[Vision2020] "Big Hits, Broken Dreams": Each Season 1 in 10 High School Football Players Suffers Concussion

[Ted Moffett]

Encouraging minors in high school to slam each other so hard they
suffer brain injuries in officially sanctioned games, i. e. football,
approved by administrators, teachers, parents, et. al. is
unbelievable... certainly an expression of a culture somehow blind to
its endorsement of violence, and the damages resulting.

Neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta hosted a CNN special on this topic that
aired tonight, and a video related to this report is offered at the
following website:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-sanjay-gupta/football-head-injuries-concussions_b_1231909.html

Big Hits, Broken Dreams
Posted: 01/25/2012 4:21 pm

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

The more I have examined this subject, the more I have wanted to know
about how concussion may be affecting young people who play the game.
The statistics for concussion in younger players are startling.
According to the Sports Concussion Institute in Los Angeles, each
season one in ten high school football players gets a concussion, and
about 35 percent of those sustains more than one concussion. Most
players heal from these injuries, but a growing body of evidence
suggests that repeated trauma can mean long-term memory problems,
depression, and even early death - particularly when repeated trauma
is sustained in quick succession, known as "second impact syndrome."
I've met a few families that have borne these terrible consequences.
And as a father, I really want to help parents, coaches, and young
people know the risks - and perhaps the information can make a
difference to someone.

As a neuroscientist, I know that the adolescent brain is still
developing. It's less resilient to concussion than the adult brain. I
agree with Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, one of the country's leading
researchers in this field that "concussion" is a word that we've come
not to associate with the seriousness of what is better described as a
brain injury. And I've met kids who just love the game so much; they
underestimate their level of risk.
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Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett