Gabriel Marquez

Barbara Presnell

UWRT 1104

9 April 2019

Wild Card AWC Draft

Belson, Ken. “N.F.L. Reports a Decline in Concussions This Season.” The New York Times, The New

York Times, 20 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2017/01/26/sports/football/nfl-concussions-

decline.html.

Ken Belson's article, “N.F.L. Reports a Decline in Concussions This Season,” begins by
discussing the popular topic of concussions in the National Football League (NFL) and how the
league has been attempting for years now to help reduce the number of concussions that occur.
In order to help tackle this issue, the league has been constantly introducing a variety of
measures, such as changing the way kickoffs are performed, limiting the number of full-contact
practices that each team is allowed to have, and also by adding extra medical personnel on the
fields during games. The N.F.L. has stated that the number of concussions from the 2017 season
had been reduced by 11.3 percent when it was then compared with the 2016 season’s record high
percentage. The reason because of this is believed to be because we are seeing an increase in the
number of players that are now reporting their suspected head injuries. Medical spotters at games
are currently pulling more athletes aside to exam them to determine whether or not they are fit
enough to continue playing. While these declines are great to see, medical experts still say that
more work is going to be needed in order to reduce the number of concussions. During the 2018
playoffs, only three players were diagnosed with concussions which was a 70 percent decline
from 2017. I personally think that this issue is an interesting topic for me to research about
because of how football is such a big interest in my life. While I do think that reducing the
number of concussions that we see in the N.F.L. is possible using rule changes and game
alterations, I also do still think that it could take longer than we think until we see this topic
becoming an issue of the past only because football is still such a violent sport. I am glad to
know that the NFL is attempting to make the sport of football a somewhat safer game to play by
enhancing the game through rule changes and adding more on-field personnel because the league
has been trying now for years to reduce concussions.

Casson, Ira R et al. “Repeat Concussions in the National Football League.” Sports health vol. 3,1

(2011): 11-24. doi:10.1177/1941738110391413

Ira Casson's article, "Repeat Concussions in the National Football League," begins by
stating how since 1996, team physicians and athletic trainers in the National Football League
 (NFL) have been collecting data on the clinical signs and symptoms, medical action, and
management of concussions to provide a basis for improvements in player safety. From 1996 to
2007, concussions were reported using a standardized form of documenting signs and symptoms.
Loss of consciousness and medical action were taken and the data on repeat concussions were
analyzed for the twelve years and compared between the two periods. In 2002-2007, 152 players
had repeat concussions and four of the players had three or more head injuries. The positions that
were most often associated with repeat concussion in 2002-2007 were the defensive secondary,
kicking unit, running back, and linebacker. The odds for repeat concussion were elevated for
wide receivers, tight ends, and linebackers but were still lower than in the earlier period. During
2002-2007, over half of the players with repeat concussions were removed from play, and fewer
returned immediately. Although concussions were managed more conservatively by team
physicians in the recent six years, repeat concussions occurred at similar rates during both
periods. I found this article interesting because of how it discussed the number of repeat
concussions in the NFL that there were. I agree with the article explaining how certain positions
have a higher risk of a repeat concussion and why those specific roles and positions were
resulting in so many injuries to the head. This deals with how repeat concussions are a bigger
issue in football than people really realize. Repeat concussions are an important issue in the
National Football League.

Kerr, Zachary Y, et al. “Nine-Year Risk of Depression Diagnosis Increases With Increasing Self-

Reported Concussions in Retired Professional Football Players.” The American Journal of Sports

Medicine, vol. 40, no. 10, SAGE Publications, Oct. 2012, pp. 2206–12,

doi:10.1177/0363546512456193.

Zachary Kerr's article, "Nine-Year Risk of Depression Diagnosis Increases With

Increasing Self-Reported Concussions in Retired Professional Football Players," begins by
stating about how the members of the National Football League Retired Players Association
have responded to a baseline General Health Survey in 2001 and they completed a follow-up
survey in 2010. Both surveys asked questions about demographic information, the number of
concussions sustained during their professional football career, their physical and mental health,
and the prevalence of diagnosed medical conditions. A physical component summary was
calculated from the responses for physical health. The main exposure, the history of concussions
during the professional playing career, was then put into five categories: 0, 1-2, 3-4, 5-9, and 10
or more concussions. Approximately 65 percent of all respondents self-reported sustaining at
least one concussion during their professional careers. Professional football players self-
reporting concussions are at greater risk for having depressive episodes later in their lives than
compared with those retired players self-reporting no concussions. Annually, an estimated 1.7
million people sustain a traumatic brain injury in the United States. For adolescents and younger
adults, sports tend to contribute to a substantial proportion of traumatic brain injuries (TBI),
particularly mild TBI or concussions within studies of high school and collegiate football players
particularly reporting high concussion rates. The concussion rate among professional football
players in the National Football League (NFL) is also higher than most other sports, with 0.41
 concussions per NFL game with quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends, and defensive backs
being at the highest risk. I found this article because of how it discussed the topic of mental
health, specifically about depression, and how the sport of football can leave long-lasting
negative effects to retired players who once played football because concussions may accelerate
the progression to long-term mental health outcomes. This article serves as a reminder to show
just how important it is for players to take care of their mental health not only when they are
playing, but also in their later years when they have retired.

