Presentation

Interview with an athlete

I interviewed Nick Mattoon, a Team USA ski jumper, who travels all over the world competing.

Jacob: Have you ever fallen while jumping?
Nick: (laughs) Yes, I have, many many times. It happens so easily especially in practice. It doesn't happen as much now in the big leagues but when I was younger it really did more.
J: Did you ever get injured from any of these falls?
N: Well, besides the common scratches and bruises, I have hurt my leg pretty badly, broke some ribs, and had a concussion.
J: Did you have to go to the hospital for any of your injuries?
N: Yeah for my leg and ribs.
J: You said you had a concussion, was it ever diagnosed?
N: No, it wasn't but I am pretty positive that I had one. I went and played in a basketball tournament the next day.
J: Do you feel informed about concussions?
N: Yeah, I mean for the most part I do.
J: Has a coach ever told you to compete while you were injured?
N: No, they haven't. My coaches have always been really good about keeping me out until I am healthy again so I don't get re injured.
J: Do you feel like you have to hide injuries?
N: No, I don't feel, like, obligated to hide them but I do anyways
J: Why do you do that?
N: Because I want to keep playing and competing, I hate having to sit out and watch so I don't tell anyone so they cant make me sit out.
J: Do you think that there are too many injuries in sports?
N: Hell no, sports are physical... Shit happens man, ya know?
J: Yes I do, thanks for your time Nick.
N: My pleasure, any time. Peace!

Mid Research Review

Mid-Research Review

Sports injuries are a very serious issue that athletes all over are facing. As I look deeper at my topic I have gained a lot of valuable information. There are a lot of different injuries that athletes can sustain while playing sports. Due to this wide variety of injuries and the large range of people who become injured, it is clear that I have a very broad topic. All of my sources have come to the conclusion that injuries are preventable, which is why this is such an important topic. They also have talked about how players are being pushed too hard by coaches and parents. I have come very far but I still have a long way to go before I am finished with this project.

I have discovered that my topic is very broad. There are so many different things that can be categorized within the topic of sports injuries. First there are the different injuries themselves. An athlete can have any injury from a concussion to a sprained ankle and anything in between. And then there is the issue of age. Injuries differ between youths and adults, the may have the same type of injury but it is totally different. There is also a difference in injuries between amateur athletes and professionals. The issues associated with this topic can be very serious. The most common injury is concussions; it is also the most under-reported and least well known. It has recently come into the spotlight with NFL issues, so a lot of my research has been directed toward that. However, there is a very wide variety of topics associated with sports injuries.

All of my research so far has had a common theme; injuries are such a problem because they are preventable. My documentary and nonfiction novel were both focused on concussions. According to these resources, concussions are the most common injury and could be one of the most preventable. With better rules, safer equipment, and just a wider knowledge of the injury, concussions could be severely reduced. Some of the articles talked about how with better equipment, schools could prevent more injuries. Doctors can help athletes recover from injuries by correctly diagnosing them. The book I read talked a lot about how coaches push the players too hard. They expect the players to shake off injuries and keep going. There is a “tough” mentality surrounding sports. This, however, leads to more injuries resulting from the one injury left untreated. The novel and documentary both also talked about how doping has affected injuries. As players get bigger and bigger the hits get harder, the collisions get more violent, and the injuries get more serious. The human body can’t handle how big we are getting.

Some other information I will need to complete this project is some expert advice. I would like to see what a professional has to say about this subject. I also think seeing some treatment in action would help me have better insights into how athletes are recovering after the injury. I would also like to look at switching my point of view from the effects of injuries to prevention of injuries. I think my project would benefit from some more visual aspects to it. I also think I need to look at injuries in professional sports more closely. This will give me a better look at how some serious athletes are handling and preventing injuries.

As it is clearly presented, injuries are a big deal. With so many people receiving injuries it is already a big deal, but when you add in the fact that so many of them are preventable, it makes the issue so much worse. I hope that other people will look at this research and see how big of a deal it really is and take steps to prevent it. The facts have really opened my eyes. There is so much out there yet for me to find. With all of the information available to me I will be able to complete my project satisfactorily. Not only is this topic very important, it is also very interesting and I can't wait to see where it takes me.

