The Long-Term Effects Of Concussions In American Football

Sports are an integral part of American culture. Throughout the year, friends and families will spend enormous amounts of time and money to gather together to eat, drink and cheer on their favorite teams. American football has been named the most watched sport in the nation and continues to grow in popularity. There is something about the thrill of watching your favorite team score touchdowns and win championship games that makes watching football a nationwide form of entertainment. Beyond all of the wins and losses however are the many injuries that often occur in every game. Broken arms, legs and shoulders are only minimal injuries compared to the, often over-looked, head injuries that happen more often than not. Even though there are protective measures taken to prevent concussions and other head injuries, many football players are still being hit so hard in every game that they may experience one or more concussions in a single game day.
Only recently have doctors and researchers, such as Dr. Bennet Omalu found relationships between suicide, memory loss and vision impairments and concussions in professional football players. Football games are widely appreciated and followed by millions of Americans and as more people watch, more games are played and more football players are becoming injured. The severity of concussions in football players is often overlooked which is putting many people at risk for damaging head injuries. Research and information on concussions in athletes needs to grow in order to protect and prevent players from the harmful effects of