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NORTHCENTRAL UNIVERSITY
ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET

Student: Ross Downin

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COURSE NUMBER: EDU 8000

MENTOR: Dr. Morgan
COURSE TITLE: Foundation of Doctoral
Study in Education
ASSIGNMENT: Explore Your Area of Interest

Faculty Use Only

Ross,
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In your proposal, you provided a connection and some research related to the nature of the
problem. This is a good start on the rationale for a decision change and/or action. However, there
was not clarity or research support for the action you wanted the superintendent to take. Perhaps,
you might consider presenting other football programs who have taken action related to changing
the types of helmets a player might wear.
A proposal should also include the challenges, as outlined in the assignment requirements.
These were not identified. In your research, what did you note as downsides? In thinking about the
implementation of the program in your school, would this entail additional costs, time, schedule
changes, etc. A comprehensive proposal identifies and addresses the potential challenges up front,
as they always exist. You will want to be proactive in marketing the strengths, the challenges, and
how you would overcome obstacles that most assuredly are present.
Check margins for corrections related to various grammatical and APA challenges. As
suggested previously, please access the resources at the NCU Academic Success Center to help you
improve writing.
Dr. Morgan
Assignment Components: Developing (add the challenges and solutions)
Knowledge of Content: Met
APA Style/Writing: Developing
Mechanics: Not Met (see notes in the margins)

<Faculty Name> <Grade Earned> <Date Graded>

Supporting Claim: Concussion in Sports

Ross Downin

Northcentral University
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Abstract

There has been a huge discussion as of late. Teachers, parents, and coaches have all had their
beliefs and concerns about this epidemic. We have been somewhat “concussed” of the effects it
has on one’s life, both short and long term. Experiencing a concussion in sports today has
become a question of not what if, but when. Statistically in sports, this injury is likelier to be
seen in football. Whether it is helmet to helmet impact or contact with the field. Both as a
physiologist as well as a youth coach, I can understand the magnitude of the injury and concern
of my players. Concussions in football should make all of us rethink the sport and the protection
that the sport provides. Realizing the effects of concussions should lead us to analyze the
participation of youth to play in complete contact sports. This research was in sake of Commented [DM1]: What does this mean?
understanding the continuation of participation of youth in football. I want to bring to local
Commented [DM2]: ??? Proof for clarity. Is this the
superintendents the effects of concussions and how serious this injury truly is to the brain, request being made in terms of action for the audience of
especially a developing brain. The developmental process of the brain has a different tolerance, your proposal? You follow with several other “suggestions.”
if you will, for biomechanical force than that of a fully mature adult, and therefore, recovery. Therefore, be clear about the request you are making. What
do you want the superintendent to do, exactly? Simply
Would what to ask the superintendent, what would be gained or lost if football would be taken presenting the data is interesting but you are not outlining
next steps as a result.
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out of school athletics. I would like the parents of these athlete to consider what they are risking
in allowing their child to participate in a sport such as football. Want to ask the question, what
needs to improve? Should there be better helmets that soften the blow of the impact? I support
the claim that we are losing the battle of concussion through the disbelief or the lack of
understanding of this injury and its physiological effects.

Keywords: concussion, injury, effects, sports

Dear Superintendent of Santa Monica, CA, Commented [DM3]: Is this a public school district?
Would it be the Santa Monica School District?
Wanted to propose to you a solution of crisis. As a sport enthusiasts as well as an Commented [DM4]: Your solution is “crisis?”
Commented [DM5]: sports enthusiast, as well as….
advocate of sports, I firmly say that I enjoy both viewing and playing all sports. There is not one

sport that I am opposed to. Meaning that I am not in favorite to anyone particular sport or even Commented [DM6]: I do not have a favorite sport

shame other sports that I see less interest in. That being said, while playing sports, there are

numerous of risk that athletes flirt with on the day to day basis. It is what I like to call the Commented [DM7]: risks
Commented [DM8]: day-to-day
probability of chance. The common phrase, “anything can happen”. During my personal

participation in sports, during adolescence up into young adulthood, I have experienced quite a
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few injuries to my body. It is what happens as an athlete, you get banged up. However, there is

one particular injury and sport that you might have heard of during your educational

administrative career. Above everything else, we are educators, and as educators we should think

about the child development foremost. Outlining that truth, we should also note that brain

injuries during childhood and adolescence can result in an interruption of the normal course of

neurologic development and can disrupt participation in activities that contribute to normal

psychosocial development (Kroshus, E. 2017). This sport and injury has possibly been seen in Commented [DM9]: Only last name, not initial.

the local newspaper, new, heard from a phone that you’ve once received. Football being the sport

and concussion being the injury. My role to you, while you read this, is to simply give a helping

hand of knowledge while stressing a bold step of action. After gathering numerous articles of

research and studying the physiological effects of concussions something must be accomplish.

