The Dilemma For A Youth Player, Play, Or Sit
A youth player faces a possible concussion injury uneasily. For the athlete, their consideration is not typically for themselves, but rather more so for their team, and their position on the team. For some, they are also affected by what they might think their parents/teammates might think, if they have to sit out due to a suspected injury.
Their thinking is solely focused on winning, not letting their team/parents down, peer pressure, possible athletic scholarships, and not appearing to be a ‘weak’ player.
The vast majority of the players are attempting to make this decision without having a full understanding of what a concussion is, and the dangers. They are potentially sacrificing their future health/sports playing ability, to live in ‘the moment’.
The youth player is further influenced by professional athletes that they see on television, who continue to play, when they should not have ( NFL quarterback Tom Brady played with a concussion, in his 2016 playoff game, per his wife ). Their thoughts on concussion can be further exacerbated, if they hear their parents making demeaning statements on players that took themselves out of a game, by making concussion admissions.
Concussion education on what a concussion is, and its’ effects is needed for all athletes. This is not a total cure for getting youth athletes to report concussions. Studies have shown that the competitive and social factors may influence the youth athlete to continue playing, while ignoring the potential health risk.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has a report, issued in 2015, ‘Concussion at Play: Opportunities to Reshape the Culture Around Concussion‘, which discusses the cultural thinking of players about discussions. At least 70% of high school players that discussed concussions admitted playing with concussion symptoms.
Most youth believe that since they are young, injuries are not significant, and their injury will heal without an issue. They are unaware that this specific conception does not apply to their brain, which is still developing, and can be adversely affected by injury. The subtle factors of peer/society/parental pressures play heavily in their decision to report a health issue, which may sideline them. There are also reports that female players, who are more susceptible to concussions, have a higher frequency for not reporting concussion issues.
A concussion is not something that they can visually see, so it is not considered potentially serious. They may have the feeling that they will ‘get over it’, or that it is just a passing feeling.
The Concussion Legacy Foundation has developed a nation-wide program of ‘Team Up, Speak Up‘. This program seeks to install a team spirit of players watching out for each other and ‘speaking up’ if they notice a teammate in a possible concussion scenario. Many national sports organizations have participated in this program.
The Concussion Legacy ‘Team Up, Speak Up’ program seeks to install an environment where an entire team is empowered to look out for each other on concussion issues. This seeks to remove the stigma attached to concussions, where an athlete would seek to hide it. It seeks to make the entire team tuned into concussion protection for all teammates, for the benefit of the team. A ‘Team Up, Speak Up Day‘, to bring together teams, coaches, parents was started in 2016.
Everyone understands bleeding, as it is visible, and it is proper that you must stop bleeding. This is a visible condition, and it is a given that this must be handled. With a suspected concussion situation, the youth may not see a visible health condition, and may feel that they are ‘good to go’, maybe only feeling just ‘slightly’ woozy, or having a light headache, no big deal. The reality is that this is happening due to a damaging process occurring in the brain, which can get progressively worst, invisibly.
What is often overlooked is the aspect that if the player is not 100% physically capable, they may harm (note the commentary in this article, on how effective the player was, after the concussion, and how their play was being evaluated by sports writers, after the concussion) the team by remaining on the field. While they may hide how they are feeling, their ability to play may be impaired, causing them to not play properly.
It has been openly demonstrated with professional sports players that often when they try to ‘play through’ injuries, that they cannot perform their playing position with 100% efficiency, leaving themselves open to exploitation by the opposing team. What is worst is that not taking proper action may detrimentally affect their future playing career and their life. In effect, their remaining on the field is a detriment to the team, and their mental health.
The youth player needs to be fully educated on concussions, and have visible and open support from their coach/parents/team organization toward protecting their health first. The concussion education of themselves and all parties surrounding their team sport is fundamental in helping them to make the correct decision, when needed. This will enable the player to continue enjoying their sport, while protecting their health in the process. Ironically, a player that is educated on concussions, and have seen friends/siblings go through the RTP (Return To Play) process may also be hesitant to report TBI issues that they have. They may be concerned about their freedom to socialize, go to school, and use electronic devices might be curtailed.
In the end, there may be a question that they might ask themselves. Are they willing to possibly give up their life, the ability to play contact sports in the future, or their future health, for a particular game, that no one might remember a year from that point.
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