First, it is important to understand that when we talk about sports in which physical contact is unavoidable, like football or combat sports, injuries such as concussion can happen even when all currently known preventative measures are taken. We love to watch amazing athletic feats, it’s thrilling! Yet the athletes are people, who will continue on living and aging after their sports careers, some of them will be long but many will be relatively very short. What happens during their sports careers can be life altering, for good or bad. We should all be concerned when known measures are not followed, or are impeded. As sports fans, as parents of kids playing sports and admiring pro athletes, or just as compassionate human beings, proper care of athletes is an important topic. When a young man may have had his health and future detrimentally altered, that doesn’t feel right, especially if it could have been prevented. I wouldn’t want my sons receiving questionable care and placed at risk when there are other options, would anyone?

So what is a concussion? A form of mild head trauma (between 14 and 15 on the Glasgow Scale), cerebral concussion can be defined as a complex pathophysiological process, induced by traumatic forces, and affecting the brain. The cause can be from direct impact on the head (face, cervical region or any other body segment) reaching a certain resulting force in the brain, generating a sudden and transient disturbance in the neurological function (without structural damage), and may or may not lead to momentary loss of consciousness. Let’s think about a football player taking a hit. There is the initial impact with another player then the impact on the ground and possibly other players in between. The brain “bounces” against the skull during such an impact or moves back and forth quickly. Helmets are protective of course but, the brain still bangs around inside the athletes own skull and normal brain function is changed in a harmful way when those tissues are damaged.

Cerebral concussion can occur in any sport or recreational activity. There is actually a very high frequency of incidence, where in the USA alone cerebral concussion represents between 1.6 and 3.8 million cases per year; however, opportunities for this injury present more commonly in competition and sports involving intense physical contact, like football where tackles, shoving, and falling are just part of the game. An occurrence of concussion can and should be verified after a trauma when the athlete experiences symptoms such as headache and dizziness (the most frequent symptoms), disorientation, mental confusion, imbalance, and lack of coordination with possible loss of consciousness. Whatever the symptom, it is of utmost importance to withdraw the player immediately from the area of ​​activity and have a physician evaluate for treatment. Most people will recover within 7-10 days however, the risk for reinjury is the highest within the 10 days after injury. Also, a concussion can affect balance, reaction time, and other sport skills. making the athlete more prone to injury during competition. We all saw Tua lose his balance and know that the medically recommended protocol is to be taken out of play immediately when any signs of concussion are suspected. That didn’t happen, he played, we all watched. 

World-wide, SCAT2 (Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 2) is used in athletics including the NFL. It is a battery of neurological and cognitive tests suitable for evaluating concussion and these tests are to be carried out immediately after the questionable event.  In some cases, further tests are necessary as over time there may be an onset of other symptoms for the individual. Even though there is so much established research about the cumulative effect of repeated concussions and  traumatic blows that contribute to long-term symptoms, cautions and treatment may be purposefully ignored.  Left untreated,  (even failure to diagnose) concussion can lead to second-impact syndrome, which occurs when the individual suffers a concussion and continues in the activity.  Consequently, the individual undergoes new trauma, even if it is “discreet”, which means it can be a thoracic impact (spinal area correlating to the chest, i.e. an upper “back injury”) or a cervical impact (spinal region relating to the neck).  If the result is a sudden movement or abrupt cervical flexion (when the back of the head hits the upper back, imagine a PEZ dispenser), the practitioner may feel stunned and immediately lose consciousness, and within seconds or minutes after passing out can go into a coma, possibly leading to death.

It’s not necessary to ruin these men to have great football. It can be disappointing to have a favorite player sit out a time to recover, but they must, otherwise it is negligence. They are people with families and a lot of years ahead of them to enjoy a quality life after football. I want to watch my team play, and all teams play with a clear conscience; that proper care of the athletes’ health is in place and being honored. 

