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)