On 4/24/09, I posted an article called "Recent MLB Umpire Head Injuries Prompt Discussion".
I received a lot of responses, but of them, 3 were of umpires and/or hockey referees who had discussed the importance of wearing a mouthguard to prevent concussions where force is applied to the jaw area. These 3 individuals seemed to imply this important factor had been missed when discussing head injuries and umpires.
Anyway, I've been doing some research on the subject and found there definitely appears to be some strong supporters of wearing a mouthguard in contact sports for the prevention of concussions in addition to tooth protection even when there is a mask or helmet used.
Of course, there is no specific research as it applies to umpires or even catchers that I found. But there's an article here with a good overview:
http://www.sportsdentistry.com/concussion.html
So what do you think? Anyone have any further insights on the subject? Do you wear one? Would you consider wearing one? Why or why not?
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5 comments:
What percentage of umpire concussions likely form from shots to the jaw? I'd think with a properly fit mask, the blow should disperse evenly across the padding. I say properly fitting because I was having some problems when a top strap on my mask became too loose, resulting in me jutting my jaw out to keep my mask from sliding down my cap bill. I took one shot on the mask and immediately had to fix the problem. That type of situation would be the only time I'd consider wearing a mouth guard.
I umpire fast pitch softball and I'm also a football and basketball official. I have a whistle in my mouth as an official for the other two sports but I count on my big loud mouth to make calls as an umpire. For that reason I would not use a mouthguard as an ump. The verbal calls are too important to put up with a mouthfull of rubber.
As an umpire of Babe Ruth and up to the JC level, who has gotten a concussion from a foul ball, all I can say is, "if you don't protect yourself at all costs and forget about your pride and ego, then you are going to get hurt." I have worn a mouth guard for close to 12 years now and it doesn't take anything away from your game. Wear it! Be safe, rather than sorry!
I think the discussion about umpire head injuries is an important one. I have to admit I was a little skeptical at first about the necessity of the helmet-style mask. Although I've not taken any direct hits to my head, I have taken enough to the mask to ask myself if the helmet is in fact a good idea. There is a jarring sensation in the jaw area upon impact which could indeed be absorbed by a mouthguard.
I had not thought of the idea of wearing a mouthguard myself (although I have noticed Manny Ramirez wears one) until I noticed MLB Umpire Andy Fletcher (http://www.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/umpires/bio.jsp?id=2357)wearing one behind the plate in a recent game. He was not wearing the helmet.
My first thought was it's probably a good idea to wear a mouthguard. I can see the benefit of having the teeth protected and some shock absorption to prevent any head injury. My next thought was about verbal calls and communication. Does the mouthguard interfere? It didn't sound like Fletcher's calls were inaudible. What do you do with the guard when consulting with a coach, player, etc.? Personally, I'm not sure how sanitary or professional it is to hold a slobbery mouthpiece in your hand while you receive lineup changes.
I'm definitely up for trying the mouthpiece though. If I listen to my gut, the helmet-style mask combined with the mouthpiece are probably the safest options, but I can't seem to bring myself to adopt the helmet. I guess I'm a bit of traditionalist.
Thank you so much for sharing your detailed thoughts. I think you summed up the collective thoughts on this issue. Skeptical yet interested. You can see the logic in it but yet have concerns (audibility and professionalism).
As a supplier, I have all those same thoughts during this exploratory phase. I'm still researching, and everyone's thoughts to date are much appreciated. Keep the thoughts coming.
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