Posts Tagged ‘soccer and concussions’
By Paul Stone On August 10th, 2018
For many young prospective athletes and their families, soccer has become the “safe” option. It isn’t built around the brutal hits that football is known for and the headlines haven’t been slamming the nation’s soccer league, Major League Soccer (MLS), for its handling of head injuries and the widespread development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).…
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By Paul Stone On July 11th, 2018
It’s not a World Cup without several shocking scenes that highlight how little FIFA really cares about concussions. This year’s international competition has already been criticized for incidents where players dazed players were “treated” for head-first collisions with being slapped and sprayed with water in the face. Now, Tuesday’s semifinal match between France and Belgium…
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By Paul Stone On June 18th, 2018
It seems like every four years the World Cup manages to find new ways to show how not to handle concussions. In the past, this typically included completely ignoring the head injuries, or quickly “treating” players on the sideline before sending them back onto the field. This year, however, Morocco has managed to up the…
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By Paul Stone On September 18th, 2017
The phenomenon of athletes ignoring the signs of a concussion and staying on the field after an injury is a well-known problem usually attributed to machismo. The boys are just too afraid of being labeled “weak” or “girly” for sitting on the sidelines, according to most brain injury experts. However, a new study suggests that…
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By Paul Stone On June 28th, 2017
Throughout the most recent soccer World Cup, held in 2014, many criticized the soccer competition for being lax in response to apparent concussions on the field. There were multiple incidents where players were left sprawled out on the field, either unconscious or significantly shaken up, but most of these athletes returned to the competition within…
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By Paul Stone On March 24th, 2017
Football continues to hog the spotlight when it comes to concussions, but a new report from the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons shows female soccer players are the athletes who face the highest risk for brain injuries. “While American football has been both scientifically and colloquially associated with the highest concussion…
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By Paul Stone On February 16th, 2017
In a statement issued today, the largest soccer organization in the world declared there is “no evidence” that ‘heading’ the ball is linked to an increased risk for brain disease. “To our very best knowledge, there is currently no true evidence of the negative effect of heading or other sub-concussive blows,” claimed FIFA. “Results from…
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By Paul Stone On February 6th, 2017
Many consider “heading” a ball in soccer to be a classic part of the game, useful for both scoring and passing. However, a growing body of research suggests these “headers” may also be putting the brain at risk. A new study published in the journal Neurology suggests that soccer players who head the balls the…
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By Paul Stone On January 20th, 2017
As football continues to face criticism for its handling of concussions and the long-term risks of playing the violent sport, many younger athletes and their parents are opting for “safer” alternatives. In the past few years, soccer has enjoyed a resurgence due to its perceived safety. Unfortunately, soccer has its own issues with concussions. A…
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By Paul Stone On October 31st, 2016
As a growing body of evidence suggests that repeated “heading” the ball in soccer can leave lasting damage to athletes’ brains, U.S. Soccer has made several efforts to make the sport safer. Last November, the organization made the bold recommendation that American youth soccer players under the age of 10 do not head the ball…
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