Numbers Don't Lie: Concussions in Football

The concern over concussions and CTE in football have grown over the past couple of years. Football has the highest concussion rate out of any sport. In 2015, there were 271 reported concussions during the NFL preseason and regular season, which is 65 more than the season prior and the highest amount since 2012. However, despite the reported data, PBS found that nearly a third of NFL concussions were not listed. The research also showed that about half of the players with concussions did not miss a single game between 2012 and 2013 and a quarter of them returned to action after sitting only one game. According to the AAN (American Academy of Neurology), this puts players at greater risk of head injury. They reported that athletes are at greater risk of head injury within 10 days after suffering a concussion and that by returning to the field so quickly, they risk long-term effects. The NFL has even admitted in court documents that they expect a third of retired NFL players to suffer long-term brain trauma and cognitive issues. According to another study by the Department of Veteran Affairs, 87 out of the 91 deceased NFL players suffered from CTE. The Department also studied high school and collegiate level football players and the data showed that about 80 percent of the players suffered from with CTE. Other data showed that cornerbacks and wide receivers lead the league in concussions even thought linemen suffer the most hits. This is most likely due to the fact that wide receivers and cornerbacks take harder hits than linemen. However, more concussions seem to occur in the second half of the regular season than the first half. PBS reported that 38 more concussions were reported during the last eight games than the first nine. This is interesting because if the amount of concussions were simply based off of how hard the impact, you would think that the amount of concussions would be more evenly distributed. Some people believe that due to the more sub-concussive hits a player takes, the more vulnerable they become to suffering a major concussion, the wear and tear of a full NFL season might increase players’ risks for suffering head injuries. Over 5,000 former players have sued the NFL for damages suffered after their careers. This resulted in a $1 billion settlement from the league to cover the damages and to invest money into research. However, that does not get rid of the NFL's issue of concussions and CTE. This research and data clarifies the league's issue with concussions and how much progress it has to make in order to improve the environment and well-being of the players.

http://www.thesportster.com/football/15-shocking-statistics-about-concussions-in-the-nfl/

https://www-tc.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/art/cats/concussions/summary-charts/CW-roundup-chart3a.png

Below is an infographic of the Rate of Concussions in football compared to other sports: