The Dangers Of Heading A Soccer Ball
“Heading the ball,” is a major part of the game of soccer, but recently there has been discussion of prohibiting “headers” from the game. In soccer, a “header” is when a player advances the ball using their forehead. The head takes the force of the ball. Recent evidence shows that it is possible that headers may cause player concussions or produce long-term brain damage. Many former and current professional soccer players as well as some National Soccer organizations have taken part in the fight against headers. Critics and researchers assert that heading the ball in soccer is more damaging to the brains of children and females. With these dangers, the laws and recommendations related to heading in soccer …show more content…
Chastain is a member of the Safer Soccer Initiative; which prevents headers for player under 14. According to USA Today, Chastain has announced that she plans to donate her brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation after death (Brennan pars. 1-4). In an interview, she explained her reason for the decision by stating “hopefully, what can be learned is, can doctors and scientists and neuroscientists look at the brain of someone like me, who has been playing soccer a majority of my life, and really dissect the brain. Could we then use that information to help say that before the age of 14, it’s not a good idea to head the ball?’’ Chastain has never hesitated doing headers throughout her career. She suffered two concussions while playing at Santa Clara University, but returned to the game after both concussions. Chastain recalls occasionally “seeing stars”, but says she always “shook it off.” She also discussed often going into rooms and forgetting what she was there for. Although this happens to almost everyone, she thinks she may be her losing her memory or “the start of something”. However, Chastain does admit this may be simply age-related. She also questions that in a similar way to ACL injuries, she believes that women are more susceptible than men to brain damage from …show more content…
One example is Christina Lee. An article by the Mercury News explains how Lee grew up in San Jose and started playing soccer when she was 4. She went on to play soccer at Presentation High School and had a goal of playing in college. However while playing high school, Lee faced 7 concussions, her 7th during senior year being her worst (Emmons). Lee states that "it got to the point where the more concussions I got, the easier it was to get them." She then says, "The last one was much worse. I was feeling very angry for no reason, and the doctor said it was affecting the part of the brain that controls emotion. So I had to walk away from soccer, and that was really hard. "Her memory was impaired; she suffers from a cognitive disorder commonly known as “face blindness” (this means she struggles to recognize those she knows in out of context situations). Lee does her best to not let her injury hold her back, and in an interview explained that most people do not realize she suffers from a brain injury. In 2014, Lee ran across the U.S. raising money for the Navy SEAL Foundation and more specifically in honor a Navy SEAL who suffered a fatal brain injury in service. She was also featured on the cover of Runner’s World Magazine in