Ouch, That Hurt!

Most times when you think about concussions you think of them happening to football players, yet concussions happen to all athletes during all different sports. A concussion is a “traumatic brain injury that alters the way your brain functions. Effects are usually temporary, but can include problems with headache, concentration, memory, judgment, balance and coordination,” stated as the definition on MayoClinic.

Marjama ducking away from pitch
in a game against UC Davis.
photo by Nick Wilson for Daily 49er

With baseball season in full swing now, we are seeing players at risk of getting a concussion. Mike Marjama, junior and Dirtbag third baseman, ducked out of way of a pitch headed for his head during a game verses UC Davis, which could’ve ended much differently. Pitchers are able to throw a ball with speeds up to 90 miles per hour and a helmet cannot always protect a player.

A famous incident of a baseball player suffering a concussion after being hit in the head from a pitch was in 2009 when New York Met’s David Wright was hit by a 93-mph fastball.  Since concussions have become a predominate issue in Major League Baseball, they are mandating that players who experience a concussion be placed on a seven-day disabled list “since symptoms are often resolved in five to seven days,” said in an article from the Los Angeles Times.

Met's player, David Wright, is hit in the head by a fastball.
photo by David Pokress

Concussions usually occur in athletes who play contact sports, like football or soccer, but that doesn’t mean that athletes who play other sports, like baseball or volleyball, are exempt from getting a concussion. Janisa Johnson, volleyball outside hitter, got a concussion when she fell down while getting a flu shot, as noted in an article from the Daily49er. Either you are on the playing field or living everyday life, you are at risk of a concussion. We need to be careful and take care of our bodies.