Friday Night Lights and Sports Injuries (Fictional Component)

     Friday Night Lights does a really good job of showing how intense it really is for high school athletes. It looks at the other side of the injury issue. Yeah, its bad to play when injured and our culture pushes toughness over safety, but on the other side of that coin you have young adults who put everything they have into their sport. It is easy to see why people continue to play while injured, they don't want to give up their dream.
     In the movie, it is a young tailback who gets hurt and has to give up his dream. Bobbie is the star on the team and is a big part of their success. The whole town comes to watch him and his team every Friday night. When he gets hurt everyone in the town kind of loses hope and gives up on the team. But the team doesn't give up on itself. The coach of the team truly believes that it is a team sport and it really isn't about winning or losing but how you play the game. One of his moving quotes is, "Perfection is being able to look your friends in the eye and know you did everything you could not to let them down." So, by his definition, having a perfect game doesn't mean you win by a ton but if you give everything you have then you have achieved perfection.
    Injuries have a way of inspiring teams. This may be the one aspect of injuries than is a good thing. It teaches the individual, as well as the team, the importance of perseverance and surviving adversity. When their backs where against the wall the learned to push back and do quite well by almost winning state. This same situation happens a lot in sports. When Kevin Ware got hurt, Louisville went on to win the NCAA Championship. The Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl after having to deal with several key injuries throughout the season and losing two starters in the Super Bowl itself.

Sports Injury Survey

Sports Injury Survey

Circle yes or no. If not applicable, skip it.

1.       Do you play sports?                                                                            Yes                         No
                                                                                                                  34                            6



2.       Have you ever been injured?                                                            Yes                         No

                                                                                                              27                        13

3.       Did this injury occur during sports?                                                 Yes                         No

                                                                                                              25                     6

4.       Did you tell your coach about it?                                                 Yes                         No

                                                                                                                9                         16

5.       Did it require a doctor visit?                                                        Yes                         No         

                                                                                                               11                        14
           

6.       Does this injury still bother you at times?                                     Yes                         No

                                                                                                               17                   8

7.       Have you ever had a concussion?                                                   Yes                         No

                                                                                                               6                   34

8.       Multiple concussions?                                                                      Yes                         No

                                                                                                              3                   37

9.        Have you ever suspected you had a concussion not had it  diagnosed?                                                                                                                                Yes                         No

                                                                                                             19                        21

10.   Do you know the effects of a concussion?                             Yes                         No         

                                                                                                             29                       11

11.   Do you believe injuries are a problem?                                         Yes                         No

                                                                                                             14                       36

12.   Do you think our culture pushes toughness over safety?           Yes                         No         

                                                                                                             35                      5

13.   Have you ever played while injured?                                              Yes                         No

                                                                                                             24                      16

14.   Do you think sports are too violent?                                               Yes                         No

                                                                                                             7                       31

15.   Did you see Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware’s leg?         Yes                         No
                                                                                                               38                        2

 This survey was distributed to 40 people, the results are recorded in red. The results tell me that out of 34 athletes that participated, 25 of them have had an injury related to sports. Those numbers are staggering, that means that about 75% of athletes were injured playing sports. Another number that jumped out at me is that 36 people do not believe that injuries are a problem, as opposed to 14 who do. When an athlete has to sit out at all it is a problem, and clearly if 75% of people are getting hurt then it is a problem. Another troublesome number is that 19 people have thought they had a concussion but did not get it diagnosed. I'm guessing it is really even higher than that because 11 people said they did not think they were informed enough about concussions. Another interesting fact to go along with concussions is that most people believe that our culture is pushing athletes to play no matter what and be tough rather than being safe. This survey provided a lot of valuable research and backed up what the rest of my research has said.

Collection of Sports Injuries Quotes

I have put together a collection of quotations to give other athletes a better perspective. All of these quotes come from either professional athletes or people who have been around sports a lot. I think these quotes are important because they really give a good summary of what I am trying to convey with my project. They also give motivation for athletes to follow through with rehab or even just telling someone about their injury instead of hiding it.

