Brain Damage

Football and the Brain

            The brain is the most outstanding organ in our body.  It is the primary control source of our entire body!  It controls our emotions, sensations, vision, hearing, movement, and many other voluntary as well as involuntary functions.  Have you ever stopped to wonder what would happen if damage occurred to your brain?  Well, I had never put some thought into it until recently. 

            Who knew the all American sport of football could be harmful to the brain.  It has been calculated that in the United States there is roughly around 1 million high-school football players, out of these football players about 67,000 reported concussions.  Researchers determined that on average one football player suffers around 150 head impacts per week throughout football season! Can you imagine having your head hit 150 times in a week? Some of these hits did not cause a concussion, however they did cause a change in brain function, similar to people who have brain damage.  The areas of the brain affected are the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and occipital lobe.  These areas are responsible for memory, emotions, vision, and hearing.  Those football players who did report concussions are at risk of having another one, with a longer recovery period.

            Constant head trauma to the brain is currently being studied, since it is becoming more common for NFL football players to commit suicide.  Former NFL player Dave Duerson commited suicide, after seeing the autopsy report it was confirmed that there was advanced brain damage, known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy.