A New Attitude: Why It Seems Like Concussions Are On The Rise

If you watch SportsCenter or the sports segment of a national news program on any given night, you’re likely to see a story about the dangers of concussions and the effects head injuries have on athletes. On an almost weekly basis, we see a popular NFL or NHL player’s season get derailed by a concussion. It sure seems like politicians and school boards are discussing these injuries with more regularity.

In fact, it wouldn’t be ridiculous to believe this country has a concussion epidemic. But the truth is, brain injuries are not a new phenomenon.

Concussions have always been a consequence of contact sports. So, why does it seem like concussions are especially on the rise amongst today’s athletes?

1. Bigger, Stronger, Faster

It’s no secret that today’s athletes are bigger, stronger and faster — at all levels of competition. With advancements in equipment, training and nutrition, the body of a typical athlete is much more sophisticated than generations past and we’re beginning to see this development at a much younger age than ever before.

That means the game moves faster, even at the high school and club level, and has become more physical. Players pack more of a wallop when hitting today — which is evident in the rule changes geared towards player safety throughout leagues across the country, professional or otherwise.

Its simple physics: Mass x Acceleration = Force; bigger, faster players mean significantly greater force. And the harder that force is, the greater the risk of injury becomes. Particularly when it comes to hits to the head.

2. Awareness And Education

In the year 2013, we are much more aware of concussions, the damage they cause and their warning signs. Because we’re much more informed about this serious issue, it appears there are many more cases than ever before. But the truth is concussions have always been a major issue in sports. We just didn’t know enough about them.

This shouldn’t undercut the importance or severity of concussions, however. The fact that concussions have always been prevalent in sports is actually more of a reason than any to do everything in our power to prevent them. We now know which telltale signs to look for when our athletes suffer a potential head injury and we know the precautions to take to keep our players from reinjuring themselves.

With new studies and research and concussion education being developed daily, and the issue being a consistent hot button item in the news and in the court of public opinion, head injuries are simply at the top of everyone’s mind — from parents and players to coaches and trainers, and even spectators.

When you see an NFL player take a nasty hit and lay still for a few moments, you think one thing: concussion. And that’s due in large part to…

3. Attitude Adjustment

The idea of “toughing it out” or “sucking it up” is no longer the universal approach to athletics. Even in today’s NFL — a league known and celebrated for its violence — the attitude is to veer on the side of caution when it comes to player safety.

Sure, we used to admire and glorify players who would get knocked out and will themselves back into action, all in the name of helping their team win. But what’s admirable about being a shell of your former self by age 40? It took something as horrific and devastating as the deteriorating mental state of ex-NFL players to wake us up, but the rise in concussions has come about because of the collective attitude shift in the severity of head injuries.

Rather than “walking it off,” as was the case in the past, players, coaches and trainers are much more open and honest about these injuries now. Instead of putting our athlete’s in jeopardy, we’ve finally learned that the risk is not worth the price.

Of course, there’s no full-proof way to prevent concussions and no equipment is 100% concussion proof. But there are measures for you to take to lower the chance of your players sustaining a head injury.

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Author Bio

Travis Armideo, marketing manager at Gladiator Custom Mouthguards, is a lifelong ice hockey player. He began playing for various clubs at a young age and continued onto junior teams, while also playing lacrosse at the collegiate level. Travis is still heavily involved in athletics, coaching high school and youth ice hockey athletes, as well as playing men’s league ice hockey on a regular basis.