Healthcare: Big Hits Broken Dreams

Big Hits Broken Dreams

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Big Hits Broken Dreams

Concussions in sports are an epidemic health problem for sports athletes. A concussion causes a host of cognitive, physical as well as emotional effects that resemble strokes. It is caused by the swelling of the brain tissues which are mostly experienced by football and rugby athletes in sports. Therefore this paper discusses the rule change instituted in the Ivy League and the different perspectives that might be taken by individuals based on socioeconomic status.

The rule change instituted in the Ivy League shows there is a tremendous reduction in concussion rates in football games thus it is a significant applicable measure for addressing the issue of concussions in football. With the help of the NCAA, the Ivy League applied two significant rule changes to their kickoffs at the start of 2016. The kickoffs were increased from the 35-yard line to 40 and touchbacks were increased from the 20-yard line to 25 with the intention of having an increased number of kickoff lands in the zone end to motivate returners to remain behind their goal line for a touchback and minimize returns and collisions that happen during the game.

Most of the questions raised are about the alarming occurrences of concussions in sports. For the other sports, the concussion rate was approximately 2.56 per 1000 plays before the rule was changed and 1.18 per 1000 plays after the rule was changed (Geberich& Maxwell, 2013). Another question was whether concussions can be completely prevented which can only be done by minimizing the effect since concussions will always be there as long as sports exist (Baugh & Valovich, 2017). According Duma (2015) the difference in different analyzed sources shows that approximately 7.51 minimal concussions were experienced for every 1000 kickoffs after the rule was changed versus before the rule change.

The arguments about the change of rules on concussion protocol have received widespread criticism from both the players and fans who conclude that new regulations are ruining the game. The arguments involve reasons why the fans should embrace the concussion protocol since there will be a change in the game but for the betterment of the health of the players and more football compared to violent crushes as well as protecting the integrity of the football (McCrea, Kelly, Kluge & Randolph, 2017). Secondly, another argument is reasons why the fans should reject the concussion protocol where they stated that violence is part of the game and disqualification kills the players' career. I choose the first argument about the concussion protocol and it should be observed to prevent concussions because without players there is no football.

Socio-economic status and medical history beyond exposure to concussion are important factors that help in the variability interpretation of cognitive scores among collegiate athletes (Zuckerman, Zalneraitis, Yengo-Kahn & Solomon, 2017). The most significant relationship between concussion and socio-economic status is the insurance policy as the college students with private insurance cover recover quicker than those with public insurance. Students from poor backgrounds suffer adverse effects compared to those with high social and economic status since poor students do not have the necessary resources to minimize the effects.

In conclusion, concussions have minimal preventive measures, the rule change in the Ivy League is a significant approach as well as the concussion protocols that are applied to prevent and minimize concussion rates in football. The debates and the arguments about embracing these new rules support the fact that the health of the players should be given the top priority despite a number of critics.

References

McCrea, M., Kelly, J. P., Kluge, J. & Randolph, C. (2017). Standardized assessment of concussion in football players. Neurology, 48(3), 586-588.

Gerberich, S. G. & Maxwell, R. E. (2013). Concussion incidences and severity in secondary school varsity football players. American journal of public health, 73(12), 1370-1375.

Duma, S. (2015). Analysis of real-time head accelerations in collegiate football players. Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, 15(1), 3-8.

 Baugh, C.& Valovich McLeod, T. C. (2017). A multifactorial approach to sport-related concussion prevention and education: application of the socioecological framework. Journal of Athletic Training, 52(3), 195-205.

 Zuckerman, S. L., Zalneraitis, B. H., Yengo-Kahn, A. M. & Solomon, G. S. (2017). Socioeconomic status and outcomes after sport-related concussion: a preliminary investigation. Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, 19(6), 652-661.