Marcus Wenger

Adam Padgett
ENGL 102
February, 29th 2016
Annotated Bibliography
Inquiry: Has football become too dangerous of a sport?
Proposed Thesis: Football has become a life-threatening, killer sport due to its direct link from
repeated head trauma to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.
SEPPA, NATHAN. Football Linked to Brain Changes. Science News 185.12 (2014): 1212.
Web
This article discusses the shrinking of the hippocampus of the brain as a result of trauma
experienced to the head from playing football and soccer. The hippocampus is the part of the
brain that controls memory which is why memory loss is linked to head injuries. 25% average
decline in hippocampus size in football players with concussions compared with non-players
This information informs the audience of one of the physical results and effects that football is
causing to the brain of many current and former players of the game. This is a very credible
source published by The Society for Science and the Public. The article was published in June of
2014 making it relevant and applicable to my paper because of its fairly recent publication. This
source goes hand in hand with my project because the information and studies gathered helps
support and answer my inquiry question.
Cook, Michael. "BioEdge: Should High School Football Be Banned?" BioEdge. BioEdge, 12
Dec. 2015. Web. 28 Jan. 2016 http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/should-high-schoolfootball-be-banned/11693

This source focuses on the youth playing football looking 1st-12th grade students and the
negative risks that coincide with letting them participate in football. Dr. Bennet Omalu says that
young players are at risk of major depression, memory loss, suicidal thoughts and actions, loss
of intelligence as well as dementia later in life and drug and alcohol abuse as the child enters his
20s, 30s, and 40s. This is a credible article because it is published by bioedge.org and This
article informs the audience with a credible source from a doctor of the many negative life
changing effects that youth football players are exposed to as a result of repeated head trauma.
This article was published in December 2015 meaning the article is still relevant enough to be
used as a credible source.

Breslow, Jason M. "Concussion Watch League of Denial: The NFLs Concussion Crisis
PBS. PBS, 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 02 Feb. 2016.
This source focuses on informing the audience about the likelihood of sustaining a concussion at
the high school level. High school football players are nearly twice as likely to sustain a
concussion as are college players. This was gathered from concussion data and results from all
high schools and colleges. The source also acknowledges that at the time it still remains unclear
on the effect of repeated head trauma on the brain. This is a credible article published by
Frontline that quoted all of their sources and information. This source will be used in my project
to make sure that the audience understands how prevalent concussions are in youth football and
that it does not just exist at the college or professional level. This article source was published in
2013 possibly making it a little out date but still relevant enough to use in my project to show
how much medicine has learned since 2013. I will show how medicine in this field has evolved
so quickly recently with the amount of attention this issue has brought up and the incredible type
of research being done now that was not many years ago.

Wexler, Evan. "FRONTLINE." PBS. PBS, 8 Oct. 2013. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.
This article focused on the 4 stages of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and the
different effects that each stage has on the brain. The four stages are shown with examples of
what the brain looks like with the tau protein deposits at each stage. Tau protein deposits are the
best known sign of CTE. This is a credible article published by Frontline that directly took all of
their information and results of the study by Neuropathologist Dr. Ann Mckee. The source will
be used in my project to explain the effects of why CTE is such a big issue and negatively life
altering. The article was published in late 2013 when the Dr. first discovered this disease in a
former NFL player. The article is a little out of date but the information and study is still relevant.
Decq, Philippe, Nathalie Gault, Mathias Blandeau, Tristan Kerdraon, Miassa Berkal, Amine
Elhelou, Bernard Dusfour, and Jean-Claude Peyrin. "Long-term Consequences of Recurrent
Sports Concussion." Acta Neurochir Acta Neurochirurgica 158.2 (2015): 289-300. Crossmark.
Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
This article is focused on the long-term effects of concussions as a result of participation
in sports. The study was designed to assess the prevalence of major depressive disorder, mild
cognitive disorders and headache in a population of retired high-level sportsmen and rugby
players and to study the link between scores evaluating these disorders and the number of
reported concussions (RCs). The study concluded that athletes with concussions tested higher
for major depressive disorder and a higher rate of mild cognitive disorders. This source will be
used in my project to inform the audience of the direct link that concussions have with brain
disorders in retired athletes. This is a credible source that I found from the web of science
database through the Thomas Cooper Library. The article was published in December of 2015
making it still relevant and up to date with recent findings on the topic of concussions.

"Psychological and Social Benefits of Playing True Sport." TrueSport. U.S. Anti-Doping
Agency,

2014. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.

This article focuses on the positives that youth gain from participating in sports. A
growing body of research literature finds that in addition to improved physical health, sport plays
a primarily positive role in youth development, including improved academic achievement,
higher self-esteem, fewer behavioral problems, and better psychosocial. The article claims that
children who participate in sports are happier and healthier human beings. I will use this source
in my project as a way to acknowledge a possible counter argument to strengthen my argument. I
want to use this source in the middle of my paper so I have time to really establish my argument.
This way after my counter argument I still have the rest of my paper to counter their argument
and go back to supporting my argument. This source was published in 2014 meaning it is recent
enough to be used as a counter argument because information was already out about the negative
effects of concussions and head trauma. This source is credible because it is published and
written by truesport on a .org website.
Babiss, Lindsay A., and James E. Gangwisch. "Sports Participation as a Protective Factor
Against Depression and Suicidal Ideation in Adolescents as Mediated by Self-Esteem and Social
Support."Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics 30.5 (2009): 376-84. Web.
This article focuses on my counter argument which is how beneficial sports participation
can be to both someones mental and physical health. Sports play a huge role in preventing
depression and suicide especially in our youth. The source is credible because it is from a
published journal written by professionals in the field mental health. This source similar to my
other source that addresses the counterargument but is more specific with studies and statistics to
back up their points.