For the past few years, sports-related concussions have drawn increasing national scrutiny thanks to dramatic growth in the number of head injuries reported each year, as well as additional research into their long-term effects. Furthermore, multimillion dollar concussion-related lawsuits filed against the National Football League and links between head injuries and deaths of high-profile athletes like Junior Seau have only magnified public concern about concussions in sports.
A concussion is a brain injury that can be caused by direct impact to the head, or the head and upper body being violently shaken. Effects are temporary, but can include headaches and problems with concentration, memory, judgment, balance, and coordination. Although these effects are temporary, people with multiple concussive brain injuries and un-diagnosed concussions may experience cognitive impairment over their lives.
Concussions are a particularly serious issue in the National Football League, but there are plenty of other professional and amateur athletes who have seen their careers shortened and/or impacted by concussions. The list is growing every day, but some high-profile examples include:
- Troy Aikman (Dallas Cowboys quaterback) suffered 10 concussions in 12 seasons in the NFL.
- Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penquins forward), took two hits in a span of five days in 2011 and hasn’t seen much time on the ice since.
- James Harden (Houston Rockets guard) took an elbow to the head during the 2012 NBA Playoffs.
- Steve Young (San Francisco 49ers quarterback) Young took eight concussions in his 15-year career, retiring in 2000.
- Mohamed Massaquoi (Cleveland Browns wide reciever) took a big hit to the head from Steelers linebacker James Harrison in 2010, as a result, Harrison was fined $75,000 and even threatened to retire because of the league’s punishments on dangerous hits.
- UMPC Sport Concussion Program: The UMPC, affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh, created a Sports Medicine Concussion Program in 2000 that remains a leader in research, assessment, treatment and rehabilitation following the Diffusion on Innovations Theory. This was important to include because it the program’s research and methods have been utilized by major professional sports leagues and it sets the current standard for concussion research.
- Goalkeepers Wearing Helmets for Protection: This example highlights Petr Cech, a professional goalkeeper forced to wear a rugby-style helmet for protection following concussion issues and the way Social Exchange Theory predicts this response, as well as the potential for other soccer players to follow his lead.
- Concussions and Long-Term Impacts on the Brain: Although many of the most severe effects occur after numerous concussions, this research highlights the potential long-term impact of a single concussion and how Situational Theory has been used effectively as a PR tactic to disseminate this type of research.
- The NFL and Mainstream Media on Concussions: How the relationship has played out between the National Football League, and the mainstream media over the lawsuits brought on by retired players who have suffered from concussions, using Systems Theory. This was key because the NFL has faced the most criticism surrounding its treatment of concussions and this was the league’s first public acknowledgement of concussions’ severity.
- NFL Head Health Initiative: In response to growing criticism from players and fans, the NFL partnered with GE and Under Armor to fund research and innovation related to improving safety equipment and concussion monitoring technology. This is one of the NFL’s first major PR responses (as explained by Systems Theory) to the growing concussion problem in professional and amateur football.
Mayo Clinic Staff. “Concussion.” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 22 Feb. 2011. Web. 07 Dec. 2013. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/concussion/DS00320>.
Newsday. “Famous Sports Concussions.” 22 June 2012. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. www.newsday.com/sports/photos/famous-sports-concussions-1.205309#16
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