Injuries on the Field

Injuries on the Field

In the beginning of October, a third high school football player died from a serious head injury. On wednesday October 1, 16 year old Tom Cutinella was rushed to the hospital after suffering a major head injury. While on the field Cutinella was blocking for a team mate when he collided with one of the members of the opposing team. After the collision Cutinella, stood up and promptly collapsed on field. Just moments later he was taken to the hospital where he died from a major head injury.

Just days before the incident, two other football players suffered from head injuries and died. Many more cases of sports injuries have occurred during pewee football, high school football and even the NFL.

“Multiple concussions are the big concern in football, compared to war-related head trauma, which usually involves one battlefield blast and the impact of the head against a wall, the ground or other hard surface,” said Dr. James P. Kelly, Director of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence.

Many times football players have had to end their careers on the field due to some kind of injury. In some cases, these injuries have led to death, blown out knees, internal body injuries, and even damage that could leave the player paralyzed for the rest of their life. This has taken a major toll on the football industries.

“You are supposed to be tough. You are supposed to play through pain. You are not supposed to cry. We are taught that early on in the game as kids. Tough sport. Brutal sport. It’s like the gladiator. People want to see the big hits. They wind up on Sports Center. And as a player, you don’t want to admit you are injured,” said Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson.

Ultimately, football is a well known sport throughout the United States, and many people know of the intensities of the game. Many would say “it’s all in the spirit of the game” but when it comes down to a favorite team mate or family member being badly injured, then the seriousness of the game changes. As a country we need to come to the realization that we cannot simply talk about making changes to the game, we must actually take action. It is important to reduce the tackling force along with many other tactics throughout the sport to keep our players safe. Starting early will prevent many injuries that would be hard to treat late in the game.

 

FSA Connection Questions:

  1. What is the author view point on this article?
  2. How does the author state what about the question does me asked?
  3. From your own knowledge what are some major in the football life?
  4. What is some ways we can reduce injuries?
  5. Do you think that the football industries would change the rules anytime soon? Why or why not?
  6. In your own words sum up the article with two statements.