Dozens of former players, including 34 athletes who played in the National Football League, have been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (C.T.E.), a neurodegenerative disease linked to dementia, memory loss, and depression (Frontline PBS). Many studies conducted by doctors in the medical field have been focused on the brains' of professional athletes, who were at a higher risk of suffering traumatic brain injuries (TBI), also known as concussions, during their playing careers. A study conducted on about 3,500 retired football athletes, who had played at least five seasons in the NFL, showed that these men are four times as likely to die from Alzheimer's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), than men who are relatively the same age and did not play in the NFL (SIRS). Many former athletes have shown the development of C.T.E. in their brain. Junior Seau, Dave Deurson, Ray Easterling, and Chris Henry are all former professional football players that have been diagnosed with C.T.E. after their death (Mother Jones). C.T.E. has also been found in living retired football players. Tony Dorsett, Joe DeLamielleure, and Leonard Marshall are all alive and have all been diagnosed with C.T.E. (ESPN). This paper will enlighten the significance concussions have on the brain in a long term point of view and how, if not taken seriously, concussions can impact one's life even years after suffering it. Sports related concussions significantly contributes to an increased chance of developing brain illnesses.

Concussions have a significant impact on how the brain develops C.T.E. C.T.E. is a build-up of tau, a protein that strangles brain cells and degenerates brain tissue (Mother Jones). Many athletes who play sports where they can suffer a head injury on any given play, will have increased chances of developing C.T.E. Traumatic brain injuries, like concussions, severely damage the brain, which can lead to the development of brain illnesses. C.T.E. can "... lead to depression, increased aggression, lack of impulse control, and eventually dementia, which may not manifest until years or even decades after the brain injuries took place." (Mother Jones).

C.T.E. has been found in many athletes. “Tony Dorsett, Joe DeLamielleure, and Leonard Marshall, all retired NFL athletes, have been diagnosed with C.T.E." (ESPN). "C.T.E. was found in Junior Seau, Dave Deurson, and Ray Easterling, all after they committed suicide. Chris Henry died after erratic behavior led him to fall out of the back of a truck. He was later diagnosed with C.T.E." (Mother Jones). "More than 20 dead former N.F.L. players and many boxers have had C.T.E. diagnosed." (The New York Times). Other players include Mike Webster, Justin Strzelczyk, Terry Long, Andre Waters, Tom McHale, 21 year-old Owen Thomas, and an 18 year old high school football player who suffered his fourth concussion (Frontline PBS). All of the aforementioned athletes played football at different levels of competitiveness and all of them suffered from concussions and C.T.E. before their death.

Many statistics gathered show a link between concussions and Alzheimer's disease, "Men, who played in the NFL for at least five seasons, are at an increased chance of dying from Alzheimer's disease." (SIRS). Multiple cases of C.T.E. have been studied, showing more than half of the patients were former athletes. “There have been 27 cases of C.T.E. evaluated, 15 of the 27 cases evaluated were NFL players." (Outside The Lines. ESPN) C.T.E. contributes to Alzheimer's disease, as one of the side effects of C.T.E. is dementia. A cohort of 334 athletes of a study made up of about 3,500 athletes showed these athletes were at, "... a three times increase chance to suffer from ALS/Alzheimer's Disease." (CNN).

Athletes who were used in studies showed that they were at an increased chance of developing brain illnesses. “Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Cincinnati analyzed 3,439 former NFL players who had spent at least five seasons in the league between 1959 and 1988. These players had an average age of 57. Of those players, 334 of them had died. The researchers analyzed their causes of death, and found that seven had died of Alzheimer's and seven had died of ALS. This is nearly four times higher a rate than that of the general population, researchers found.” (Huffington Post). In the same study, players who played in positions that involved high speed collisions, like running backs and wide receivers, were found to have even greater chances of developing ALS or Alzheimer's disease. (SIRS). Another study on athletes showed that the amount of concussions reflect the chances of developing brain illnesses." A study discovered that the players' risk of suffering from these neurological illnesses was proportionate to how many concussions they had suffered. Players who had suffered three concussions in their lifetime had more than three times the rate of clinically diagnosed depression and five times the rate of mild cognitive impairment, also known as pre-Alzheimer's disease." (Nowinski, Christopher Head Games: Football's Concussions Crisis from the NFL to Youth Leagues.)

