Negative Factors That Accompany Contacts Sports

The love for the sport may come with a price; one’s life. The game days, the fans, the teams… the injuries, the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). These are all possible factors that accompany any contact sport. Sports spark high emotions as the game grows tense and the room appears to buzz from the excitement radiating off both speculators and players. Whether it be Sunday morning football with the family, afternoon soccer with the friends, a boxing match, etc.

These all can become dangerous for the athletes providing the entertainment. Players receiving multiple blows to the head, but continuing to play throughout their careers to please fans may be sabotaging their own well being. Traumatic brain injuries aren’t a rare phenomenon for any athlete who partakes in sports, and neither are controversial rule changes. In order to provide safety for these athletes who are at risk for ALS and CTE, it is only right that the rules are changed as much as possible to ensure a necessary amount of safety in the playing environment while maintaining the traditional fun provided by any sport.

Although ALS is a popular topic due to the ever increasing amount of victims it claims, it’s not known by all. ALS is classified as a progressive neurodegenerative disease. The name itself gives an insight to the horrors of the disease; A- No, Myo- Muscle, Trophic- Nourishment, Lateral- Spinal Cord Area, Sclerosis- Scarring and hardening. ALS literally is a disease which affects the nerve cells by causing them to break down and eventually die.

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This also causes ALS victims to lose control of their muscles over time and eventually become paralyzed from the neck down, but in some cases the body is completely paralyzed. Most of those affected by this killer are athletes, having a higher risk simply because of the multiple violent blows to the head received throughout the games. Due to the fact that athletes tend to play at young ages when the brain is very underdeveloped and vulnerable, the chances of receiving ALS start very early. The brain continues to mature up until the early twenties, thus increasing a player under 20 years of ages’ risk of ALS. Most head injuries in sports usually impact the top of the head, which holds the important executive functions, meaning that the brain of a teenager is impacted on a greater scale in comparison to an adult player receiving the same injury.

CTE is a progressive, degenerative disease such as ALS and CTE’s culprit is repetitive brain trauma. There are four stages to CTE, the first one being only tau is built up in the brain, tau being a toxic protein, which is created by this illness which shrinks and kills parts of the brain, but there are no symptoms in this stage. Tau is a protein which blocks the brain’s nutrients from reaching their dedicated destination and in result creates a toxic buildup. The second stage includes explosive behaviors, depression and multiple depressive episodes, uncontrollable mood swings, short term memory loss, bursts of rage, impulsivity, and the frontal lobe is negatively being affected. The third stage of CTE includes dysfunction of the brain, memory loss which is declining even more than previously, apathy, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, damage to the temporal lobe, amygdala and hippocampus are affected, emotions are less controllable and difficulty recalling memories is being experienced. In the final stage tau overpowers the brain, causes it to shrink and kills the nerve cells, the brain becomes deformed and brittle, and cognitive function worsens.

The four main diseases associated with CTE are Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s, and Dementia. Parkinson’s is the second most common of these four diseases and it causes tremors and damages the nervous system. The first sign is a tremor in the hand, physical agility and movement become slower, stiffness in the body are felted, balance loss, and diagnosis is usually between the ages of 40s-60s. Huntington’s is a genetic disease; if one parent has it the child has a 50% chance of inheriting it as well. This occurs when there’s a mutation on the 4th chromosome. The basal ganglia and cortex are damaged which will result in negative behavior, foggy thinking, and awareness changes as well as brain cells die off.

Alzheimer’s in patients creates a difficulty when trying to recall events or any simple memory. It’s progressive and usually affects individuals 65 or older, leaving them with an incurable illness. Those affected will experience feeling disoriented, drastic mood and behavior changes, speaking will become significantly more difficult, walking, and talking will become a difficult task. This disease can be pictured as being many sections of a whole that need to work together in order to perform and when a part of the brain doesn’t run well the disease spreads. Dementia can be summarized as memory loss because that’s the major part pertaining to this disease. Not only is this experienced, but one’s communication, vocabulary, ability to focus and pay attention, reasoning, judgement, and ones visual may all decline. CTE not only has heartbreaking stages within itself, but it also can cause much more detrimental and far worse diseases.

Athletes tend to be diagnosed with CTE and ALS at younger ages than most due to the fact that the players are damaging their young underdeveloped brains with head impacts. Because of the tenderness of the young, maturing brain, hits will be much more damaging when received by a teenager in comparison to an adult. If a 17 and 28 year old receive the same blow to the head, the 17 year old is more likely to receive more serious injuries than the 28 year old. When Steve Gleason started playing football, his brain was not matured yet meaning that the violent blows, bumps, and shakes his brain received caused him great damage. Throughout his short football career, he received countless head injuries which lead to his demise since his brain hadn’t been sufficiently developed for this treatment.

