Given that I’ve written on this blog and in the past about two sports — MMA and football — that are undoubtedly violent, I thought it was the responsible thing to do to acknowledge the growing discourse regarding head trauma (particularly in the form of concussions) in sports, especially in football.  Not only are publications like Time shining light on the topic, but Congress has even become involved. So, I hope readers of this blog click on the links above to read the Time articles and also search the internet for more information.

While much of the current clamor revolves around football because of its importance in American culture, the fact is the discussion could certainly apply to MMA, boxing, and hockey, where head injuries are also not uncommon. In fact, I wonder whether or not repeated heading of a soccer ball could also cause similar injuries. At the very least, all sports should be more closely examined in light of new evidence.

Before I go on, I must say up front that I’m not a medical doctor and have not conducted any independent research on head trauma in sports or otherwise. Instead, I count myself as a fan of sports in which head trauma is apparently real and has apparently led to long-term problems in the lives of a number of participants of those sports. Because I’m not only a fan but someone who also writes about such sports, I think I have a further obligation to at least increase awareness of the discussion amongst those who read my work.

In reality, it’s somewhat of a catch-22 for millions of fans of violent but legal sports like football and MMA. Is it possibly to cheer and worry at the same time? In fact, it may be time to do both, if you read the anecdotes of athletes and look at the growing mountain of data.

What complicates the issue with head trauma is that its true problems arise over a long period of time – over the course of numerous blows — and are thus not as obvious as broken bones, bruises, or cuts. This insidious nature of brain injury has made it possible to overlook it for so many years.

But, now with athletes becoming bigger, stronger, and faster and with collisions becoming more dramatic, it appears that football in particular has reached a tipping point with concussions.

I’ve come to believe that part of the problem with football is the false sense of security that all the padding and the helmet give fans and participants. While this gear is certainly protective, it also emboldens players to hit harder and take greater risks. By contrast, rugby, which I played a little a few years ago, is relatively sparse in terms of protective gear. The lack of substantial padding in rugby — as well as the rule book — serve to promote proper tackling form.

Even so, I certainly saw my share of tackles made on the rugby pitch where the tackler used poor form (for example not tackling with the head up) or where the ball carrier led with his head down. Not to mention what I imagine were fairly violent impacts by the behemoths in the scrum.

So, I cannot even fathom the sort of collisions our country’s best athletes are party to beginning in their teen years with high school football. Beyond that, I can’t possibly begin to understand what the repeated blows to the head over the next 20 or so years have done to the most talented of these players.

In MMA, regulatory bodies stipulate a mandatory rest period for a fighter who has suffered a concussion during a bout. Yet, in football, at least until recently, players who have suffered concussions have been known to return to the field, not just a week later, but even later in that same game. And, that’s according to the stories we’ve been told. How many stories are untold?

The Time articles present some solutions to the problems. I certainly don’t have the expertise to know what’s best for these athletes, but I’m glad some of this country’s best minds are trying to tackle the problem. I admire the bravery of football players, especially in the face of such dangerous situations. But, as much as I am a fanatic of violent sports such as MMA and football, I would also be in favor of any rules that make athletes safer and protect them both now and later, once they’ve retired. I don’t believe the money and the fame justify injuries that can apparently lead to the debilitation seen in many of these athletes.

And, as much as I love the sports, given what I currently know, it would be difficult for me to allow my son or daughter to participate. Not because I don’t think these are noble endeavors. But, rather because of fear for their well-being.