…ya know, the little ones that fly around ones head after taking a massive shot to the head? Cartoons have them anyways, but I fail to recall every having that pleasure.
Growing up playing ice hockey, I took my fair share of bumps and bruises: knocked out teeth (2), broken bones (the left hand middle finger), lingering shoulder injuries, lost blood and tears (I’m not saying from crying :( ), and of course, those fun head injuries known as concussions (2).
Concussions, a medical issue not fully understood, yet now in the full spotlight of professional and amateur sport leaders and players. Just this past summer, “the deaths of NHL enforcers, Wade Belak, Rick Rypien, and Derek Boogaard have raised a lot of questions and concerns.” As the enforcers primary job is to protect the star players through earning penalty-in-minutes (PIMs) with their fists, one has to step back and look at the damage and need for education to parents and coaches is critical.
The NHL is not alone in this. The NFL has had its share of concussion-related deaths recently, with former Chicago Bear Dave Duerson shooting himself after battling chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease linked to repeated head trauma.
Not only is this topic important to me as I’ve had multiple concussions, but as a sport leader, these individuals are multi-million dollar investments for a business. As NHL superstar Sidney Crosby is set to return to action tonight after missing nearly a year due to a concussion.
Making the game safer will not reduce the pleasure fans get from the massive hits, it will simply ensure star players are at a reduced risk for traumatic injury, something we can all agree will benefit every sport.
E.L. Storrie
http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/05/02/the-death-of-dave-duerson-more-evidence-of-concussion-dangers-in-football/http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/05/02/the-death-of-dave-duerson-more-evidence-of-concussion-dangers-in-football/#ixzz1eM1MCfLr
http://leagueoffans.org/2011/09/07/deaths-of-nhl-enforcers-raise-more-questions-about-concussions/
http://www.sportsconcussions.org/ibaseline/
No comments:
Post a Comment