It seems as though every time we turn around some prominent NFL retiree is committing suicide, tired of being afflicted by the effects of the repeated concussions from his glory years. Yet while the dangers of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) such as concussions are well known, sports such as boxing and football have done little to protect their participants. The athletes, feeling extreme pressure from a society obsessed with its sports and competitions, are forced to put their health on the line daily, risking a future full of memory impairment and cognitive degradation.
Inability to focus and concentrate, trouble learning, communication issues, and difficulty understanding information are just a few of the problems associated with the harm caused by TBIs. When a person has a TBI, the head can be hit in one of two ways: a straightforward blow which causes lateral acceleration of the brain, or a blow from the side which causes rotational acceleration of the brain. In either case, the acceleration of the brain and subsequent deceleration can cause huge problems to the cell membranes in the brain. When these membranes are disrupted, ions such as potassium and calcium are able to leak across, causing stimulation and the release of neurotransmitters. In turn, various pumps in the cell membrane kick in to restore the ion balance, which uses up energy in the cell. This places a demand on the cell to produce more energy and go into a stage of hypermetabolism. All of these things can lead to disruption in brain cell communication, the accumulation of protein plaques, and even brain cell death. These things can obviously cause huge mental impairment that is currently irreversible.
But it’s not just professional sports that have a problem with TBIs. High school and college athletes also experience pressure to perform from coaches and parents alike, in addition to the pressure they place on themselves. Furthermore, athletes fear losing their eligibility after suffering repeated concussions. As a result, they often neglect to inform their coaches, parents, or health professionals about head injuries they experience, and continue to place themselves in harm’s way despite the potentially grave consequences.
Our society’s obsession with sports is driving its participants into situations that force them to take risks they shouldn’t need to take. Athletes should feel comfortable sitting out due to a head injury. There should be no pressure to get back on the field or into the ring if they aren’t feeling 100%. Yet that’s not the way it works. So how do we combat this pressure that society creates? Certainly we could outlaw sports such as boxing and football that have the highest incidences of TBI, but I don’t such a drastic step is quite necessary. Do we place regulations on how boxers can punch, football players can tackle, or hockey players can check? Do we focus our research on better equipment, or monitoring systems to track damage caused by TBIs? Should tackle football be banned for middle school and elementary school children? High schools have been doing a great job as of late bringing about awareness to the detrimental effects of concussions and TBIs, but more needs to be done. The next decade or two will be very interesting as today’s athletes age and the effects of their concussions begin to show. Not all that different than the rock stars we see suffering from their “wild” years, these athletes are in for a bitter future. Certainly there are many alternatives, and action is essential. But what that is exactly, is up for debate.
