Playing football at a young age and playing throughout one’s life may impact your mental and brain health from all the hard hits. So is playing the most popular sport in the country really worth it?

I think that playing through concussions and all the hard hits in football should be restricted in some ways. Getting hit in the head multiple times affects the brain’s health and how the brain works. If someone gets hit hard enough this can shift the brains placement inside the skull. This causes damaged nerves and broken blood vessels inside the brain which can, in the long run, change how the brain functions. There are different parts of the brain and injuring a certain one affects you in a certain way whether it’s difficulty with memory or having problems with the primary 5 senses. It is estimated that about 1.6 to 3.8 people are affected by concussions in the USA a year. In football, hockey, and other contact sports you have about 5 out of 10 chance of getting a concussion in a particular season. Multiple hits to a head every season can really affect how your brain works when you are older. Research has shown that athletes who get a mild concussion recover in about two to three weeks and experience no long-term damage. But when players don't allow their brain to fully heal and return to play, this can lead to long-term effects. Players not telling anyone about concussion symptoms is another factor that greatly impacts the number of severe concussions. Players think they can just play through a hard hit to the head and that “it’s not that bad” but in reality playing through a concussion can lead to even worse symptoms and long-term effects.

Because of the severity and the problems, hard hits in football have, I think there should be rules or standards trying to prevent brain injuries. The proper technique for hitting another player should be a mandatory subject to teach. If proper technique is taught then the number of head injuries could decline because players know the correct and safe way to hit. One could also limit the amount of contact hitting in practice. According to research, this is where most of players concussions occur. Finally, probably the most important thing to limit concussions is to keep an eye on players that are hit in the head. If you start seeing the signs of a concussion you are to pull the player out and get the medical help they need. I truly believe that head injuries in football specifically affect many young kids and their mental health. If these things are taught and are mandatory things, the number of head injuries can be greatly decreased.