First and Last Name/s of Presenters

Alex WeilerFollow

Mentor/s

Dr. Crowell

Participation Type

Poster

Abstract

In recent years, awareness of concussions or traumatic brain injuries have increased tremendously and is a fear of many, with the scapegoat falling onto sports, specifically ones that are defined as “contact sports”. In 2019, 56.1% of youth in the United States stated that they participated in a type of organized sport. Many children grow up playing some sort of organized sport and I am arguing that it is an important component that shapes human development. Contact sports as ones that are traditionally meant to have contact, these include American football, soccer, basketball, hockey, martial arts and many more. There was no specific data found on the percentage of children who participate in contact sports specifically, but many organized sports involve some degree of contact. These sports may also be referred to “collision sports” throughout the paper. Because contact sports are played at a higher intensity, they hold a greater risk for head injuries. Although this holds true, they are not the only sports that have the potential for head trauma. Most sports have the possibility of hitting the ground with a force great enough to generate a concussion. Due to the increased awareness and information on concussions and head traumas, there have been pushes to eliminate contact sports from the lives of children such as American football. Perhaps the most notable advocate in favor of getting rid of contact sports for children such as football is Dr. Benett Omalu, who discovered the first case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in 2002 and is portrayed in the 2016 movie “Concussion” which raises the dangers of head trauma specifically coming from football. Omalu believes that based on the evidence he found that no child under the age of 18 should be allowed to play contact sports (CBC Radio, 2017). The problem with getting rid of contact sports is that they are very important to the development of our character. Additionally, all sports also hold a potential for head traumas and eliminating contact sports would create a massive gap in the number of sports available for children to participate in. This could lead children away from sports entirely and they won’t be able to reap the benefits that sports provide. Although it may also seem that all sports reap the same benefits, contact sports provide additional opportunities for children such as perseverance, toughness, and a place for positive risk-taking behaviors. It is essential to be educated on the topic from people such as Dr. Omalu so that parents and children can make their decision on an individual basis, but not allowing children to play in contact sports entirely is not the answer. As new evidence is found, rules and safety have historically been adjusted to maintain the safest measures possible. If concussions or head traumas do occur in contact sports, there are return to play programs that ensure an athlete is healthy before returning, and many organizations put limits on the number of concussions someone can be diagnosed with before they aren’t able to participate. So long as proper safety measures continue to be implemented, contact sports should be encouraged. In this paper I will argue that the benefits outweigh the risk of concussions, therefore so long as proper protective measures are implemented and continue to be updated based on evidence, then we should encourage children to participate in contact sports.

College and Major available

Nursing RN-BSN

Location

Digital Commons & West Campus 2nd Floor University Commons

Start Day/Time

4-28-2023 12:00 PM

End Day/Time

4-28-2023 2:00 PM

Students' Information

Alex Weiler - Nursing Major - Honors Student - Graduating May 2023

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

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Apr 28th, 12:00 PM Apr 28th, 2:00 PM

Should Children be Encouraged to Participate in Contact Sports?

Digital Commons & West Campus 2nd Floor University Commons

In recent years, awareness of concussions or traumatic brain injuries have increased tremendously and is a fear of many, with the scapegoat falling onto sports, specifically ones that are defined as “contact sports”. In 2019, 56.1% of youth in the United States stated that they participated in a type of organized sport. Many children grow up playing some sort of organized sport and I am arguing that it is an important component that shapes human development. Contact sports as ones that are traditionally meant to have contact, these include American football, soccer, basketball, hockey, martial arts and many more. There was no specific data found on the percentage of children who participate in contact sports specifically, but many organized sports involve some degree of contact. These sports may also be referred to “collision sports” throughout the paper. Because contact sports are played at a higher intensity, they hold a greater risk for head injuries. Although this holds true, they are not the only sports that have the potential for head trauma. Most sports have the possibility of hitting the ground with a force great enough to generate a concussion. Due to the increased awareness and information on concussions and head traumas, there have been pushes to eliminate contact sports from the lives of children such as American football. Perhaps the most notable advocate in favor of getting rid of contact sports for children such as football is Dr. Benett Omalu, who discovered the first case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in 2002 and is portrayed in the 2016 movie “Concussion” which raises the dangers of head trauma specifically coming from football. Omalu believes that based on the evidence he found that no child under the age of 18 should be allowed to play contact sports (CBC Radio, 2017). The problem with getting rid of contact sports is that they are very important to the development of our character. Additionally, all sports also hold a potential for head traumas and eliminating contact sports would create a massive gap in the number of sports available for children to participate in. This could lead children away from sports entirely and they won’t be able to reap the benefits that sports provide. Although it may also seem that all sports reap the same benefits, contact sports provide additional opportunities for children such as perseverance, toughness, and a place for positive risk-taking behaviors. It is essential to be educated on the topic from people such as Dr. Omalu so that parents and children can make their decision on an individual basis, but not allowing children to play in contact sports entirely is not the answer. As new evidence is found, rules and safety have historically been adjusted to maintain the safest measures possible. If concussions or head traumas do occur in contact sports, there are return to play programs that ensure an athlete is healthy before returning, and many organizations put limits on the number of concussions someone can be diagnosed with before they aren’t able to participate. So long as proper safety measures continue to be implemented, contact sports should be encouraged. In this paper I will argue that the benefits outweigh the risk of concussions, therefore so long as proper protective measures are implemented and continue to be updated based on evidence, then we should encourage children to participate in contact sports.

 

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