Kimarie Larsen

English 2010 @ 10:00 am

Sue Briggs
4/8/2016
Why Now?
When you think of sports, the last thing to remember are the injuries that come along
with it however they should be the most important concept. Injuries are not something to take
lightly and are actually a real problem in todays world. When fans watch games some view
seeing a player get tackled as an intense but, awesome thing. While watching they might have
this mindset, but it all changes when they are the ones that are down on the ground with a terrible
injury, from being tackled.
I am an example of these injuries that occur in sports. To be honest in my closet you will
find all of the different types of braces doctors offer. Among these are my collection of knee
braces. In my beginning years of basketball I accumulated many easy to fix knee problems.
Doctors thought it was just putting too much stress on them and it was in fact nothing, until the
first game of the season my sophomore year.
Three seconds left in the first half of the game against West Jordan High School. A rival
game and Bingham High School is down by 10; anything can happen. Coaches are screaming,
the crowd is cheering--the pressure is on now more than ever! West Jordan has the ball, but wait!
Larsen steels the ball and is fighting her way back to Binghams basketball hoop. Everything

looks promising, oh NO!! Disaster strikes! Larsen is knocked down, causing collision to her
knee, and all is lost. The game will never be the same, states the spokesperson of the game.
After this catastrophic event that occurred to my knee, I looked to doctors to inform me
of potential injuries. Many doctors warned me of the dangers of continuing to play because of
their inconclusive diagnosis of my knee. I decided due to outside influences, mine and my
coaches opinions to ignore their counsel.
My coaches pushed me and told me nothing was wrong. I was going to be okay and that
they needed me to play now. I didnt take a second opportunity to look at what was going on
with my knee. All I knew was that I wanted to make
Varsity that next year and ignoring my coaches wasnt
the way to do that.
After the season, I returned to the doctors. As a
result of me playing, I tore my MCL, LCL, Meniscus,
and my ACL, requiring that I needed surgery and would
be out for one year. This injury changed my life and
because of this the doctors told me I would never be able
to play the same and I will deal with long term arthritis
and pain in my knee.

Picture of me after I had major knee surgery.

I am not the only

one that has gone through

sports injuries. In the

movie Concussion insiders

see real-life stories of

head

injuries.

Doctor

Omalu the discoverer of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), explains how the brain

being shaken while playing football, can affect the players long-term. He finds his knowledge
and discovery through an autopsy done on Mike Webster, a former NFL Pittsburgh Steeler.
Why did it get to this point the? The point of no return? Mike Webster, among many
others throughout the movie, ends up suffering after his years of playing in the NFL. During their
years of playing, this was their job and they had to perform regardless of the consequences. Im
sure after a hard hit in one of his games, he felt ready to stop, however if his coaches were like

What really happens when

athletes receive a concussion.

any
of mine

they didnt give him that option. Winning is everything and as soon as athletes state something is
wrong with them, they are fired or let go. The family moto of sports from Vince Lombardi view
is, No pain, No gain/game. Now sometimes everyone jokes as if it doesnt mean anything
however, in players minds this actually is what they focus on. It has been drilled into their heads
ever sense they stepped foot on the court or field.
Are these games too dangerous? In a magazine article by Mary Lord comes out and talks
about the dangers of sports. Lord knows that asking an athlete to stop playing is impossible, but
she is concerned on the fact that, they might be practicing too much. Year-round seasons with
no letup have become the norm for the more than 30 million children who play on school or
recreation-league teams (P1). In this research she explains that kids while they are young and
participating in sports cannot handle the pounding and injuries of playing. These constant

injuries that are occurring while kids are young and following them throughout their years can
actually be prevented according to Lord.
This article shows that injuries dont just start when athletes are older, they in fact can
start in their beginning stages as a kid. However, because of
lack of knowledge, coaches push their athletes, as kids and
older, harder than they have ever before. They push them to
the breaking point. Coaches dont want a valuable player
sitting on the bench watching a game they could have been
playing. As a result of this they can ruin the athletes future of
advancing in sports.
Throughout the news the main focus on injuries
seems to be on concussions, but according to Frank Bruni, it
isnt just concussions that are the problem. If it isnt just

An athlete sitting out because of an

injury.

concussions and is in fact other injuries Bruni is questioning

why the parents arent questioning the coaches. He states,
What I would love to see is parents taking as much
time to investigate their childs coach, the league that theyre putting their child into and
officials the game as they do a day care center when their child is young, they dont have trouble
challenging a teacher, even a pediatrician. But somehow have trouble challenging a sports
league (P1).
Coaches, while they push their athletes too hard, they arent bringing effect in the correct
safety protocols and yet, the parents arent rethinking who they let their kids play for.

