“When I first started playing football, a headache was called a 'headache.' And now it's called a concussion,” Junior Seau once said.
Junior Seau, a linebacker in the NFL, was a victim to the concussions he never thought of getting as he signed to the San Diego Chargers, unknowingly giving his life away. According to the doctors who studied his brain tissue when he ended his life in 2012 by shooting himself in the chest, Junior Seau had an irreversible brain disease often linked with repeated hits towards the head: chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Something seems blatantly wrong with the people that get it; they all die incredibly young. Lou Creekmur, an Eight-time Pro Bowler, was found dead due to these cases of CTE. NHL forward Rick Rypien was as well, along with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers guard Tom McHale. The list goes on. Seau never thought of allowing the end of his life to be suicide at age 43, people are sure of that.
Why wasn’t Junior Seau given the opportunity to have an awareness for his own health? Why wasn’t Junior Seau tested for any brain diseases or concussions as a football player? Why wasn’t Junior Seau the hint to everyone that football and contact sports is risking your life?
Seau’s lack of awareness wasn’t fully shown until he was dead. Unacceptable. Seau wasn’t given the opportunity to check for traumatic head injuries while playing in the National Football League. Unsuitable. Seau warned everyone of the dangers to come, yet a diminutive amount of new rules are implemented. Unexplainable.
It all started with concussions.
Looking at kids, “Whether repetitive head impacts and multiple concussions sustained in youth lead to long-term diseases, such as CTE and Alzheimer’s disease, remains unclear,” according to this scientific study. However, in 10,000 contact practices and/or games, the average high school football player would receive 11.2 total concussions, giving or taking a few. While documenting the connection between concussions and memory loss in any contact sports, these reports left the question of whether football-related head trauma in young players can lead to a range of other issues that many former NFL stars have said they’ve had to battle with after retirement, including depression, suicidal impulses, Alzheimer’s disease or CTE. The chances of it being related are extremely likely, considering you couldn’t tell whether someone has chronic traumatic encephalopathy or not until they are diseased. “In 10 to 20 percent of individuals, concussive symptoms persist for a number of weeks, months, or even years,” the authors noted. In other words, these high school football players can possibly ruin their future while playing a sport that is meant to be entertainment.

In 2012, 2,620 kickoffs were completed; arguably one of the most dangerous acts in contact sports, considering you’re running 40 (give or take some) yards to tackle someone head-to-head. Yes, only 53.2% of those kickoffs were returned, but the consequences remain intact: your head is getting repeatedly blown, as the average professional football player takes 900 to 1500 dramatic blows to the head each season, all of which have a high potential to become a concussion. On top of this, if you’ve already gotten a concussion before, it is twice as more likely now for you to get a second one throughout your career. It is 2-4 times more likely for a third, and 3-9 times more likely for a fourth. As you go on, the gamble gets higher and higher, until you most likely remain suffering from permanent brain damage. Given these statistics, you may figure that you won’t get a concussion anyways playing a sport besides football or hockey, however, 5-10% of all athletes will experience a concussion while playing any sport in their lives. For example, the impact speed of a soccer ball being headed by a player is somewhere around 70 miles per hour at professional levels. A boxer’s punch may be up to a 20 miles per hour, quickly carrying lots of mass extremely sharply towards your skull. There are an ample supply of examples.

Suppose you were playing high school football as a middle linebacker. It’s 4th down and the other team only needs a single yard to get the first down. You already know they’re coming directly at you, so you’re prepared to take a big hit from the halfback for your team. As the cadence is called and the center snaps the ball, you easily slip past him. The quarterback has already handed the ball of, and in a few tenths of a second, the halfbacks shoulder is engraved into your neck, hopelessly throwing you back towards the line of scrimmage. You try an attempt to get up before realizing the world is a blur. The only thing you can ask yourself at this point would be: Was that worth it? A big hit that matters to nothing except your health? Your world temporarily blinded due to the unfortunate event of a mishappening in a sport you will eventually stop playing?

As Junior Seau said, your headaches via smashing your head around don’t remain cured from Tylenol or some pain medication, but are probably rather a concussion. There’s only one statement to consider for yourself: You can take your chances and gamble throughout your youth (and possibly adult) career, or you can play it safe and find a much less contact demanding sport. I’ve already answered the question for myself, and if you can’t answer it through your past experience, raise awareness. Let your youth Pop Warner football team talk to the players about concussion rates for children nowadays. Let your local high school teams check these statistics and think through consequences before starting seasons. Let your surrounding community know that you aren’t trying to change the beauty of sports as they know it, but instead providing information as to why they are safety hazards. Make a difference.