Nathanson, John T et al. “Concussion Incidence in Professional Football: Position-Specific Analysis

With Use of a Novel Metric” Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine vol. 4,1

2325967115622621. 27 Jan. 2016, doi:10.1177/2325967115622621

John Nathanson's article, "Concussion Incidence in Professional Football: Position-

Specific Analysis With Use of a Novel Metric," begins by stating that in the United States alone,
millions of athletes participate in sports with potential for head injury each year. Although it is
poorly understood, possible long-term neurological consequences of repetitive sports-related
concussions have received increased recognition and attention in recent years. A better
understanding of the risk factors for concussion remains a public health priority. Despite the
attention focused on mild traumatic brain injury in football, gaps remain in the understanding of
the optimal methods to determine concussion incidence and position-specific risk factors. In 480
games, there were 292 concussions, resulting in 0.61 concussions per game. Football is among
the leading causes of sports-related concussions and has been a focal point of sports-related
concussions analysis and intervention. Since the 1994 establishment of the National Football
League (NFL) Committee on Traumatic Brain Injury, changes in rules, equipment, and sideline
assessment have focused on reducing the incidence of sports-related concussions. However,
there are still significant gaps in knowledge relating to the incidence of football concussions as
well as the relative risks of the different positions. Even after regulation changes and increased
backlash from the media, brief NFL concussion incidence rates have not been reported by
position since the 2007 season. The lack of available literature suggests the need for an
evaluation of current concussion incidence in football to validate the accuracy of past reporting
and the effectiveness of recent rule changes. NFL players serve as a useful study unit because of
the availability of public data sources. This interests me because it deals with the variety of risk
factors that are present in football and how there is still much more to be discovered and learned
about concussion incidences and risk factors that are specific to each position on the field. A
better understanding of the risk factors for concussion remains a public health priority. Despite
the attention focused on mild traumatic brain injury in football, gaps remain in the understanding
of the optimal methodology to determine concussion incidence and position-specific risk factors.
Yengo-Kahn, Aaron M, et al. “Concussions in the National Football League: A Current Concepts

Review.” The American Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 44, no. 3, SAGE Publications, Mar.

2016, pp. 801–11, doi:10.1177/0363546515580313.

Aaron Yengo-Kahn's article, "Concussions in the National Football League: A Current

Concepts Review," begins by stating about how significant attention has been directed toward
the immediate and long-term effects of sport-related concussions on athletes participating in
contact sports, particularly football. The highest level of football, the National Football League
(NFL), has received significant attention and criticism regarding player management and safety
after mild traumatic brain injury. Several review articles have reported data related to concussion
in the NFL, but an adequate review and synthesis of data regarding NFL concussions is currently
lacking. The study of concussions in the NFL has been limited by lack of recent empirical data,
reliance on self-reported concussion history, and ascertainment bias of brains donated for
autopsy studies. The scientific community, as well as the public, should be cautious in
interpreting the current literature surrounding concussions. Sport-related concussions are a
significant public health problem, with an estimated 3.8 million concussions per year occurring
in the United States during sport and recreational activities. Concussions in the National Football
League have been a topic of interest now for over two decades. Over the cumulative twelve-year
period of study, 353 of 1200 players experienced a repeat concussion, with 126 players having
three or more concussions and twelve players sustaining five or more concussions. The odds for
a repeat concussion were highest for quarterbacks and tight ends. The long-term cognitive effects
of concussion have been studied predominantly in a cross-sectional manner consisting of surveys
of retired NFL players. Health survey results published in 2007 revealed that 11.5 percent of
players with 1 or 2 concussions believed concussions had a permanent effect on memory, while
31.1 percent of retirees reporting three or more concussions held this belief. This interests me
because it deals with long-term impacts that concussions have on football players and how the
NFL is receiving backlash about how they manage their player’s safety. Significant attention has
been directed toward the immediate and long-term effects of sport-related concussions on
athletes participating in contact sports, especially football. The highest level of football, the NFL,
has received significant attention and criticism regarding player management and safety after
mild traumatic brain injury.