Sports do not build character, they reveal it.
John Wooden

Sports is like war without the killing.
Ted Turner

Injuries are nothing to be ashamed about.
Billy Crogan

Injuries obviously change the way you approach the game.
Brett Favre

The more injuries you get, the smarter you get.
Mikhail Baryshnikov

Your body actually reminds you about your age and your injuries - the body has a stronger memory than your mind.
Thomas Fuller

Any injuries and deaths can be prevented through an understanding.
Richard Neal

As many know, brain injury comes in many forms. The two most prevalent brain injuries - stroke and trauma - affect more than 2.2 million Americans, and these numbers are expected to grow.
Allyson Schwartz

But the equipment to protect the players hasn't developed along with that, so now you have more players out with worse injuries, for longer periods of time.
Leigh Steinberg

We were going to have to experiment, and we needed to develop our younger players. And a lot of the changes were because of injuries. But that's where I give a lot of credit to the group in terms of being able to maintain things.
Isaiah Thomas

When you're young, you don't think very far ahead. You just think in terms of the next day, the next week, the next competition. You don't think about injuries that could threaten your long-term health.
Katarina Witt

Coaches aren't concentrating enough of the technical part of this game and that could lead to injuries.
Troy Vincent

Injuries are part of the game, but sometimes we can avoid them by just practicing our techniques.
Troy Vincent

Work hard. And have patience. Because no matter who you are, you're going to get hurt in your career and you have to be patient to get through the injuries.
Randy Johnson

I don't want people losing respect for me as a player. I want to go out in every game and perform to the highest level. I have no retirement plans. I've had a lot of injuries but I want to continue playing.
Robbie Fowler

The thing about getting older is the injuries. You just get injured more often. You take time off, you come back, you get injured again and you never get in shape.
Allen Johnson

I never want to let my teammates or coaches down, so I always fight through the days when I am exhausted or experiencing discomfort with injuries and headaches.
Christie Rampone
(Message/CTA)

Sports Injury Poster

This is a poster promoting prevention of sports injuries. Athletes need to protect their bodies and make sure they are doing everything possible to stay healthy. You only get one healthy body and when that one is trashed you don't get another one, so protect the one you have so you can stay active as long as possible.

(Artistic)

Sports Injuries Memes

These memes are an attempt to make some humor out of a very serious subject. They bring the project together by adding some much need relief to break the tension in a way. They are not meant to make light of the issue, sports injuries are very serious and effect a lot of people. It brings awareness to people about the seriousness of the issue, while connecting with today's youth.

(Artistic)

Ad Campaign

Ad Campaign for TV Show

I used Sport Science for my TV show. The episode I watched was called Field Warriors. The show itself is about all of the science that is behind the world of sports. There is a lot more than most people think. This particular episode was focused on how the human body works and moves during sports. It goes in depth into how and why some of the worst injuries in sports happened. They even have the athletes themselves on the show to explain what they went through. This would be good for a billboard.

This would be a good ad to use for a billboard. It is telling athletes that they need to seek help when injured. There is no possible way to prevent every injury. So when the inevitable happens instead of toughing it out and hurting yourself worse, tell someone.

This ad is warning people on the dangers of concussions. Most people don't realize how serious the consequences actually are. They also don't realize how easy they are to receive. Every time you see stars or "get your bell rung" you are doing damage to your brain. It would be ideal to place this as a magazine ad in ESPN magazine or Sports Illustrated.
(Creation)



