Long Term Injury In Sports Essay

Sports are a social construct. Not a combination of individual decisions, and not a result of the contributions from athletes alone. Cultures and societies benefit from sports because it is a socially constructed reality that multiple parties derive benefits from. Fans derive pleasure from it, employees make a living from it, and the community as a whole feels a sense of belonging form it. This being said, the moral burden of expanding the knowledge of long-term injury risks and coming up with a solution for this issue falls upon everyone.

The prevalent issue in long-term injury in professional sports today is concussions, and the overwhelming scientific evidence that repeated blows to the head lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In the past, this was known as dementia pugilistica, and the resulting symptoms are CTE are disturbingly similar to early onset dementia. Individuals who believe the responsibility of dealing with potential long-term injuries falls only on the athlete make the false assumption that the risks are known. The specifics of the long range impact of these repeated blows to head are only gradually being learned, and one can not simply assume that players
It must happen fast. Unfortunately, morality is not enough of a reason for multibillion-dollar organizations to medically support their athletes post-retirement. As knowledge of the long-term affects of concussions becomes more known, there will be a domino affect that will eventually affect the fiscal value of professional leagues. The first domino has already fallen, and as a result parents are straying away from letting their children play contact sports, professional athletes in these sports are retiring early, and prospective professional athletes are choosing to pursue sports with less contact because of their concern for safety. These negative consequences will continue and expand unless the professional leagues take