The Dangers of Brain Injury in Youth Sports

As the number of reported cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI) increases in professional sports, so too does awareness of concussions at the college and amateur levels. The NFL now takes helmet to helmet contact as a serious offense after coming under intense scrutiny for allowing players to reenter the game after sustaining brain jarring hits. Professional leagues have their reputation and financial interests to consider, but what about little league players or high school athletes looking to advance their game to the next level?

The following interactive data visualization breaks down the total number of traumatic brain injuries sustained by children under 19 years of age between the years of 2001 and 2009. The data, taken from a 2011 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is categorized according to gender, age range, and sport/activity. No matter your level of expertise on the subject, the numbers have a way of speaking for themselves.

Check out this great infographic compliments of 1Point 21 Interactive.

*please note that these numbers reflect American Statistics but I will work on getting some Canadian numbers.