Physical Therapy Excursion

     During my spring break I had the opportunity to shadow a physical therapist. It wasn't purely for this project however, my dream job is to be a physical therapist and I thought it would be beneficial to trail one. But. seeing as how my topic is sports injuries, it clearly fits well with my experience. When people get hurt, they often need help recovering from the injury, especially the more serious ones. When this happens, they go to a physical therapist for help.
     While on my observation experience at Luther Midlefort I got to see how the PT told the patient to deal with the injury. The first person who came in had torn an ACL and was going through rehab after surgery. They were in their third week of rehab and hadn't been progressing as far as they would have liked. The person shared these frustrations with the therapist, who told him that these things were to be expected. Not every injury is the same, so it is unreasonable to expect the same results for them all. This seemed to ease the patient a little bit. The doctor had some printed out exercises for the patient to take home and do. As he explained them, I got to see a demonstration of each. It was really nice for me to see exactly how they were supposed to be done, and the therapist explained that if they were done incorrectly, it could do more harm than good. I found this to be really interesting. I would really like to include this in my research. The other patients I saw the PT I was shadowing were not victims of sports injuries, rather they had been in car accidents. Due to this fact, I find it inappropriate to include stories of those visits in my research, but they too were helpful to me.
     I found this visit to be extremely beneficial. I had written in my mid-research review that I would like to look more at the treatment and what happens after the injury, as opposed to the injury itself that I focused on in the first half of my project. The most valuable and eye-opening pieces of information that I gained were: A) No injury is the same, and B) If done incorrectly, the rehab could end up doing more harm than good. These two facts will end up in my thesis, because I feel they are extremely important.
(Action-Oriented, Writing)

Bibliography with Annotations

Articles
Yde, J., and A. B. Nielsen. "Sports Injuries in Adolescents' Ball Games: Soccer, Handball and Basketball." British Journal of Sports Medicine 24.1 (1990): 51-54. Print.
This article talks about an experiment that was conducted regarding injuries amongst basketball, handball, and soccer players. It provides an in-depth exploration of the how different the sports are and how these differences play apart in injuries. The research shows that soccer players are most likely to get hurt with 40% of the players getting injured at some point during the season. Basketball players were the least likely. This is not a biased article because it was written by medical professionals. It connects to my research because it looks at the different types of injuries that can be sustained in the different types of sports.

Cassas, Kyle J., M.D., and Amelia Cassettari-Wayhs, M.D. "Childhood and Adolescent Sports-Related Overuse Injuries." American Family Physician 73.6 (2006): 1014-019. Print
Sports injuries in youths is the main focus of this article. It talks about all the risks that children face when playing sports. The most serious and common risk is overuse. When children are playing in three or more sports and sometimes are going from practice to practice to game all in one day there is a serious risk of an overuse injury. The human body cannot keep up with such a strenuous schedule, especially at a young age when the body is not fully developed yet. The article also discusses the different ways that doctors can diagnose the injuries. This article could be a little biased because although it was written by doctors, people tend to be more sensitive when dealing with children, so they could make it seem a little worse than it actually is. It connects to my research because children play a huge part in our sports culture because it all starts at an early age and how they are shaped as athletes will affect how they shape the next generation.

Simmon, Drew, and Peter Burkner. "Sports Ankle Injuries." Focus: Sports Injuries 39.1 (2010): 19-24. Print.
This article is specifically written about ankle injuries in sports. The article goes into a history of ankle injuries and discusses some of the things that cause them. It talks about how to prevent them and how to recover from the injury. It also gives advice to the doctors on how to correctly diagnose the injury. If they incorrectly diagnose the injury, it could mean trouble for the athlete. The doctor could prescribe the wrong treatment and cause further harm that will increase the recovery time. This article connects to my research because in my own experience ankle injuries have been a very common injury for myself and others I play with.

James, Christopher. "Injuries in One High School Sports Season Can Affect the next One." Berkshire Eagle. N.p., 15 Mar. 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2013.
This is a news article featuring a high school student from Massachusetts. It shares her story about breaking her ankle in the basketball state finals and how now she is unable to play the start of the softball season. The article talks a lot about how coaches in winter and spring sports get frustrated because their players can't play because of injuries sustained in an earlier season. It also talks about how important it is for the players to fully recover before trying to play again. If they start again too soon they risk re-injury that will take even longer to recover from. This article is a bit biased because when the author talked to the coaches, of course they are going to be biased towards injuries are an issue because it is negatively affecting them and their season. This is helpful to my research because it is good to see that side of the issue and how the people on that side are perceiving it.

