As students start a new season of high school sports, school records show football players aren't the only ones at risk of concussions.
While football players make up about one-third of those injuries within Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), just about every sport is represented, according to the district's most recent concussion data from the 2016-2017 school year.
CMS reported 98 football-related concussions during the 2016-2017 season, followed by 42 concussions related to boys and girls soccer, 19 for girls basketball, 17 for boys and girls lacrosse, 15 for girls volleyball,14 for wrestling and 12 for cheerleading.
Rugby, baseball, softball, field hockey, tennis and even running, swimming/diving and dance are also on the concussion list from that school year. Almost a third of those injured that year were girls.
From 2013 through 2017, medical professionals diagnosed roughly 950 CMS student-athletes with a concussion, according to district records. That's the equivalent of roughly 230 concussions a school year.
According to CMS records, Myers Park had the most concussions during that time with 130, followed by Providence and Ardrey Kell with 96 each and Hough with 93.
- Myers Park 130
- Ardrey Kell 96
- Providence 96
- Hough High School 93
- Olympic 64
- Butler 61
- Independence 61
- Hopewell 47
- Berry 46
- East Mecklenburg 46
- Mallard Creek 36
- North Meck 29
- Garinger 22
- West Charlotte 22
- West Meck 22
- South Mecklenburg 23
- Harding 17
- Vance 14
- North Meck 13
- Rocky River 9
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports concussions can cause short and long-term effects impacting thinking, sensation, language and emotion.
Retired NFL player and Charlotte Today host Eugene Robinson experienced multiple concussions and is still living with short-term memory loss as a result. The longtime high school wrestling, track and football coach said he's constantly watching his players for the warning signs.
"I can remember getting kicked in the head and I would see stars and what I would do is I would try to grab the stars," Robinson said. "This is not the time to tough it out. If you're hurt and you feel like something's wrong, I need to know. You get to recognize that very, very quickly, because you don't want to misdiagnose that. You misdiagnose that, you're talking about somebody's life."