Sports, the greatest time in a high
schooler’s life is when they are engaged in sports. But the greatest time in
their life may end abruptly. As sad as it is, the joy can end in an instant.
There are a few injuries that seem to happen above the others. Those are the
tearing of the ACL, broken ankles, fractures and/or dislocations (Sports Injuries). These are the most common and the ones that can change a
person’s future in sports. There are countless stories of young people that
have a bright future in whatever sport they are in and they never make it to
the professional league. Or when they get to the league or status they get
injured. Injuries can alter anyone’s future. But the thing is, if someone gets
injured, they may not know and end up hurting themselves more. And that can
make it to where they may never play again. Throughout history, whenever we
have had sports to play there have been injuries, and we continue to prevent
injuries. From knee braces to splints and even body armor, all these things
came from past injuries. Companies make millions by convincing people that
their product is the best, it will cause you to never get hurt. All these are
complete lies. Injuries can occur no matter what tools you use to prevent it.
This Epidemic can cause future downfall, or even death if severe enough.
Imagine you are a star football player. Striving on the field. It is your
sophomore year, midway through the season, your team is doing extremely well.
From play to play, you are doing better and better. Then out of the blue, you
take a huge hit, you stumble and tear your ACL. You go down and get carted off
the field. There are two choices, one, you go to the hospital to get your knee
looked at. Option two, you convince your coach that you are fine. You go in one
more play and then, BAM, you screwed up your leg even more. If you go with
option one, then you have a great chance of being able to play again. If you go
with option two, then your football career can be over, the possibility of
playing in college is gone. If you get injured you must stop and ask yourself,
what could happen. We must be aware of the dangers that can arise in sports.
But we take the risk because we love whatever sport we are playing. It fills us
with joy. But the fact is, this epidemic is causing misery throughout the
United States. Can you prevent it from happening?
The most common way that individuals
try to stay away from injuries related to sports are the various braces and
splints. Most of these first came around due to injuries that have already
occurred. Doctors look at all the injuries and try to prevent it. For instance,
“While knee
braces are a common sight in sports, that hasn’t always been
the case. It might be interesting to know that the modern knee brace — used to
prevent injury — has only been around since 1967.
The late 60s were important for the
evolution of knee braces. In 1967, a professor of physiology, Dr. Robert F.
McDavid, invented the first lateral knee brace designed to prevent injury or
reinjury. His brace provided lateral protection of the knee. Then during the
1967 season and Super Bowl III, Hall of Fame New York Jets’ Quarterback Joe
Namath played with a now-famous knee brace,” (The
Brief History of Knee Braces | BetterBraces.com Blog.).
Dr. Robert F. McDavid found a way to get his
knee brace popular so that those who would need it would have access to it.
This was accomplished when Joe Namath wore that knee brace in the third super
bowl. That was a perfect opportunity for others to see that wearing a knee
brace is a good thing and it helps prevent injuries. Prevent, it helps prevent,
it is not a one hundred percent guarantee. As sad as it is, the only way to not
get injured from sports is to not play. But, millions around the world take the
risk to get injured because playing sports gives them joy in their everyday
lives.
Getting
injured during the season of our favorite sport is detrimental. It can have
long-lasting effects on the injured player. For instance, “there was this kid
named Christian Mcdonough. It was his last game of his senior football season,
in the third quarter he broke his foot. That was a sad day for him. He couldn’t
finish his last football game. His injuries not only hindered his little time
he had left on the football field, it hindered him in other ways as well. He
missed his whole senior soccer season because of his foot. Soccer was his
passion. But there was still some light in his last season of sports as a
senior. He still had track, or did he? Christian recently got an MRI, those
results could determine if his last season of track could become reality or
just some fairytale” (Mcdonough, Christian). The point of that story is that
one little injury could determine someone’s future. Injuries also could harm
the parents or guardians responsible for that child. All these knee braces and
splints are not cheap, on the contrary, they are quite expensive. Some are in
the upwards of three hundred dollars. And surgeries are exponentially greater.