Derek Boogaard was a professional hockey player in the NHL for seven years, who was a member of both the Minnesota Wild and New York Rangers. He was a popular player with the fans, known for his intensity and fighting ability. At the start of the 2009-2010 hockey season, Derek was not with his teammates playing on the ice; instead he was in rehab, trying to be cured of his addiction to prescription pills. When Derek returned, his teammates said,” He didn’t have a personality anymore. He just was kind of- a blank face.” (The New York Times). “Wild coaches saw the decline for a couple of seasons. Boogaard’s admirable work ethic had faded, and no one could pinpoint why.” (The New York Times). The brain damage Derek Boogaard was suffering from was influencing his addiction to prescription drugs.

Derek’s life off the ice had one goal and one goal only: find prescription drugs. He had various ways of getting the drugs and used any means necessary to get them. “In one three-month stretch of the 2008-9 season with the Wild, Boogaard received at least 11 prescriptions for painkillers from eight doctors- including at least one doctor for a different team…” (The New York Times). That was not enough for Derek, who went to a bar he would go to many times to buy,”…painkillers, thousands of dollars’ worth at a time, from someone he knew there, according to Boogaard’s brother Aaron. He gobbled the pills by the handful- eight or more OxyContins at a time, multiple people said, at a cost of around $60 each- chewing them to hasten their time-release effect. The line between needing drugs for pain and wanting them for celebration blurred” (The New York Times). “When Len Boogaard arrived in New York from Ottawa in January, he barely recognized his son. Several times over several days, the toughest man in hockey bawled in his arms. “I had to hold him, Len Boogaard said of Derek. It was like when he was younger, when he was a little kid growing up. He just sobbed away uncontrollably” (The New York Times). Derek Boogaard had mental issues that showed signs of dementia and bipolar-like symptoms. As his friends would visit him in New York, they would notice his memory lapses were growing worse and worse. His personality had completely changed. The once sweet and easy mannered man became,”… darkening… and impulsive” (The New York Times). When Derek Boogaard was found dead in his bedroom from overdosing on prescription drugs, his brain was donated to research. “… Dr. Ann McKee to see the telltale brown spots near the outer surface of Boogaard’s brain- the road signs of C.T.E. She did not know much about Boogaard other than he was a 28 year old hockey player. And the damage was obvious” (The New York Times). Derek Boogaard was compared to Bob Probert and the difference between the two men was that Bob Probert played 16 seasons in the NHL while Derek played a year shy of half of that and Derek’s C.T.E. was far more advanced than Bob Proberts (The New York Times). The development of C.T.E. in the brain of Derek Boogaard influenced him to abuse prescription drugs.

Sports related concussions influence the chance of developing brain illnesses. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is caused by repetitive blows to the head. Athletes, like football players, are at a higher chance of suffering repetitive blows to the head and suffering more concussions. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy has been found in athletes brains. These athletes were exposed to sports that put them at an increased chance of developing concussions. Various studies conducted by doctors in the medical field analyze the brains of former athletes. The results collected showed an increase in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic later sclerosis (ALS), chronic traumatic encephalopathy (C.T.E.), and depression. These studies also showed that the amount of concussions suffered dictates how much more likely one is of suffering from brain illnesses, like Alzheimer’s disease and A.L.S. Lastly, Derek Boogaard’s life was analyzed, showing that his off-the-ice life choices were influenced by the amounts of damage his brain went through while playing hockey.


Work Cited
Connolly, Matt. "Football's Concussion Problem, in 3 Terrifying Pictures." Mother Jones. N.p., 8 Oct. 2013. Web.
Dorsett, others show signs of CTE. By William Weinbaum and Steve Delsohn. ESPN. ESPN, 7 Nov. 2013.
Ezell, Lauren. "Timeline: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis." Frontline. PBS, 8 Oct. 2013. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
Fainaru, Steve, and Mark Fainaru-Wada. "New Study Finds Brain Damage in Living Ex-NFL Players." Frontline. PBS, 22 Jan. 2013. Web.
Healy, Melissa. "Ex-NFL Players Face Greater Risk of ALS, Alzheimer's." SIRS. ProQuest, 6 Sept. 2012. Web.
"New study to test former NFL players." ESPN NFL. ESPN, 17 Nov. 2011. Web.
"NFL, Brain Disease Study Indicates Football Players Face Higher Risk Of Death From Alzheimer's, ALS." Huffington Post. Huffington Post, 5 Sept. 2012. Web.
Nowinski, Christopher. Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis from the NFL to Youth Leagues. East Bridgewater: The Drummond Publishing Group, 2007.
Wang, Shirley S. "Injuries of Veterans, Football Players Are Linked to Dementia Later in Life." SIRS. ProQuest, 18 July 2011. Web.