Manoloff, Dennis. "Noted Surgeon Dr. James Andrews Wants Your Young Athlete to Stay Healthy by ..." Plain Dealer. N.p., 27 Feb. 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2013
This an article that is written about an extremely opinionated surgeon who has seen enough. He is tired of operating on children with injuries that could have been avoided. He blames the coaches who he says mean well but do not know enough to adequately protect their players. He also blames parents who think their kid will be a superstar and push and push until the kid breaks. He has recently written a book about this issue hoping to educate more people about these injuries. This surgeon has operated on many famous professional athletes, so he has seen a lot of different injuries. But that's not what he's worried about. He is however worried about the fact that the kids he has coming in to him are having adult injuries rather than injuries typical of children. This is not biased because it is coming from a professional surgeon who deals with these things every day and knows what he is talking about. This is a great article and it relates to my research because is really illustrates the point that overuse and not enough time off are hurting the athletes.

Nonfiction Book:
Culverhouse, Gay. Throwaway Players: The Concussion Crisis : From Pee Wee Football to the NFL. Lake Forest, CA: Behler Publications, 2012. Print.
     This book focuses on two big issues in sports, doping and concussions. The book goes into great detail about both topics. The main point it made about doping is that as players are getting bigger and stronger there is also a bigger potential for injury. Concussions are the biggest injury and not many people are well educated about it. The culture around sports is to tough out injuries and not be hurt. The book is written by someone who has inside knowledge of the NFL and football and can speak for both players and management, so there is little bias. The author isn't advocating any changes, just trying to make people more aware. This book directly relates to my research because a big part of my research on sports injuries has been about concussions. Even doping relates to my topic because as the players are getting bigger and stronger because of the drugs, there is a lot bigger chance for injuries to occur.

Documentary
Head games. Dir. Steve James.  Head Games The Film, LLC, 2012. Film.
     This documentary is all about concussions. It discusses the consequences of multiple concussions and the long term effects they can have. It talks about how most people are not very educated about concussions and it is almost as if they became a big issue over night. It features athletes from various sports talking about their experiences and it really asks the question, "what are you willing to give up for a game?" There is a little bias in this documentary because it is mostly coming from players and former players who have had their lives effected, if not ruined, by concussions. Because of this, you really only get one side of the issue, it doesn't really talk about all of the people who are safe and injury free. This is a good fit for my project because it is clearly about sports injuries. Even though it is a little biased it still fits well because my research is about injuries and not the healthy people so the fact that it doesn't show uninjured people is irrelevant.

Websites Used
"Learn More." STOP Sports Injuries. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2013. <http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org/>.
"Virtual Sports Injury Clinic." - Sports Injuries, Treatment, Exercises, Massage. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2013. <http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/>.

TV Show
Brenkus, John, and David Leepson, prods. "Sport Science: Field Warriors." Sports Science. ESPN. N.d. Youtube. Web.
     This episode of Sport Science goes behind the science of injuries. It discusses why the injuries happen and who is at fault for them. It looks at the science of the equipment that is used and how it could be better. They look at the anatomy of the human body to see what happens when certain injuries occur. There is no bias in this TV show. It is straight facts. All they are doing is telling the viewer what is happening and why. This is very helpful in my research and fits in well. Along with looking at the injuries themselves, it is important for me to look at why they are happening and how they could be prevented as well.

Fiction Film
Friday Night Lights. Dir. Peter Berg. Perf. Billy Bob Thornton, Lucas Black, Derek Luke. Universal Studios, 2004. DVD.
 Friday Night Lights does a really good job of showing how intense it really is for high school athletes. It looks at the other side of the injury issue. Yeah, its bad to play when injured and our culture pushes toughness over safety, but on the other side of that coin you have young adults who put everything they have into their sport. It is easy to see why people continue to play while injured, they don't want to give up their dream. I do not believe that this movie is biased because it really shows both sides of the issue pretty evenly. It relates because it shows how big of an impact that an injury can have on more lives than just the person who got injured.