Though some may argue, football players experience numerous of injuries, and Commented [DM10]: numerous injuries,

concussions are primarily prevalent among athletes who play the sport (Burkhart, N. 2013). I Commented [DM11]: Incomplete sentence.

feel so deeply about this issue because I am an athlete as well as an educator that has students

that participates in football as well other contact sports. I seek aware and education of this injury

not for the student but the parents of my students. I sought research of this topic to identify

different tactics that educator, coaches, physicians, and parents can implement to all of our team

sports such as football.

What I have noticed as a coach is that we all understand there is always a possibility that

this injury can happen though never consider the physiological effects. Through heavily

technological advancements, we are able to closely analyze these effects. It is easily to assume

that most of us know the short-term effects of a concussion. We have identified an extended

period of a headache, as the most commonly reported symptom at the time of injury. Other more
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severe short-term symptoms were reported by these two studies such as “cognitive impairment,

both in speed and verbal fluency, balance problems, concentration problems, sensibility to light

or noise, instant fatigue, drowsiness, and memory loss (Murphy, A. 2017). However, what I’ve

seen in my personal research and life experiences is that we only typically focus on the short-

term effect, the now. We ask if the athlete is okay immediately that moment and a few days after

and never again will there ever be a follow. What surprises me is that the long-term effects are

rarely never considered. What I have notice while coaching youth is that they’ll say anything that

you want them to say. Meaning, if a witness that you want them to respond a certain way such as

wanting to stay in the game, they will. This is why I stress the importance in the knowledge of

concussions to you, for the; coaches, teachers, and parents.

I propose to you, respectfully, to consider the facts. Consider the possibility of
eliminating the participation of football athletics in your schools around the county. Though
bold, I believe that we can save lives and cognitive developmental stages. Realizing that this
would disappoint many parents and players, beginning the initiative in protecting our youth
Commented [DM12]: Have you clearly outlined the facts
supported by peer reviewed evidence?
Commented [DM13]: Does one superintendent make a
decision for all superintendents across the country? Be
realistic in terms of your request, as well as, clear about what
you are asking to be done. What research supports your
action request, not just the problem?

athletes is to ask what to improve? Looking at other options and better advancements of

protective gear are far greater steps than the, as of late, deaf ears. Better padding in helmets,

though highly expensive but resourceful, The standard Head Impact Telemetry (HIT) System Commented [DM14]: First, you would want to outline
what his district has in place currently. Is it not up-to-par?
offers a real-time biomechanical assessment of the linear and rotational head accelerations

experienced by football players as they compete in games and practices, and has been used

extensively in the last decade of capture over 1.2 million impacts (Campbell, K. 2015). I suggest

examining the issue with purpose of a radical elimination and propose an initiative in problem

solving the numerous concussion injuries. Commented [DM15]: If you were the superintendent
reading this proposal, would you understand what you are
being asked to do? Is there research support for the action?
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Reference

Burkhart, N. (2013). Concussions, Class Actions, and the 2011 Collective Bargaining
Agreement: A Look at Concussions and the Response of the National Football League in
the 2011 NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement. SSRN Electronic Journal. Commented [DM16]: Titles are in lower case, as
doi:10.2139/ssrn.2217587 mentioned in all previous feedback.

Campbell, K. R., Warnica, M. J., Levine, I. C., Brooks, J. S., Laing, A. C., Burkhart, T. A., &
Dickey, J. P. (2015). Laboratory Evaluation of the gForce Tracker™, a Head Impact
Kinematic Measuring Device for Use in Football Helmets. Annals of Biomedical
Engineering, 44(4), 1246-1256. doi:10.1007/s10439-015-1391-7
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Kroshus, E., Kerr, Z. Y., & Lee, J. G. (2017). Community-Level Inequalities in Concussion
Education of Youth Football Coaches. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 52(4),
476-482. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2016.12.021

Murphy, A. (2017). Supplemental Material for Parents’ Intentions to Allow Youth Football
Participation: Perceived Concussion Risk and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Sport,
Exercise, and Performance Psychology. doi:10.1037/spy0000102.supp