Recently, a wave of sudden retirements among fledgling collegiate football quarterbacks has reignited attention towards concussion risks in youth sports, particularly football. On October 23rd, Grayson McCall of North Carolina State, fatefully decided to step away from football following an incident during an October 5th match where he suffered a severe hit, losing his helmet in the process. The 23-year-old later announced, ‘Though I’ve dealt with injuries throughout my career, it’s clear that the consequences of this particular injury are insurmountable, pushing me towards an early exit from the sport.’ He and brain experts, along with his family, concurred that this painful decision was indeed for the best to prioritize his health.
Following suit on October 28th, Jack Tuttle, a quarterback from the University of Michigan, also chose to retire from football, for similar health reasons. Tuttle, then a seventh-year senior, had previously undergone surgery for his throwing arm in the off-season, and during the present season experienced his fifth concussion. ‘The recent reality of my fifth concussion painfully underscores the necessity of health prioritization,’ the 25-year-old Tuttle expressed, emphasizing the struggle to balance his love for the sport with the physical toll it was taking.
While both young men intend to stay connected to football via coaching roles, their early departure from the field has caused many to ponder the safety of nurturing aspirations of a lucrative football career among young athletes. This extensive debate accumulates further intensity when viewed in the light of two recent catastrophic events in youth football: the loss of a 13-year-old player in West Virginia and a 16-year-old in Alabama, who both tragically died due to brain injuries sustained during football-related incidents.
In terms of youth sports, a study published in 2019 in Pediatrics revealed that boys’ football reports the highest concussion rates, with 10.4 concussions per 10,000 athlete interactions. Additionally, girls’ soccer and boys’ ice hockey were noted to have the second and third highest concussion rates, respectively. For children initiating their engagement with tackle football at tender ages, concussions can potentially occur at the early stages of their careers.
The 2018 study further conveyed that 5% of the youth who played football, falling in the age bracket of 5-14, experienced a football-associated concussion per each season. In terms of the impact of each head injury, the evidence is clear. Any concussion, irrespective of its severity, caused by either a blow to the head or a hit to the body, can be quite significant, triggering alterations in the brain that can influence a child’s sleep patterns, behavioral traits, learning abilities, and even thoughts.
Moreover, sustaining repeated concussions over a length of time can contribute to chronic issues relating to memory, concentration, balance, and frequently recurring headaches. Pointing to the untimely retirements of McCall and Tuttle, Chris Nowinski, the co-founder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, underlines the crucial link between football and long-term brain health. ‘In the grand scheme of things, only one brain is given to each person, and participating in football is a threat to the future wellbeing of the brain,’ stated Nowinski.
He further explained how early signs of decreasing brain resilience to trauma are serious red flags, and athletes should heed the warning and take proper preventive action. For players like McCall and Tuttle, they’ve chosen a path that prioritizes their health, preventing further harm to their brains.
If a child is inclined towards football, the recommended path would be to engage in non-contact variants of the sport such as flag or touch football for as long as feasible. This is advice which has been endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), citing data which shows that compared to flag football participants, youth tackle football players are 15 times more likely to endure head impacts during a practice or game.
In an event where a child chooses to play full-contact tackle football, it’s crucial to advocate for safety measures such as reducing contact practice sessions, teaching appropriate tackling and blocking techniques specific to a player’s position and age, as well as implementing strict consequences for head hits.
Nowinski also stresses the importance of giving young athletes ample recovery time after a concussion. His guidelines further suggest extending a child’s time away from the sport even longer than medical recommendations, particularly following multiple concussions in a short period of time.
For young players reluctant to skip a game or practice, the core message is, ‘Experiencing more concussions escalates the risk of having to permanently leave your beloved sport.’ A renowned concussion expert and neuropsychologist, Dr. Munro Cullum, encourages athletes and their parents to adopt a prudent stance, ‘When in any doubt, prefer to sit out.’
He goes on to encourage young adults, explaining that ‘If you’re not performing at your best due to impairment, you won’t be able to give your best to your team. So it’s important to communicate when you feel unwell.’ Symptoms of concussions may appear immediately or they could develop over hours or even days post the injury. These symptoms can range from dizziness, nausea, vision issues, and headaches, to concentration difficulties, confusion, anxiety, restlessness, or even alterations in sleep patterns.
In reference to the question of when an athlete should consider hanging up their sport boots due to excessive concussions, Dr. Cullum responds, ‘There’s no clear cut ‘magic number’, or a particular threshold.’ He reinforces that all concussion cases are unique to the individuals facing them and that universal solutions cannot apply equally to every situation. The key here is individual treatment and response, not a one-size-fits-all formula.
Wave of Premature Football Retirements: Spotlight on Youth Concussion Risks appeared first on Real News Now.
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