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Hello. This is 6 Minute English from
BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
And I'm Georgina.
When it comes to sport, there's something
for everyone. Do you play
a sport, Georgina?
I used to play in a netball team
years ago. Now I go jogging and
I enjoy swimming too.
Yes, I go jogging sometimes and
I play football, although I'm no Ronaldo!
But some sports, the so-called 'full-contact'
sports like rugby, American football and
boxing are much more dangerous.
Now, the truth about the long-term
effects on players who make a career
taking heavy tackles or punches to
the head is being slowly revealed.
And the issue of safety in sport
was back in the news again
recently when Danish footballer,
Christian Eriksen, collapsed on the
pitch during the 2020 European
football championship.
At the centre of the debate
are worries about possible brain damage
and dementia caused by concussion -
that's a type of traumatic brain injury
caused by a bump or blow to the
head, and the topic of this programme.
Boxing, of course, is one of the most
dangerous sports, and so my quiz
question is about a famous boxer.
Born in 1949, this boxer has
remained mentally and physically
fit despite years of punishment in
the boxing ring. But who am I
talking about? Is he:
a) Muhammad Ali? b) George Foreman?
or c) Mike Tyson?
I'm not a big boxing fan, Neil,
but I'll say b) George Foreman.
OK, Georgina, we'll find out the
answer to that question later
in the programme.
So far, we've been talking about heavy
full-contact sports like boxing, but the
truth is that any sportsperson
can get concussed.
In 2018 hockey player and Olympic
gold medallist, Nicola White, was
involved in a heavy collision with
another player during a
warm-up match.
Here's Nicola telling her story to Paul
Connolly, presenter of BBC World
Service programme, The Inquiry:
I started suffering headaches,
nausea, light sensitivity, noise
sensitivity, my balance was off,
I just felt terrible. I always used to
describe it like I was in Alice in
Wonderland, I just felt in such a
warped world, it just felt
relentless, and it never stopped.
Three years on from that moment
of impact, Nicola is still picking up
the pieces. Despite seeking advice
and treatment from specialists in
the field of head trauma, many of
her symptoms persist.
After the collision Nicola's balance
was off. When something is off,
it's worse than usual.
And off can also mean 'bad', as
in 'this milk smells awful' -
it's gone off!
Nicola felt terrible and her world
was warped - strange and unpleasant.
In fact, three years after the accident,
she was still picking up the pieces -
trying to return to normality
after a crisis or collapse.
Concussion is a problem in many
sports - even those like hockey or
athletics that are not
considered 'full-contact'.
But the dangers involved with
boxing are far greater. In fact, it's
one of the few sports that has
concussion written into the rules.
Yes, that's right. When a boxer is
knocked down, he has ten seconds
to stand up and get his senses
together - if he can't, there's a
good chance he's concussed.
Tris Dixon is a former boxer turned
sportswriter. Here he is speaking to
BBC World Service programme,
The Inquiry, about concussion in
boxing. See if you can spot the
answer to the quiz question
Neil asked earlier:
When you look back through history
and you see that Henry Armstrong,
Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali,
Joe Louis all suffered with neurological
problems as they got older - but
what we also need to find out is
why can you have a fighter like
George Foreman, who's now in
his seventies, and is as bright
as a button after two long
hard careers. Why do some
people seem to have a reserve
that has kept them safe later in life?
Tris mentions some famous
boxers who suffered neurological
problems in later life, and another
boxer who's still 'as bright
as a button' - an expression
used to describe someone who's
happy, cheerful, intelligent,
and full of energy.
It seems that some people have
a reserve - a supply of energy
they keep stored up for use in
the future, when it's needed.
OK, Georgina, let's get back
to my quiz question - I'm pretty
sure you know the answer now?
Yes, I think so. Neil asked me
which famous boxer, born in 1949,
was still mentally alert despite
many years of fighting. I guessed
it was b) George Foreman.
Good listening, Georgina!
Thanks, Neil - looks like I'm
as bright as a button today!
Let's recap the vocabulary
from this programme about
concussion - a traumatic brain
injury caused by a knock
to the head.
When something is off,
it's bad or worse than usual.
The adjective warped means
strange and unpleasant.
To pick up the pieces means to
try to return to the ways things
were before a crisis or collapse.
A reserve is a supply of
something that you kept
back until it's needed.
And finally, someone who's
as bright as a button is very
happy and cheerful, intelligent,
and full of energy!
Sounds like our 6 Minute
English listeners to me!
That's all for our investigation
into concussion in sport, but if
you'd like to find out more about
the subject you can listen again to
the whole programme on the
BBC World Service website.
And if you want to grow your
brain power, not get linguistically
concussed, why not join us again
soon for more topical discussion
and useful vocabulary here at 6
Minute English from BBC
Learning English!
Bye for now!
Bye!