In last Tuesday’s class, we listened to Brandon Boyd of the Concussion Legacy Foundation present on the science of concussions and how they are often downplayed in the media. We learned several tips for reporting on concussions so that we can be more accurate and respectful in our commentary.
As part of the presentation, we watched and listened to several clips of concussions or potential concussions occurring live and evaluated how the announcers discussed the injuries. For homework, we were asked to watch and evaluate two more clips.
The first clip showed a head-to-head collision by two female soccer player, including Kelley O’Hara of the U.S. Women’s National Team. On the first viewing, without audio, the collision appeared to be pretty intense, as both players experienced whiplash after the initial contact. Then, they both seemed to be clutching their heads for a while afterwards. The U.S. trainer appeared to come out and give clearance for O’Hara to return, but the referee waived her off the field instead.
I was very disappointed in the announcers’ coverage of the injury for several reasons. First, they were pretty much silent for the first minute after the contact. Additionally, they seemed to lack specific knowledge of the concussion protocol. They didn’t mentioned the word “concussion” and didn’t explain the conflict between O’Hara and the referee. It left the viewer extremely confused on if the players were allowed to return to play and if they had been properly evaluated.
Also, the announcers appeared to be downplaying the severity of the incident. They referred to it as a “head injury” instead of a brain injury. They also mentioned several times how crucial of a situation this was and how key the players were to their respective teams. Finally, they even mentioned an incident that occurred previously, where a player had been escorted off the field on a stretcher but came back days later to score a goal. All of these small descriptions and phrases implied that the players should ignore the medical professionals and risk their bodies for the sake of the team.
I thought the announcers did a much better job in the second clip. The video showed an awkward play, where a defender jumped offsides, but the play continued and resulted in QB Case Keenum being thrown to the ground, causing his head to bounce violently off the turf. The one announcer properly states that this type of hit is still dangerous and can result in a concussion.
I would have preferred if they detailed the specific concussion protocol because it was surprising that the game wasn’t stopped and Keenum wasn’t looked at. As the game continued, Keenum made a few suspicious mistakes, but the announcers didn’t really mention the possible concussion. Although the initial statement on concussions was more accurate and respectful, the subsequent commentary largely ignored the issue.
This activity was very interesting and insightful because I wouldn’t have batted an eye at either of those clips previously. I was largely ignorant of proper concussion science and commentary. I think it is important to educate journalist and commentators about this issue, but I’m not sure if this will have any significant impact on how the leagues handle this problem.
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