In the US, “ACL surgeries can cost between $3,510
to $20,162” (How much does Acl surgery cost?). No parent has 20,000$ just
laying around. They will either have to make monthly payments or take out a
loan. Both of those ways can have horrible long-term affects on the individual
and the parent. And that’s assuming that everything goes right, if there is a
complication in the surgery, then that’s more money needed. That’s why a lot of
parents do not like their kids playing sports. They believe that it will do
more than harm them. As sad as it is, that is what a lot of Americans believe.
That is what our society has come to.
“Connor
Murphy, a young kid in his prime. Connor was a starter on the varsity football
team his freshman year. It was all going well, until the homecoming game. At
the end of the second quarter something tragic happened. He broke the largest
bone in his body. His Femur was broken. His football career was over, or so we
thought. Many surgeries ands three years later, he came back and finished his
senior football season. Joy filled his heart as his last game came to an end.
Connor then went on the wrestling. He had been going to weekend and summer
practices preparing. He was ready. Meet after Meet he was destroying kids. But
one fateful day, he reinjured his knee.
It was horrible. Connor now needs more surgeries to fix his knee and his
leg” (Murphy, Connor).
There
are many stories of people whose lives were completely changed because of their
injuries. For example, “The Boston Red Sox were the source of heartbreak from
many New Englanders. Supposedly cursed by trading Babe Ruth to the New York
Yankees, the “Curse of the Bambino” prevented the Sox from World Series glory
for 86 years. Then in 2004, after being down 3 games to the Yankees in the AL
Championship Series, the Sox rallied. Pitcher Curt Schilling, an standout over
the course of the season, injured his ankle in
Game 1. With everything on the line, Schilling still started Game 6. Team
doctors had stitched a tendon in his right ankle to keep it stabilized. During
the game, a small pool of blood starting to form on Schilling’s sock. But
despite the now famous “bloody
sock” Schilling led the Sox to a Game 6 victory and helped send them
to the 2004 World Series, which they ultimately won.” (Comeback Stories: Athletes Who Have Overcome Injury | BetterBraces.com
Blog). Another example of this epidemic can be shown by Tiger Woods. “Probably
one of the most famous golfers of this generation, Tiger Woods stormed onto the
scene in 1996 and has been a fixture of the sport ever since. He has won 14
major championships including the Masters and U.S. Open and received numerous
awards. During the 2008 U.S. Open, Woods suffered a double stress fracture and
a ruptured
ACL in his knee. Despite the injury, Woods was able to sink a
12-foot birdie and force an 18-hole playoff against Rocco Mediate. Woods
prevailed and took home his third U.S. Open title” (Comeback Stories: Athletes Who Have Overcome Injury | BetterBraces.com
Blog)
.
Solutions:
There
has been a plethora of solutions that have been conducted and are being
conducted. For there to be a solution to everyone’s special injuries. It is
hard since everyone’s genes and structure of each other’s bodies are different.
Braces and splints are effective to a point but not for everyone. Some people
physically can’t operate. There was this kid named Gracen Phillips, he was a
great football player. His senior year he played running back. During one of
his last games something tragic occurred. His star football player got a collarbone
injury. Gracen had a great arm so he was naturally chosen as a replacement. Sad
as it is, his quarterback career did not last long. He somehow tore his bicep
muscle in half. The recovery time was not short by any standard. He had to go
to a chiropractor for weeks, and miraculously he returned to finish his senior
football season. Although the season got cancelled because of too many
injuries. Their final record was zero and eight. Zero wins and eight losses.
