Glory is forever, but so is brain damage

When Eric Sondheimer reported on the 2006 CIF State Football Championship Bowl Games in a recent LA Times Article he painted a picture of the inspiring purity of high school athletes, writing “You could see it on the players faces, how they answered the call, ignored their bumps and bruises and gave everything they had in the name of a state championship.” In this Sondheimer was merely giving us what we have grown to expect; the image of the high school football player as the American boy becoming the American man through hard work, toughness, and sacrifice. However, when he went on to laud the play of senior safety Mike Loucks, who returned to the field despite suffering a concussion the prior week so severe that he was, “seemingly having convulsions as he kicked his feet around and didn’t know what was happening,” Sondheimer crossed a dangerous line. Far from celebrating young athletes when they return to the field from injury, we should be immensely concerned. These athletes are clearly willing to risk permanent brain damage in the name of adult expectations, and instead of words of concern they hear only applause. Instead of safeguarding the health of our children, we tell them to walk it off and get back in the game.
While such displays of toughness may have minimal impact on a sprained ankle or bruised shoulder, concussions can be potentially fatal. Each year approximately 30 high school football players die due to head and neck injuries. Many of these deaths are simply tragic accidents, but there is nothing accidental about putting a young man with a recent history of brain trauma onto a field were he will certainly sustain more blows to the head. A recent NCAA study headed by Dr. Guskiewicz concluded “The relative risk for patients who had a history of concussion was 5.8 times greater than for patients who lacked a history.” In other words, each concussion increases the chance of another injury, and another, and another, until the athlete is left with permanent brain damage.
The early retirement of professional football players like Steve Young and Wayne Chrebet due to repeated concussions should have served as powerful warning to the parents and coaches of young athletes, but when pride and medical prevention collide, short lived glory almost always wins.
The California High School Football Championships have provided moments of inspiration and hope, but underneath the storylines that make the papers and Disney movies lay tales of injury and suffering. American athletic culture has demanded that the high school athlete play the part of the modern warrior, rising above physical pain to victory, and these young adults are understandably willing to do anything to fulfill their role, even if it means sacrificing their health. Medical experts widely agree that each concussion case should be treated individually, and I certainly won’t pretend to know the details of Mike Loucks personal situation, but his story and particularly the way it was portrayed in the media serves as a powerful reminder of just how much we’re willing to sacrifice in order to get our sports fix. Or more aptly, just who we’re willing to sacrifice