Download Richard Hopkins (Your first and last names)

Laura Mora (Your first and last names)
Ms. Mora (Your teacher or professor’s title and name)
English I, Period 1 (Your class and period. Note that the class has a ROMAN numeral)
24 September 2010 (Due date, not the date you worked on the project)
AOW #2: Football’s Wounded Gladiators
Article Summary (Insert these words here as a title for this section, your summary)
(Use TAB, not the space bar to indent!)
According to Stephen Markman of the online news
magazine, The Week, in an article dated October 15, 2009, concussions put football players at a
higher risk for permanent brain injuries. In “Football’s Wounded Gladiators”, the author explains
the dangers of concussions in a sport especially prone to such injuries. A concussion—a sort of
brain bruise—often results from a blow to an athlete’s head. Markman (After you first state an
author’s first and last name, refer to him or her ONLY by their last name) reports
such injuries can end in
temporary “nausea, slurred speech, grogginess, and disorientation”. However, more serious
injuries can include Alzheimer’s, dementia, paralysis and even death.
The article asserts football players are well aware of the risks, but while some players are
concerned, others are not. Markman found that among worried players, many actively seek
medical attention and protection. Several such athletes plan to donate their brains and bodies to
help research brain injuries, in the hopes of protecting future athletes. Still, many athletes
seemingly do not care, taking refuge from the statistics in large salaries and widespread
machismo. Not only are such players refusing to admit to the extent or severity of their injuries,
but also, often, exposing themselves to additional, unnecessary re-injuries. According to the
article, a large percentage of players would rather look tough than seem weak.
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At the end of the article, Markman summarizes steps being taken to help prevent and
stem brain injuries. The National Football League (NFL), for example, now mandates “baseline”
tests for athletes, to use to compare against future exams, as a measure of sustained brain injury.
Furthermore, the NFL prohibits concussed athletes from returning to the field without prior
medical clearance. Too, companies are creating better equipment. A new helmet, called the
Xenith X1, slows down brain compression and is fully customizable. Many schools have adopted
it at $350 each and several NFL teams have ordered it, as well.
Opinion (Insert these words here as a title for this section, your opinion)
I found this article fascinating on several different levels. First, I think it is sad modern
societies watch games like American football, rugby, Ultimate Fighting and boxing. There would
be no need for such articles if people stopped participating in these types of barbaric sports. I am
amused by individuals who refer to the Romans and the events that took place in the Coliseum as
“barbaric”, but do not hesitate to sit down to a six hour helping of Sunday or Monday Night
Football. In my opinion, such physical contact sports are equivalent to our own, modern Roman
spectacles. The only difference now, is that we pay our “gladiators” exorbitant sums to kill
themselves for our pleasure. For all of our books and technology, we are no more “advanced”
than human beings thousands of years ago. Our thirst for blood is as ever alive as it ever was.
The other thing I found depressing is how many of these athletes—all of the college
educated—succumb to machismo and “caveman” thinking. I could hardly believe how childhood
taunts still manage swaying grown men into placing themselves in harm’s way. It is
preposterous! What good are millions of dollars if by the time you are supposed to be able to
enjoy them, you are unable to move your body or even remember your name? Sure, everyone
will think you are strong and tough, but those who are also intelligent will think you foolish for
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sacrificing your happiness in the name of money and a tough-guy reputation. Some things in life
are worth it. Some are not. Paralysis and death, to me, are worth neither money nor fame.
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Works Cited
Markman, Stephen. “Football’s Wounded Gladiators.” The Week. The Week, 15 Oct. 2009.
Web. 24 Sept. 2010.
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