Sport Trivia

An average of about eight players die each year in the United States as a result of injuries received in games at all levels. Concussions are common, with an estimated 40,000 suffered every year among high school players. The National Football League now collects benchmark measures of awareness for each player, which can be used during a game to judge whether he has been concussed.

Injuries sustained by football players often are permanent. Many former football players experience pain, sometimes severe, that lasts for the rest of their lives. Many players require surgery, even multiple surgeries, for injuries experienced years earlier.