There were supposed to be a minimum of ten games, but the coach cancelled the
season so no more kids would get hurt. During Gracen’s senior year, they went
from forty kids to fifteen kids because of injuries. The coach of that season
was such a bad coach that his coaching methods hurt the team so bad that we had
kids either get hurt or just quit from fear of getting hurt. This just goes to
show that another way to prevent injuries is to make sure that you have a good
coach that knows what he is doing. That coach was not ready to become a head coach
of a football team. He got overwhelmed by his positioned and did not realize
the damage that he was doing to his players. A good quote states that:
You're NOT a
good coach when you place the outcome of a competition in front of the
physical and emotional welfare of your players. If you pressure your athletes to play when
injured or if you demean and ignore those athletes who are too injured to play,
then you are engaging in physical abuse. Encouraging your athletes to play hurt
so that the team can win is reckless behavior for you as a coach. When you do
this, you are directly putting your players at risk. You are NOT teaching them
to be mentally tough! Playing through pain is NOT a sign of strength. That is a
ridiculous MYTH! Instead, it's completely ignoring your body's early warning
signs that something is very wrong. ( “YOU ARE NOT A GOOD COACH WHEN 
YOU.....” )
YOU.....” )
This quote explains what it means to be a good coach, even if it means
losing the game, the players safety should be the top priority. For there to be
a solution to every injury would be glorious. But sadly, that is just not
realistic. What we can do is try to prepare for every type.
Camus and Absurdity
The only absurd relationship is when a player
gets hurt and they continue to play. They feel like if they lose it would be
their fault because they were injured. For that reason, they continue to risk
their future for the in the now moment. That in the now moment, it only lasts
for a short time and once its over, its over. There is no going back, are you
willing to risk everything to gain nothing. Camus would agree that living in
the moment is not worth it when you relat4e to what could come. Living in the now
is not that much more important that what could come to you in the future. So,
live your life to the end, don’t make a decision that could end it before it is
time.
Conclusion
For there to never be any more sports injuries is
like trying to ask a comedian to never make a joke.
It cannot be done in its entirety. Most sports injuries are completely on
accident and are never meant to get someone hurt.
Exercise is good for the body and with the proper
precautions, sports injuries can often be prevented. The quality of protective
equipment - padding, helmets, shoes, mouth guards - have helped to improve the
safety in sports. But, you can still be susceptible to injury. Always contact
your healthcare provider before starting any type of physical activity, especially
vigorous types of exercises or sports. (Preventing Sports Injuries)
In the
quote above it states that sports injuries can often prevented. The keyword is
often. Most injuries cannot be. Like Football, for example, whether you know it
or not you will get a concussion. Most people will not even know if they do. A
concussion is a radical shaking to the head often injuring the brain. Most
concussions are not bad, but they can be. Most headaches that occur after a
game are minor concussions. This just goes to show that nothing can be one
hundred percent prevented. But that doesn’t stop us from being cautious. Most
people who play sports are too cautious and waste hundreds of dollars of
worthless safety equipment. If everyone who plays sports investigate the
potential dangers, those will be more prepared and have more knowledge going
into their sports which lowers their chance for injury. Stay safe and enjoy.
Citations
·
BetterBraces,
/. “Comeback Stories: Athletes Who Have Overcome Injury | BetterBraces.com
Blog.” BetterBracescom Blog,
www.betterbraces.com/blog/comeback-stories-athletes-who-have-overcome-injury/.
·
BetterBraces, /. “The Brief History of Knee
Braces | BetterBraces.com Blog.” BetterBracescom Blog, www.betterbraces.com/blog/the-brief-history-of-knee-braces/.
·
“Murphy, Connor”.
Personal Interview. 3/18/19
·
“Mcdonough,
Christian”. Personal Interview. 3/18/19
·
“Preventing
Sports Injuries.” Preventing Sports Injuries - Health Encyclopedia -
University of Rochester Medical Center,
www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=85&contentid=P00935.
·
“Sports
Injuries.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 7 Feb.
2019, medlineplus.gov/sportsinjuries.html.
·
“Sports
Injuries.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 7 Feb.
2019, medlineplus.gov/sportsinjuries.html.
·
Vanvuren,
Christina. “How Much Does ACL Surgery Cost?” Amino, Blog |
Healthcare Cost and Quality Trends, and HSA Tips | Amino, 19 July 2017,
amino.com/blog/acl-surgery-cost/.
·
“Preventing Sports Injuries.” Preventing
Sports Injuries - Health Encyclopedia - University of Rochester Medical Center,
www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=85&contentid=P00935.
·
“YOU ARE
NOT A GOOD COACH WHEN YOU.....” Competitive
Advantage: Mental
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