A growing concern, or a natural development?
A Sight No One Wants to See - Photo by Lorianne DiSabato
I’ve heard a lot lately about concussions in hockey, and other professional sports for that matter, particularly following the injury to Sidney Crosby. Concussions are everywhere, and in my opinion, they are more of a natural development of sport, than a growing concern.
In order to compete at the highest possible level, athletes are being forced to train harder and are becoming physically stronger, more powerful beings. Gone are the days when players smoked and drank in the dressing room, used drugs, and worked blue collar jobs in the summer.
Today’s athletes are focused and driven to improving their strength and speed. So why are more concussions occurring? It’s not because more dirty plays are happening, it’s because the games are being played at a faster speed, and therefore the hits are being delivered with far more force, while the margin for error in any situation, has shrunk.
For the physics buffs out there, force is defined as mass multiplied by acceleration. If new age athletes have more muscle mass, and are able to accelerate faster on the ice or field, it only makes sense that each collision has more force, and is more capable of jarring the brain causing a concussion.
Sure, there are definitely dirty hits and plays that occur causing concussions, including the hit that sidelined Sidney Crosby, but I’ve also seen clean face to face hits where it is simply a meeting of two huge men, trying to gain possession of the ball or puck, that inevitably results in a concussion.
In the off season, players spend up to 6 hours a day in the gym. Their goal is to be bigger and stronger than other players, to be able to physically dominate other men who might stand six and a half feet tall, and weigh 250 lbs. Concussions are a natural development of sport as it evolves.
Blindside hits and deliberate hits to the head need to be eliminated, but the dooms dayers out there who are trying to do away with contact in minor sports, and fighting in hockey, need to take a step back into their cubicle and relax. People enter into these sports knowing the inherent risks of participation.
It’s sad to see careers cut short due to concussions, but no rule they implement, with the exception of removing physical contact altogether, will significantly reduce concussions. Inevitably, two players will collide, legally, and concussions will occur.
The total number of concussions per season in the NHL seems to hold relatively steady between 50-70. To me, considering the over 1200 games played, with 40 active players per game, 50-70 concussions is peanuts. If you take 20 players per team, multiplied by 82 games in the regular season, multiplied by 30 teams, you get nearly 50,000 man games. 50 concussions out of 50,000 seems even smaller. It actually seems safe.
The NHL has taken the proper precautions. They’ve instilled new rules, and they’ve invested in proper technology including new helmets. Unfortunately, the best protective method for NHL players is to train harder, and get bigger and stronger themselves, so that when that collision does occur, it is the other player who takes the punishment.
I understand Sidney Crosby got hurt. It’s a terrible thing. Who knows, maybe he’ll became the Eric Lindros of this generation and his career will be cut short due to concussions. I doubt it, but it’s possible.
In a fast, hard hitting sport like hockey, injuries, including concussions are going to happen. The real thing that is occurring, is the media is looking for something to talk about. Sidney Crosby got hurt. Uh oh. No one is talking about that forth line guy from Carolina or Dallas who was concussed, but when lord Crosby goes down, it’s the end of the world and obviously means the entire game needs to change.
If you don’t like big hits and you don’t like fighting, go watch the PGA tour. Just watch out for flying golf balls or anyone with the first name Elin, I’ve heard they can both cause serious head injuries.
Let the games begin.