The Concussion Legacy Foundation and USA Rugby have joined together to bring Team Up Speak Up to the rugby community. Together we are asking every rugby coach in America to give the Team Up Speak Up Speech to improve concussion culture with their team.
The core message: athletes have a responsibility to speak up to
a team leader if they notice concussion signs in a teammate.
“The number one problem that athletes face with concussions is
that too few are diagnosed. Research says that the majority of
concussions are never reported by athletes. Part of that is because there is a stigma
around reporting concussions,” co-founder
and CEO
of Concussion Legacy Foundation, Dr.
Chris Nowinski.
But there is something that our rugby community can do to change
that.
“It is the beginning of the season for many sports. So this
week, we are aiming to have as many athletes as possible hear the Team Up Speak
Up speech from their coach.”
“We want coaches to talk to their teams about how important it
is to look out for their teammates who may have a concussion. Speaking up on
behalf of a teammate makes them a good teammate.”
Chris further explained that these issues matters on all levels
of the sport. However, the foundation puts a heavy focus on youth and high
school levels.
“Athletes in this range may be the least knowledgeable on the
subject of concussions. The earlier we talk to athletes early about the
importance of reporting and recognizing concussions than the better off they
will be.”
“Also, we want to create this culture on the earliest days of
sports,” Dr. Nowinski added.
The Concussion Legacy Foundation collaborates with national
governing bodies, as well as 21 state high school athletic associations across
North America. Over 200 organizations signup to participate which covers about
6 million athletes.
On the rugby side this year, the foundation has received
pledges and participation from Rugby Ohio, Rugby Oregon, Iowa Youth Rugby, Rugby
Illinois, Rugby Indiana, Texas Rugby Union. As well as the participation of more
than two dozen USA Rugby college and high school teams pledged to give the
speech already.
Additionally, University
of Northern Iowa Women’s Rugby Team provided a great example of the speech and
one of their players actually was selected as Teammate
of the Year for her work raising awareness on concussion
safety.
Review the 1-page information or visit TeamUpSpeakUp.org to learn more about talking to your athletes about concussions. Click HERE to pledge to participate today.