5 Articles

Scholar:
http://bjsportmed.com/content/24/1/51.full.pdf+html
    This article talks about an experiment that was conducted regarding injuries amongst basketball, handball, and soccer players. It provides an in-depth exploration of the how different the sports are and how these differences play apart in injuries. The research shows that soccer players are most likely to get hurt with 40% of the players getting injured at some point during the season. Basketball players were the least likely.
http://www.eteamz.com/bangoreastll/files/Yourhsportsinjury.pdf
    Sports injuries in youths is the main focus of this article. It talks about all the risks that children face when playing sports. The most serious and common risk is overuse. When children are playing in three or more sports and sometimes are going from practice to practice to game all in one day there is a serious risk of an overuse injury. The human body cannot keep up with such a strenuous schedule, especially at a young age when the body is not fully developed yet. The article also discusses the different ways that doctors can diagnose the injuries.
http://almacen-gpc.dynalias.org/publico/Ankle%20Injuries.%20NHRMC%202010.pdf
    This article is specifically written about ankle injuries in sports. The article goes into a history of ankle injuries and discusses some of the things that cause them. It talks about how to prevent them and how to recover from the injury. It also gives advice to the doctors on how to correctly diagnose the injury. If they incorrectly diagnose the injury, it could mean trouble for the athlete. The doctor could prescribe the wrong treatment and cause further harm that will increase the recovery time.
News:
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_22795226/injuries-one-high-school-sports-season-can-affect
    This is a news article featuring a high school student from Massachusetts. It shares her story about breaking her ankle in the basketball state finals and how now she is unable to play the start of the softball season. The article talks a lot about how coaches in winter and spring sports get frustrated because their players can't play because of injuries sustained in an earlier season. It also talks about how important it is for the players to fully recover before trying to play again. If they start again too soon they risk re-injury that will take even longer to recover from.
http://www.cleveland.com/dman/index.ssf/2013/02/noted_surgeon_dr_james_andrews.html
This an article that is written about an extremely opinionated surgeon who has seen enough. He is tired of operating on children with injuries that could have been avoided. He blames the coaches who he says mean well but do not know enough to adequately protect their players. He also blames parents who think their kid will be a superstar and push and push until the kid breaks. He has recently written a book about this issue hoping to educate more people about these injuries. This surgeon has operated on many famous professional athletes, so he has seen a lot of different injuries. But that's not what he's worried about. He is however worried about the fact that the kids he has coming in to him are having adult injuries rather than injuries typical of children. This is a great article.
(Writing)

Another Interesting Element!

This Website is specifically made to address the issue of sports injuries in youth. The website is linked to an organization where people can donate money or join the team to help fight sports injuries. This website makes a big push for the fact that most injuries are preventable. This site offers tips specifically designed for different sports. There is a lot of good stuff on this fantastic website!!! As Mark Spitz once said, "If you fail to prepare, your prepared to fail."

"Throwaway players" nonfiction book response

1. A summary of your text.This book focuses on two main issues in football. One of those being doping by players and the other concussions. The book goes into great detail with each of these subjects. Which makes it a very valuable resource to anyone looking to know more about concussions. I would recommend this book to any parents trying to decide if they should let their kids play football or not. It is written by an insider, but has very little bias in it.
   Doping may not seem extremely relevant to my topic of sports injuries, but it is. As the players get bigger and strong with new technology and drugs that puts more stress on their bodies. There might be the same amount of violence as there was 50 years ago but now, instead of 250 pound men crashing into each other at five miles an hour, we have 350+ pound men crashing into each other at ten miles an hour. They may be big and strong but the human body was not meant to withstand such abuse. There was a very intriguing chapter of the book that featured a former player who had abused drugs talking about the affects and reasoning behind the drugs. It gave very good first hand experience to back up what the author was saying.
   The other important issue this book discusses is concussions. Concussions have always been a part of the game but it wasn't until recently that anybody new about them. It seems like they just jumped into the spotlight overnight. The book goes on to talk about the old days and how previously a player had been able to just pop up after a hit that left them seeing stars, run to the bench for a play, and the very next play are back in the game. But now they are under heavy watch and are held out of the rest of the game if there are any concussion like symptoms at all. The fact that the writer is a former NFL president means that there is inside information. She tells about what really goes on in the locker room and how the coaching staff tried to brush it off like it was no big deal. When information first started coming out the NFL was reluctant to take it seriously or make any changes. But then when former players started dying or committing suicide and it was clearly linked by doctors and specialists to head injuries sustained while playing football, they knew something had to change.
   