REFERENCES:

Barbosa, M., (2011) The brain concussion in sport. Revista Medicina Esportiva Informa.  2 (6),    pp. 14-16.

Pabian, P., Greeno, E., Heiden, M., Hanney, W., (2013) Sport Concussion: Implications for the Strength and Conditioning Professional. Strength & Conditioning Journal. 35 (4): 72-80, August 2013.

Souza, C., (2003) Concussion, and the second impact syndrome: What it is and its importance        in sports clinic and psychiatry. Psychiatry On Line Brazil. No. 8, Vol. 08. August 2003.

Thomas, R., Alves, J. Vaska, M., Magalhaes, R. (2016) SCAT2 and SCAT3 scores at baseline and after sports-related milk brain injury/concussion: qualitative synthesis with weighted means. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med 2(1):e000095. doi:10.11136/bmjsem-2015-000095

Wein, H. (ed), Hicklin, T. (ed) (2013) A bang to the brain; what we know about concussions. NIH News in Health. health.nih.gov.

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Now, with a pandemic wreaking havoc, an entire empire has crumbled. College athletics are at a standstill with struggles to even offer classes in person and baseball is just getting started in vacant, melancholy stadiums. Athletes have fallen ill in recent attempts to revive events and those who have not are nervous to play.

Big questions rise through these circumstances: should playing even be an option right now? Are there bigger fish to be fried during a time of such strong uncertainty?

To keep things plain, it would be the more logical choice to keep sports to the side and focus on the basic needs of those struggling to stay alive while they wait for the next stimulus check. The millionaire players will do just fine without the next twenty million dollar contract. 

Especially during such a time of dire need, there is a sense of morbidity in being able to pay the pro-athlete and leave the desperate to hope for the best. This definitely goes beyond the sports world with our first trillionaire on the way from Amazon, but an entire novel can be written about the inequality here. 

Yes, sports are what can help to raise morale, but it certainly ranks very low in priority compared to making vaccines and making sure anyone who needs medical help can get it. The safety of those living here cannot be ignored through attempts to “go back to normal” and simply move on because it has been long enough.

This is by no means an attack on sports, but it is certainly a risky activity – which is something that not everyone would like to admit. It will definitely be nice to see the gradual return of sporting events, but societal values need a bit of adjusting for the sake of America’s future, as well as the future of those living during this nightmare. Once that is managed, then true recovery can begin; sports fans just need to keep their patience.

In the words of American author Stephen Covey, “Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.” There are many deciding where to lead us to during a period filled to the brim with unknowns, but the people need to be first.

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Every Week Back Sports Page asks Five Questions to staff and experts. The questions and answers are posted throughout this week on Backsportspage.com. Check Out today’s Question!!!

Should the Lions and Cowboys still host Thanksgiving games?

Ashley Mayle (Back Sports Page):I honestly think it is time for a change. Change is good right? Every year the Lions and Cowboys highlight the Thanksgiving Day games; the Cowboys, understandably so as they are “America’s Team”, so to say. The Cowboys feature Dez Bryant and Tony Romo, the Lions…Calvin Johnson? The Lions have been in the playoffs twice in the past decade and are absolutely abysmal this year; and often are more so a mess than functional to say the least. The Lions have only won two Thanksgiving Day games in the last ten years. Cowboys, a bit better with 6 wins in the past ten years. A change should definitely be on the horizon. How about playoff rematches from the previous year for a start?

JD Mowery (Back Sports Page): I feel like Dallas should stay but Detroit needs to go.  The lions have not had an overly competitive team in a while.  Although this is a tough year for the cowboys, historically they have been a lock for the postseason.  If they want to continue to use the moniker of being America’s team then they should stay and have their opponents rotate.

Ryan Morik (Beast of The East Sports):You cannot mess with tradition. It’s always confused me how the Lions have hosted Thanksgiving, as they are one of the more disappointing franchises in the league, but it makes sense for the Cowboys to host. They have the most popular fan base in the NFL. I do like how the NFL added a third game, however, so we aren’t stuck with only the Lions and Cowboys.

