The student news site of Westford Academy

WA Ghostwriter

The student news site of Westford Academy

WA Ghostwriter

The student news site of Westford Academy

WA Ghostwriter

WA Athletics: Damaged by concussions

By Kyle Auger
Sport Editor

“I was fighting for a job and knew I couldn’t afford to be knocked out. So I willed myself back to my feet. I got up like a drunken man and started searching for that big hit, but the play was already over. I made my way to the sideline, where I received medical attention,” said former Oakland Raider Akbar Gbaja-Biamila.

Gbaja-Biamila is in a group of athletes speaking against concussion and the dangers of playing through them. Concussions account for roughly fifteen percent of all athletic injuries and are one of the most dangerous injuries one can receive. It is also one of the least reported, and most life altering. But football, it is said, is for the toughest, bravest men, and for those who will not be stopped by injury.

Misunderstood is another fitting adjective. If you ask people on the street what a concussion is, most would say that it is a brain bruise. However, a concussion is actually when the brain rapidly accelerates into the skull, causing lack of alertness and memory.

The football team is one of the hardest hit in WA athletics by concussions

“[Concussions have] definitely become more of an issue and the thing with the whole concussion agenda … is that they are better at diagnostic tools and things like that, so the rate and number of concussions is definitely going up,” said athletic trainer Bill Bombacci.

Based on medical estimates, about fifteen percent of football players suffer a brain injury of some kind throughout the athletic year. This already frightening statistic is worse for those at the pre-collegiate level, where the latest estimates are that 173,285 concussions are suffered by players per year.

In a similar survey, the way that athletes hide injuries was exposed. They concluded that sixteen percent of football players who lost consciousness returned to the gridiron within the same day.  Medical professionals state that the injuries have reached epidemic levels. Pittsburgh Steeler’s safety Troy Polamalu admitted that he doesn’t always report every “buzz” he obtains, and estimates he has suffered in the neighborhood of seventy-five concussions in his life.

“Players more often fake that they are well enough to go back before they really are, and I get that they don’t want to sit out from practices and games. Now it also affects them a lot in school, the whole educational and academic side of things, more so than just the athletic side of things, and that’s something we need to focus on,” said Bombacci.

The culture among athletes surrounding these brain injuries is one of secrecy and deception. Athletes are pressured not to disclose their injuries and play through it. However, as more is known about concussions, it appears people are making progress but there is much more athletes and coaches can do.

“All valuable players are expected to play through it, it’s not like the coaches yell, it’s just kind of an unsaid thing,” said junior Tyler Arsenault, who has dealt with concussion-like symptoms in the past.

After one injury, an increase in frequency and severity of brain trauma is common. According to Neurosurgery, athletes who have suffered two or more concussions deal with recurring headaches and dizzy spells, which are warning signs that the unknown workings of the brain are not functioning correctly.

Playing for Assumption College’s football team was a great time in a Westford parent’s life, however the years of competition came with a physical toll for Bob Wilson that lasted way after graduation.

“I had two diagnosed concussions, and maybe five or six more. I definitely came back early, I now know that … I now have early signs of dementia, when I stand up I see black dots,” said Wilson.

Although it is the popular assumption, concussions are not a problem solely in football, as gymnast Ashley Craig fell during the spirit rally and was embarrassed by her coach in front of her team.

“Our coach was sitting me out and telling me I was going to be replaced in the routine. And it sucked sitting out and I had to watch while the whole team was trying to change our routine and I couldn’t do anything to help out,” said Craig.

With the problem reaching epidemic levels, people at every level of athletics are trying to teach both players and coaches how to diagnose and treat brain traumas without rushing to the field.

“We have to get rid of the ‘big-hit’ mentality, and kids need to use proper form,” said Athletic Director Dan Twomey.

Concussions cannot be ignored, and certainly no matter how tough you are, you cannot protect your brain. Playing the “hero” earns nothing but a hospital bed.

References: http://www.cdc.gov/TraumaticBrainInjury/kids_teens.html

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2012/05/the_end_of_football_why_concussion_lawsuits_won_t_bring_down_the_game_.html

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7443714/jonah-lehrer-concussions-adolescents-future-football

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000106670/article/concussions-hurt-but-pressure-to-play-can-be-more-intense 

 

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