Concussions prompt football retirement

Adin Zweigbaum
January 22, 2020

My hand shakes as I click the arrow and send, ending my football career forever.

There were a lot of factors that played into this decision, however, the primary reason for quitting football was the fact that the risk was far greater than the reward. As a person who has suffered two traumatic head injuries, I had been extremely concerned for my safety when I played football. I have experienced short-term effects of head injuries to the extent of forgetting the order and names of the months for a short period of time, and I don’t want to be at risk of experiencing other significant symptoms later in life. 

I have played football since third grade. I used to imagine that I would become a professional player, but now I realize this dream is far from reality. After eight years of playing football, I made the decision to quit the sport and pursue other endeavors.

Don’t get me wrong, playing football has molded me into the person I am today. A lot of my work ethic, team skills and morals have come out of playing football. There are very few sports besides football that teach a person the importance of teamwork, and I don’t think I would have learned it without playing. At this point in my life, I feel I have a good understanding of how to work with a team and its importance, and I don’t think football can teach me any more than it already has.

It is essential that students learn the values taught by sports, but once a sport has given a person everything it has to give, there becomes a point where the risk is far greater than the reward. After learning how to cooperate with others and how to get past mental barriers, the only thing left for me to gain were concussions or other injuries. I don’t want another concussion or another shattered bone.

Not everyone is going to be a professional athlete, and once a person figures this out, it is extremely important to scale the risks and reward. After taking this all into consideration, I will continue my life with everything football has taught me, but I will no longer play football.