speaking from 2006 to 2010
leading causes of TBIs were: Assaults (10.7%), Motor vehicle traffic (14.3%), Struck by/against
(15.5%), Unknown/Other 19.0%), and Falls (40.5%). Its apparent that sports related concussion
doesnt have its category in this date, but would most likely fall in the struck by/against and falls
category combining to more than half of the leading causes.
Concussions cant be completely avoided, just like all the potential dangers in the world,
its simply part of life but the numbers of young athletes and professional adult athletes receiving
Concussion/TBIs can be reduced significantly. Concussions arent necessarily life threatening
and life alternating at first, but if left untreated or neglected, can turn into those things. The
neglecance that people have towards concussion are not just because they choose to ignore it, but
also because that are uneducated about the effects of concussions. The effect that this has on the
world is many young athletes who receive concussions that continue to play concussed are at
higher risk of long term problems. Also those athletes are also more at risk of receiving another
concussion, and possibly more concussions.
Many studies have shown that the recovery time of someone who has sustained a
concussion isnt long enough, and in order to prevent receiving another concussion one must
fully wait until their brain has healed. Most people do complete a healing process and are fine to
return back to their normal day activities, such as sports, without any problems. However, some
people experience post-concussion syndrome(PCS). A diagnosis of PCS is very a little more in
depth as the symptoms are vague and non-specific.
With much being said about concussions and the effect it can have on not just young
athletes but adults as well are considerably significant. As stated earlier sports are an important
part of our society, so it shouldnt be looked down upon as being the main culprit of young and

older athletes receiving concussions/ TBIs. Concussions/TBIs doesnt just happen to the
younger athletes, its also prevalent in adults that play amateur or professional. Just like the
young athletes who are pushed hard for success the adults are pushed to excel because they are
paid for it. Although these professional athletes who do make a lot in money, the money is
definitely not worth a life time of brain damages. An effect of this showing younger athletes that
its okay to put ones body, specifically their brain, out there into the knowing the injuries that
can happen are detrimental.
All athletes are aware of the risks that come with their particular sport, but what separates
the athletes who stay clear from damaging their brain is the preventive measures they take upon
themselves. Not even just trying to avoid getting a concussion/ TBI in general, but when upon
receiving one take the proper and necessary action to let their sensitive brain recover is the
crucial part. So many of these athletes are expected to perform to earn these big salaries that they
have with these well-known professional teams and to offer the entertainment to their viewers of
the sport but at the expense of possibly damaging the most fundamental organ in their body.
The big picture effect that this has on society is that too many athletes are pressured to
perform but with disregard to their own health bringing pain and suffering to the individuals who
sustain these traumatic brain injuries. The pain and suffering doesnt stop there, it is also hits the
families and communities of loved ones that traumatic brain injuries that leaves them cognitively
or physically impaired for the rest of their life.
Numbers provided by The Center for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) are the
following, TBIs contribute to 30% of all injury deaths, and 138 people every day in the U.S die
from injuries associated with TBI, either alone or in combination with other injuries. Data
collected in 2009 gave an estimated 248,418 children (age 19 or younger) were treated in U.S.

EDs for sports and recreation-related injuries that included a diagnosis of concussion or TBI. In
the years ranging from 2006-2010 men had higher of TBI hospitalizations and ED visits than
women.
Our society is based on the innovative minds of the people to bring about change in
positive ways benefitting all. The creativity that many young bright children poses leads to a
future for many to look forward to, but with many young children receiving concussions that
arent properly treated hinders the progress for that future. Constant trauma to the brain leads to
neurological problems later in life, cognitive impairments, and even physical impairments as
well. All which can be avoided which the proper education of concussions, including but not
limited to; breaking the stigma towards a concussion, highlighting the purpose of recovery, and
emphasizing the importance of preventive measures that should be taken in first place in our
world of sports.