Jun 29, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; MLB umpire Dale Scott reacts during the Arizona Diamondbacks game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Many people are concerned with pro athletes in all sports getting concussions but nobody really thinks about the officials who are on the field that may be at risk.

For MLB umpire Dale Scott, he decided to step away from the game he loves due to suffering concussions being an umpire. According to ESPN, the 58-year-old missed most of this past season due to a concussion suffered this past April. A Mark Trumbo foul ball hit Scott’s mask but still traveled at a pace that caused Scott’s second concussion in nine months. Scott had four concussions in the last five years.

Scott started as an umpire in 1985, was an umpire in the 1998, 2001 and 2004 World Series and became a crew chief in 2001.

It’s always a concern for anyone who has four concussions in five years. While people’s bodies deal with concussions in different ways, there is certainly a higher risk of getting another concussion the more they have suffered as well as a better chance of suffering worse side-effects.

The players are usually the focus when it comes to concussions and rightly so. Players are way more likely to get into collisions with other players or could get a ball thrown or hit at their head. For an umpire, they may not be put into situations all the time that could result in injury but that does sometimes happen. Major League Baseball provides disability for umpires who are forced into retirement due to concussions.

[ESPN]

About Phillip Bupp

Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.

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