Nicole Monique (That’s What She Says Sports): No, the ONLY turkey I want on Thanksgiving needs to be on my plate under tons of potatoes not on my television.  But unfortunately two of the biggest turkeys in the NFL will be playing – yet again.  This tradition is old and needs to change – especially when both teams suck this season.  Thankfully the Cowboys will be playing the Panthers which will be exciting to watch

Ted Hicks (Baseball Beer BBQ): Football on Thanksgiving is a tradition – such as games being hosted by the Cowboys and Lions.

Todd Strauber (Back Sports Page): The Lions and Cowboys should definitely still play the Thanksgiving game. It’s a tradition. Can’t change it. Even if both teams are terrible, and they are, it’s just tradition.

Steve Saunders (Back Sports Page): Yes. The reason they host them now is because no one would host them decades ago. Good on em for their foresight. How many families in Dallas or Detroit have a turkey day tradition that involves going to the game. Why take that away?

Matt Berka (Back Sports Page):Absolutely. The Lions and Cowboys should keep hosting Thanksgiving Day games. Both teams are a fundamental part of a near 100-year-old tradition of Thanksgiving football; the Lions have been a part of that tradition for over 80 years, the Cowboys for over 50. To deliberately overuse the word, there is too much tradition to scrap the tradition of the Lions and the Cowboys hosting games.

Over the last decade especially, there has been significant chatter (Lamar Hunt) to allow other teams (Kansas City Chiefs) the opportunity to play on Thanksgiving. Part of the reasoning for this argument is grounded in the fact that as of late, the the Lions have been atrocious, which makes for a rather uneventful Thanksgiving Day game. This was especially true during the Lions’ 2008 0-16 season where the Lions lost to the Titans 47-10. While this is a reasonable argument, teams do not stay in the basement forever, unless you’re the Cleveland Browns, that is. While the Cowboys have not been great during the last decade either, “America’s Team” pulls a consistently large audience, which is ideal for the league and stations alike. The other line of reasoning on this issue is because teams simply want a piece of the (pumpkin) pie. It’s a fun, nationally-televised game that puts a team in the spotlight. Such voices were appeased when the NFL started having three games on Thanksgiving, and season-long

Thursday night games help the issue as well by allowing the previously ineligible AFC North to take part.

All this to say that there is not a good enough reason to end such storied and respected traditions. Football has become synonymous with Thanksgiving, and the Lions and Cowboys are important aspects of that.

Matt Berkson (Back Sports Page): I’m all for traditions, but only if they’re still working and there isn’t a better option.  And in terms of the NFL games on Thanksgiving there is a better option and that option is to make the games completely random each year.  The key piece of information to consider here is that the NFL now has a “Schedule Announcement Show” each April.  No other sport has that or could have that given the nature of the NFL season and also the interest level in it.  And the amazing thing about it is…We already know who every team is going to play.  It’s just a question of when they are going to play them, and that alone garners enough interest to warrant a two hour show about it on both ESPN and NFL Network.

One small piece of the schedule release is the question, “So who will be playing the Lions and Cowboys on Thanksgiving?”  The interest in the answer to that question is far down the excitement-ladder when comparing it to knowing almost all other elements to the NFL schedule.  In fact now that the NFL has added a third night game on Thanksgiving, finding out who plays in that game is more noteworthy.  Hell…Even learning when your team’s BYE is is more exciting than finding out who plays at Detroit and Dallas on Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving football might be a tradition, but it stretches back much further than how long the Lions and Cowboys have been playing in it.  If it can change once it can change again, and the general public would be a lot more interested in seeing new teams and venues each year as opposed to “Jerryworld” and perhaps the worst run organization in sports for the past few decades.  The same way we would get tired of seeing the same two teams open up the season every year, giving us a great matchup of random teams on Thanksgiving would inject a good amount of life into what has essentially become “the TV on in the background.”

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