How football research has impacted my understanding of the sport.

Since I was young, I have been a fan of professional and collegiate football. As I got older the nuances of football became more interesting. I became more focused on how the game worked. At this time, I learned about the effect concussions had on people's lives not only right away but the long-term effects of reoccurring head injuries.

By the time I entered into my junior year of high school, I was given the opportunity to use a computer science club to create my own project. For this, I wanted to find a way to create a sensor that could be placed inside an NFL helmet that could read and learn the impact and movement that could lead to a concussion so players could be removed from the game of play. I was able to connect with two neuroscientists at the Medical University of South Carolina. Unfortunately, a week after I had connected to and spoken with the medical professionals, the world shut down due to COVID-19 and the project never made it past the idea stage. This did not deter my interest in understanding the effects of concussions.

When I entered Syracuse University in the fall of 2021, I knew I wanted to be involved in concussion or Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) research somehow. During the first meeting of orientation, I approached Francesco Riverso about either starting a new research opportunity or working with faculty on research they are already conducting. He was able to connect me with four Falk faculty members who were working on CTE research. I was able to get hands-on experience and learn more about CTE as well as how to properly conduct research. Thanks to this opportunity, I was connected with the SOURCE grant research program at Syracuse. #research

With the help of the faculty members, I had worked with, I along with another student applied to do a research project as a sophomore. Our project focuses on looking to find if there is a correlation between rule changes in the NFL, specifically focusing on those that affect quarterbacks, quarterback sneaks, and sacks, and the rate of concussions per year. We are trying to see if the Peltzman effect exists in these scenarios. Being involved in this type of research has given me a greater appreciation for the practices which go into the final presentation of a research question.

While my end goal is not to develop new and safer helmets nor is it to examine the rules and make them better, this research has given me a clear view of where I want to go in my career as well as how I can get there. I have gained a greater appreciation and awareness for the game of football. As I watch the games now, I am more aware of injuries and the plays that had led to injuries. I am a greater advocate now than I had been in the past for concussions and how players need to be rehabilitated now after participating in research.

Through an outside job, we had to analyze our top 5 Clifton Strengths and mine said that I strive to be occupied and productive. I have found my purpose in the research I have been involved. I have found that I am learning more about the sport in which I desire to work as well as the nuances which are found in injuries, the likelihood of injury occurrences, and how rules and protection might make players more reckless. ?