Many high schoolers commence their very own sports careers young such as Gleason did and some unfortunately meet the same fate that Gleason met; ridden and suffering with ALS, an incurable disease which is a life sentence diagnosis. It’s terrible enough that a great portion of male sports players receives ALS and CTE but unfortunately women are at an even higher risk. One of the reasons as to why they’re more susceptible is because of the female’s monthly hormonal fluctuations. Males also have more muscular necks in comparison to females, so they can hold their head better when it comes to receiving hits. This results in the neck not snooping around as much which leads to less dangerous brain movement inside of the skull. Males and females in any level of sports are at risk for receiving head impacts in nearly all sports offered, whether it be soccer, rugby, basketball, football, wrestling, etc. All of these sports have the potential to cause a young athlete a lifetime of diseases because of the violent brain impacts they may receive while playing.

CTE and ALS are both fatal diseases caused by repetitive blows to the head. The constant concussions, one may receive leads to these diseases. It’s very important to be educated on the fact that all concussions can be categorized as traumatic brain injuries, but not all traumatic brain injuries classify as concussions. Any damage done to the body through force being applied can be categorized as trauma. This can include lacerations, fractures, no matter how severe, sprains of any limbs, a cut, hit, bump, smoke, etc. Concussions are a form of mild traumatic brain injuries and are occasionally difficult to diagnose because the receiver doesn’t always show telltale symptoms. A person who doesn’t usually come to mind when concussions are discussed is Jackie Chan. Chan has had concussions doing the simplest of actions while performing stunts. Hockey player Bob Proberts received multiple concussions while playing for the National Hockey League’s Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhearts. Hockey is known for its violent nature which led to Probert’s development of CTE. Concussions have the ability to occur when falling down stairs, being in a car accident, etc., not only in sports.

Although the sports world may deny to the public that sports aren’t the reason for athletes being diagnosed with CTE and ALS, the sports world is fully aware that they are to blame. This guilt and backlash have led them to put effort forth into making their rules safer. These changes are extremely important because they reduce the likeliness of athletes suffering from head trauma during a game for whatever sport they may participate in. The Hockey League is creating safer rules by removing head shots from being able to be used. Headshots in hockey are when a player gives another one illegal body check to the head. In an effort to decrease the violence in hockey, fights breaking out have become forbidden. In soccer heading has been eliminated for young children because the ball has the potential to cause serious damage since it travels at high speeds and strong force which could not only damage the brain when it impacts the head, but it can potentially break an individual’s nose. A new rule created in sports is individuals who receive concussions are not allowed to play the same day after receiving one. Coaches closely monitor and observe athletes’ playing and practicing to ensure they’re not performing actions which could cause them to end up hurt. Referees also pay very close attention to the players to mark any foul behavior. These new rules may seem obnoxious and unnecessary to some, but they’re necessary to keep the players of any sport safe.

It’s a no brainer that better and stricter rules need to be enforced to protect any athlete from receiving CTE or ALS. More extensive research needs to be conducted because the current recorded research isn’t as detailed and developed as needed. More can be done to protect athletes from serious head injuries, but it simply isn’t being done. The concept that everyone wants the best for themselves, but they don’t want the best for others as well is unacceptable. It’s vital that ways to minimize hits are increased through creating new rules. Tests can be done to inspect players. A method of testing for concussions is Baseline Testing which is conducted before season by a healthcare professional. This 25 minute test which checks an athletes’ body and brain function is typically done every 2 years, but may be done more frequently if the athlete has received a concussion recently. CT Scans and MRI Scans can also be done to receive a visual of what one’s inside functions look like. The Controlled Oral Word Association and Hopkins Verbal Learning Test are both neuropsychological tests that can be done to check a player’s verbal skills. Not only should tests be enforced for athletes but also punishments such as suspensions for long periods of time due to violations of rules. In doing so a solid foot will be put down to show that this isn’t a topic to be taken lightly. Entrepreneurial individuals can take the time to create better protection or technology, which would work effectively and also make them a large chunk of cash for their innovation. Players also have to be responsible and not be as reckless because after all it’s their safety which is on the line.

ALS and CTE victims don’t deserve what comes to them; these individuals deserve lives which aren’t cut down by chronic illnesses. It’s unreasonable to argue that enforcing rules take away the fun of a game because these rules don’t substantially interfere with sports. Lives are undoubtedly more valuable and important than fans’ hurt feelings. Contact sports definitely are a staple in the nation’s history as victorious moments have the power to uplift spirits in dark times. Nevertheless, these sports such as soccer, football, hockey, etc. Are dangerous and stricter and safer rules need to be enforced. Those opposed to others’ safety needs to reevaluate personal morals. With effort and cooperation from players, sports organizations, and fans, sports can become better suited to protect and take their players’ well being into consideration. ALS and CTE are diseases which threaten individuals, but now it’s time to make changes to rise above.