Custom «The Risk of Heading a Soccer Ball» Essay Paper Sample

Soccer Balls and Brain Damage

The soccer players expose themselves daily to the risk of brain injury by engaging in the soccer games. This is due to the impact that the balls have on the players head upon contact. This can, however, be protected by the use of the appropriate headgear. The chances of the damage can also be avoided by ensuring the soccer balls are made from materials that cannot absorb moisture. This paper presents an article discussing the issue and how it can be resolved.

Soccer Balls Could Injure Brain

The author of an article in USA Today suggests that the soccer players expose themselves to jeopardy by heading balls. The article states that soccer players should use the right techniques when heading a ball to avoid jeopardy. The jeopardy associated with heading a ball occurs each time a player uses their head to stop the ball or redirect it. This is cited to be a possible cause of brain injury to football players (Elizabeth, 2012).

The author reports that researchers in the topic cite the high speed of the balls to be the possible cause of brain injury. The head of the players is thus likely to get traumatic brain injury resulting from the highball speed. The article further states that the cognitive impairment to the players could sometimes be mild. In such cases, the issue still raises a high public concern because there are numerous soccer players worldwide. The article further states that children should use appropriate balls to allow them develop the necessary neck strength. This also serves to allow the children to get the body control that is necessary for appropriate heading skills.

The article further states that the evidence is clear due to the death of Jeffry Astle who died from a brain disease. The player had a reputation of being a fierce header in many matches.

It is further evidenced by the medical report that tested the damage he suffered is most common among athletes and footballers (Elizabeth, 2012). The article further attributes this to the material from which the ball is made. This further implies that they do not absorb moisture. The solution could also result from devising a headgear for the soccer players (Elizabeth, 2012).

Ethical Significance

The ethical dilemma among the medics is the privileged information they have about the dangers posed by heading soccer balls. The dilemma is whether they should raise the alarm concerning the dangers. The principle of distributive justice has an implication that the society owes a duty to individuals who are in need. In this context, the society and the authorities including the medical fraternity owe a duty of care to the soccer players to protect them (Dimond, 2008). The principle of formal and material cooperation, on the other hand, suggests that it is impossible for an individual to do good without doing some evil. This implies that as the soccer players do well by playing football and at the same time, they expose themselves to an evil of harming their health. The principle of cooperation is used to help individuals distance themselves from social evils (Dimond, 2008). This helps them to achieve common good. This ethical principle helps individuals to attain chose the best option while confronted with hard decisions. The players the health fraternity and the authorities should use this principle to come up with a decision.

Personal Position

The medical fraternity is faced by an ethical dilemma, as they are clear from the research that the players are exposed to a great risk (Dimond, 2008). Since medics conduct the research, they have privileged information about the danger. The medics are in an ethical dilemma; they know soccer players generate funds for their clubs and this benefits the owners and managers of the soccer clubs. The medical fraternity should be among the initial groups to raise the alarm about the danger associated with heading the ball. The medics are also able to use this information to understand any reported cases of brain issues among soccer players (Dimond, 2008).