Simple words, first spoken in 1905 by the head football coach at Harvard University, need to be heard by athletes at all levels today.
Urbana and Crystal Lake South high schools are among those participating from Illinois
In case any man in any game gets hurt by a hit on the head so that he does not realize what he is doing, his teammate should at once insist that time be called and that a doctor come onto the field to see what is the trouble.
— Coach Bill Reid, Harvard University football, 1905
So in hopes of letting coaches, teachers, parents, and others pass on this important message, which refers to concussions before anyone was saying “football-induced chronic traumatic encephalopathy,” the Illinois High School Association will join hundreds of other organizations, including John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights and the Brain Injury Association of Maryland, for a day of concussion awareness.
The one-day event, which takes place across America on Tuesaday, September 13, is known as “Team Up Day,” sponsored by the Concussion Legacy Foundation, which “believes we all have a responsibility to ensure athletes can reach their full potential on and off the field. We are committed to protecting athletes and families through research, policy, and education.”
In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 3.8 million concussions occur every year but only one in six is actually reported. The foundation and its partners hope to encourage athletes to report concussion symptoms when they see them in order to protect athletes’ long-term health.
“A speech from a person of authority to their team instructing them to report concussion symptoms in teammates has been lost to history. Without this instruction, many players still think they are being a good teammate by covering for a teammate with a concussion,” the foundation writes.