Throughout Brunis article being able to see what coaches do to their athletes becomes
visible. Good or bad they affect them significantly and determine when the athletes play and
when they dont. Winning is everything to coaches and some will ignore an injury just to get the
W on their season record. However, this W is temporary and sometimes the injuries that occur to
athletes can have a lasting effect.
Steven Rothman shows the contrast between high school and college athletes. Within
college professionals they deal with the fact that this is their job or what their schooling pays for.
Whereas in high school it is simply just for fun. However, coaches are more invested the more
advanced the athletes are in their careers. This being said the coaches want to win more and
focus on the game then the athletes acquiring head injuries. Head injuries are viewed differently
for everyone, but the Rothman sees it is that if the athlete doesnt show signs of a concussion for
a full week they can return to playing. However although this is applicable to high schools
athletes, Rothman states, Unfortunately, this hasnt been the standard of care for many college
and professional athletes (P1). This is hurting the players and increasing the long-term problems
with their brains.
Rothman wants coaches to understand what they are doing to athletes when they continue
having the athletes play. While playing and being active is important however, staying on the
field after an injury is not the smart thing to do. After an injury, it requires treatment and rest, not
more playing time.
John McClemont and Joan Baker come together to bring both sides into play on the
concept of encouraging a child to play football. McCleamont starts the article off by saying
children should play football or any sport. He believes, The skills and concepts produced by
participation in football will benefit children throughout their lives (P1). He states that sports

play an important role in the childs development. It is in this time that the child will learn,
according to McCleamont, and develop social and problem-solving skills. He does believe that
sports are a great thing for children and a part of that is making sure injury prevention is the key.
However, Baker doesnt see the concept quite like McClemont does. He explains that
football isnt safe for children and if they receive an injury at a young age, due to the lack of
safely precautions, it could affect them later on in life. He acknowledges the fact that if outsiders
take away sports, they increase the levels of obesity and that isnt what anyone is wanting. His
conclusion is to let the children participate in sports, but there are other sports that arent as
harmful to the kids as football is.
Both of these authors bring up excellent sides. It is important to know how dangerous
sports are, but also never forget that sports are fun and increase activity. Everyone shouldnt
abandon sports, but become aware of the safety precautions before participating.
All of these sources and incites show that this is topic is a problem and many outsiders
would think twice about it. Some believe that with sports, injuries will happen no matter what,
and while this is true, there is more to that. The injuries could have been prevented and
sometimes the problems can have long term effects.
When it comes to sports there are a lot of people that are a part of it. You will have the
athlete, the coaches, parents, doctors, etc. There are so many people involved and this causes a
lot of outside influences. After an injury all of these influences can fog their judgement and
sometime they make the decision of playing for them. The coaches will push their athletes as
hard as they can without realizing the harm they are bringing upon the athletes. They focus on

the present time and in that moment of playing. Coaches get in the moment of wanting to win
but, they forget that athletes can only go so far.
Now I am not saying it is all the coaches faults, because the blame also falls onto the
shoulders of the athlete. However, as athletes all their lives have been taught to push their selves
and that no injury can ruin who they want to become. This happens to so many athletes because
they believe it isnt anything bad; the pain will go away. They believe that the injury will be there
tomorrow, why not just play and give it all they have, before they have to stop. This mindset is
what is causing all the injuries.
Injuries are a problem and if athletes dont take care of them right after they happen,
things can get significantly bad. There are many ways that they can decrease injuries and the
problems that they do to their bodies. A solution for this is athletes dont train too much, too fast,
too soon. When athletes first start working out and dont give their bodies time to heal, they
increase the chance of injury. The constant pounding on their bodies can have a lasting effect
especially if they keep going and dont stop to rest with an injury.
To take action in reducing injuries, coaches can change the mindset of athletes. It is very
important to stay active and prevent as many injuries from happening. However, if an injury
occurs as athletes they need to learn to say, no. By doing this it may not always prevent an injury,
but they can sometimes stop an acute injury, turning into a major injury. Not only should the
mindset of the athletes change, but also the coaches. Winning means everything to them but, if
they didnt have that player, they wouldnt ever win. If their athletes are constantly injured the
performance of the team changes. As coaches, they should know their athletes and realize, if they
keep playing something worse could happen. No one wants to be responsible for an injury or in

some cases death because they pushed

someone too hard or made them play
even after they acquired an injury.
When coaches think of rules, of
not letting injured people play, they
may not like them in the beginning
because our main focus is on the present

A coach helping and being there for his athlete after an injury.

but, when they change our perspective and know that it is to help athletes in the future it will be
easier to follow. Everyone loves sports and wants to keep apart of everyday life. However, a
good game doesnt mean that someone gets hurt every time. As a broad community action need
to be taken on realizing how much injuries are a big impact on lives. It is what everyone does to
prevent them. The outside influences, after an injury happens, that will help change the future.

Works Cited
Bruni, Frank. "Safety, Sports and Kids." New York Times 2015 dec 20: SR.3 DB SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 4 Apr. 2016.

Lord, Mary. "Dangerous Games." U.S. News & World Report April 8, 2002 apr 08: 44-46 DB
SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 4 Apr. 2016.

McClemont, Jon, and Joan Baker. "Would You Encourage Your Child to Play
Youth Football?" American Teacher may: 3 DB - SIRS Issues Researcher. Web.
4 Apr. 2016.

Rothman, Steven M. "America's Concussion Obsession." New York Times 2015 dec 22: A.27
DB - SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 4 Apr. 2016.