   
2. At least 3 key passages from your text.“Experts say that the most frustrating aspect of concussions in football is the silence surrounding them. Football’s play-with-pain mentality discourages players from high school to the pros from revealing this virtually imperceptible injury to coaches or trainers, often causing more serious harm.” Page 68

“Society itself has become accustomed to feeling no pain. We solicit pain killers regularly to deal with the usual aches that bodies experience.” Page 35

“To complicate matters, football is no longer seasonal. There are weight and strength programs year-round for the committed athlete. There is competition to make the roster year after year. There is no time off.” Page 112

“These players, these men, had been thrown away after their years of gripping our hearts with their plays. What remained were the broken bodies and lost souls of the men who have permanently left the locker room? This is what remains after the cheering subsides. This is what the NFL does not want you to see.” Page 125

3. At least 5 thought-provoking questions that allow readers of your page to think about the topic you have chosen in relation to your nonfiction book and the world around us.
   
   Would you ever use drugs to increase your level of play, knowing the consequences?
   
   If everyone in professional sports used performance enhancing drugs, they would then be on an equal playing field, do you think this would be a good idea?
   
   In your opinion, what would be a good way for the NFL to take better care of its players once they retire? They clearly need some kind of care with their broken bodies.
   
   Have you ever had a concussion? Did you tell anyone about it? Why or why not? Have you had any other injuries you have not reported and continued to play with?
   
   The author, Gay Culverhouse, was so concerned with player injuries that she testified before congress. Do you think that this is really that big of an issue? Why or why not?
4. A citation for your nonfiction book.

Culverhouse, Gay. Throwaway Players: The Concussion Crisis: From Pee Wee Football to the NFL. Lake Forest, CA: Behler Publications, 2012. Print.

5. Include a picture(s) (one that you created or composed) on the page that relates to the book you have chosen.

6. Finally, include a section on how this particular book has guided or fits in with the issue you have chosen to work with for this project.
   This book talks about concussions and performance enhancing drugs as main points. My broad topic is sports injuries and this book talks a lot about that. The main connection is that NFL players have suffered so many injuries, concussions in particular that they are having a hard time living after retirement. In addition to that the average career is only three years and after that the don't have many job applicable skills that they can use, so they really have to make enough money in those three years to live off of. Players would have much longer careers if they didn't get injured and be forced to retire.

(Writing)

Response to "Head Games" documentary

1.Provide a summary of your chosen documentary. Synthesize key ideas, concepts, or experiences explored throughout the film. Include a thorough summary.

2. Which storytelling techniques are used in the documentary you viewed? Does the film follow one person's story or many? Does the film use footage from other broadcasts/shows or its own footage? Does the film use statistics, experience, or both? Describe in detail about the variety of techniques used.

3. What are some elements of the media that are brought into the story?

4.What types of other sources are provided by the documentary?

5.Is there any bias in this film? Describe in detail why or why not.

6.What information can you take away from your documentary to include in your research? In other words, how does this connect to your research? 

 

(Visual)

Running thesis

2/27
Injuries are a part of sports, and as sports become a bigger and bigger part of our culture, especially in youths, injuries are becoming common.

3/6
Concussions are the most common type of injury, they are the hardest to asses, and they have the most severe consequences if left untreated. People need to be made aware about how serious concussions really are.

3/15
As athletes get bigger, faster, and stronger, the likelihood of an injury increases due to harder collisions and more wear and tear on bodies.

4/4
Injuries can be preventable, but not always, sometimes they happen in the blink of an eye with no warning. In that case the focus turns to how the athlete handles the injury.

4/11
There is a lot that can be done to prevent injuries, but there is no possible way to wipe them out completely.

4/16
As athletes get bigger, faster, and stronger, there will be more injuries, some preventable and some not, but a big issue is how the athlete deals with the injury.

Interesting!

Interesting element I found on the Sports Injury Clinic website. It has a cool feature where you click on a part of the body that hurts and it will tell you what possible injuries you could have. This is very nice for athletes who are in pain but don't want to go to the doctor. Instead of paying a bunch of money to be told it is nothing serious they could look at the website and check their symptoms on their own. The website also gives information on rehab and healing techniques.