U.S. Soccer Addresses Concussions, But Problem Remains With Football

In order to reduce the risk of concussions, U.S. Soccer announced changes on Nov. 2 that will prohibit heading of balls for players 10 years or younger. The safety measure, which comes in response to a 2014 lawsuit, will also limit headers to practice only for children ages 11 to 13.

According to a study by the United States National Electronic Injury Surveillance System — which used an algorithm to extrapolate data collected from 100 U.S. hospital emergency rooms to estimate national figures — soccer players suffer the third-most concussions compared to other sports.

Still, football remains leagues ahead of the pack. But, perhaps surprisingly to some, basketball follows in second place.

Of course, that only accounts for the general public and not the professional atmosphere. So, in the National Basketball Association, are concussions a concern like these numbers suggest?

As the visualization above shows, there were 14 concussions throughout the 2014-15 season — the eighth-most common injury in the league. That’s not insignificant, but those 14 aren’t nearly as alarming when compared to the NFL.

Like we see in the NBA, several injuries outrank concussions in the NFL — namely to extremities (knees, ankles) and the more general “illness.” The key distinction is raw volume, as pro football recorded 115 concussions, which is more than eight times the number for professional basketball players in the same span.

Of course, football utilizes a 53-man roster compared to the 12-man team for basketball. This might hint at a giant apples-to-oranges disconnect between the two sports, but the athletes end up playing roughly the same amount when accounting for regular-season schedules (16 games vs. 82 games). The key difference is that basketball, while still a contact sport, is far less aggressive physically by comparison.

Even though the variables at play make football eminently more dangerous, the 2015-16 NBA season has already seen four concussions so far this season (to Andrew Bogut, Mitch McGary, Patrick Beverley and Victor Oladipo). But when you consider that Week 8 of the 2015 NFL season saw a particularly brutal rash of injuries — including a whopping seven concussions in a single day — the NFL has the biggest problem, and it’s not close.

We’re getting to the point where fans can’t discuss the NFL (and American football in general) without thinking about concussions. It’s certainly a step in the right direction that U.S. Soccer is addressing its own concerns, while the NBA and NFL have implemented their own concussion protocols. But the data ultimately shows that the magnitude of the problem is, no surprise, tied closest to the NFL.

And despite adjustments that include penalizing helmet-to-helmet hits and hits on defenseless receivers, as well as adding sideline concussion assessments, football simply must find a way to adapt faster and more effectively.

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