Robert Sirven

J483 Journalistic Interview

Report and Source List

24 February

Final Project Report and Source List

As I have already stated in my pitch, I have decided to do my final project on the issue of concussions and head trauma resulting from contact sports. Although sports like football and hockey remain at the forefront of the head trauma and concussion conversation, athletes that participate in other contact sports such as lacrosse, rugby, and wrestling are subject to the same long-term damage while not particularly being a part of the same spotlight. Although the NCAA has made an effort to prevent these dangers with a $70 million lawsuit settlement, new safety protocol, and concussion research at the Division I level, I will be focusing this project on what has been done in regards to brain injury prevention and awareness in club contact sports that don’t garner as much attention.

My story is about the University of Oregon’s Club Sports such as women’s lacrosse, men’s rugby, and men’s wrestling and the neurological dangers that come with participating. Furthermore, I will also discover what precautions or actions have been taken to prevent head to head contact in these particular sports, and if there have already been a number of student athletes, current and former, at the university suffering from short to long-term head trauma. Moreover, I will be interviewing coaches, players, and even a local neurosurgeon to provide more context and angles to this very relevant issue.

In addition, there are other angles I have considered for this project as a story. For instance, I could focus entirely on the medical aspect of concussions in sports, and discover why no matter what precautions are taken that head trauma is unavoidable. Secondly, I could also focus on a particular athlete that is dealing with concussions on a regular basis, but doesn’t mind because being able to play the sport is more important to him or her than the dangers to their health. Finally, there is the angle from the university’s athletic department and what they believe should be done in response to the concussion threat. In all, the topic of head trauma in contact sports will remain a relevant issue in the American community until it is ultimately solved.

Source List

Dr. Daniel Hutton

Phone: (541) 636-3653

Email: shanna3d@yahoo.com

Fax: (541) 343-9387

Address: 3355 River Bend Drive, Suite 400 Springfield OR, 97477

Description: Dr. Hutton is a local neurosurgeon at the Sacred Heart Medical Center in Springfield, Oregon. Due to his expertise in neurology, Dr. Hutton will provide medical information about concussions, what kind of damage they can cause, and what or if any prevention can be made to stop them in contact sports. Furthermore, he can also recall from his own personal experience of any cases he came across with head trauma in athletes.

Pate Tuisue

Phone: (541) 346-8025

Email: rugbymen@uoregon.edu

Address: 1222 E 13th, Suite 24 Eugene OR, 97403-1228

Description: Pate Tuisue is the head coach of the Oregon Club Rugby Team. From his past experience as a player and coach in rugby, Coach Tuisue can definitely contribute to this project by recounting incidents of concussion with himself or fellow/current players during games. Rugby, being the ultra physical sport that it is, is one of the most overlooked sports in the concussion issue, and Coach Tuisue’s input would be very valuable.

Daniel Larman

Phone: (510) 759-4244

Email: larman@uoregon.edu

Address: 1222 E 13th, Suite 24 Eugene OR, 97403-1228

Description: Daniel Larman is a current student at the University of Oregon as well as the creator of the newly founded Oregon Club Wrestling Team. Daniel, a current wrestler as well, could provide insight on the head trauma topic from his own personal experience in the sport of wrestling.

Cristen Shope

Phone: (541) 346-8025

Twitter: @CristenShope

Email: oregonlacrosse.coordinators@gmail.com

Address: 1222 E 13th, Suite 24 Eugene OR, 97403-1228

Description: Cristen Shope is the head coach of the Women’s Club Lacrosse Team. Concussions and head trauma are rarely talked about in women’s sports, so providing this angle would be very valuable in adding variety to this project. Furthermore, due to their helmets, sticks, and padding, lacrosse also poses additional dangers that could increase the likelihood of a concussion.

Non-human Sources

NCAA Injury Surveillance Program:

http://datalyscenter.org/programs/ncaa-injury-surveillance-program/

Description: The NCAA Injury Surveillance Program provides data and statistics on injuries that occur every year in collegiate sports including concussions.

National Center for Biotechnology Information: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC233178/

Author: Tracey Covassin, C. Buz Swanik, and Michael L Sachs

Description: This article discusses the sex differences and the incidence of concussions among collegiate athletes. The sports included in this article are also the focus of my project.

NCAA:

http://www.ncaa.org/health-and-safety/concussion-guidelines

Description: This source describes the safety protocol and guidelines that athletes must abide by when getting a concussion.