American football and it's causes We all know how popular American football is, but we don't know how dangerous it is. Football players usually experience repeated traumatic injuries that can affect their body and brain. Recently researchers have discovered that concussions and brain trauma which are common in the game can actually lead to severe mental health issues as players age. Concussions and other types of repetitive play-related head blows in American football have been shown to be the cause of chronic traumatic encephalopathy , which has led to player deaths and other debilitating symptoms after retirement , including memory loss , depression , anxiety , headaches , and sleep disturbances .