All This Football Is Giving Me A Headache??
I know, I know, somebody will say “Oh Paul, this post is such a downer! I mean, the Superbowl is next weekend!” You’re probably wondering if I even follow football, right? Well, yes I do. I cheer and give ALL allegiance to the ONLY team-God’s Team-The Dallas Cowboys.
Now that approximately 90% of you are completely turned off by this blog, I’ll continue. Check out this ARTICLE that focuses on concussions and football. It’s actually very interesting (and scary if you play football or wrestle, box, MMA, etc.). Anyway, what’s your opinion? More research, right? ALOT more needed it seems.
This is phenomenal research! Those hits on the football field, seen in the video, were monstrous! Fans watch football for those hard hits.
Classic example of “punch-drunk syndrome” would be, heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali. If parents were aware of the impact CTE has on a football player’s brain, do you think they would allow them to play so young or at all? I would like to see how this research develops.
The brown spots on brains caused by CTE remind of the browning of cut or bruised apples . Yowza!
This is very startling news for me as a pro-sports fanatic and especially as a football fan. We all cheer loudly when someone gets hit hard but we never think about what the consequences of that are. Much more people think about these brain injuries being more likely in boxing but it turns out that it is just as likely in football. Hopefully there is someway to be able to play football at any level without these repercussions occurring at all. I think that football should still be played, but I think that it is essential to find another way of protection not just for the head, but for the brain.
Also… GO PACKERS!!!
The research that has been done is very interesting, but of course, more needs to be done. Some players in the NFL have been labeled as “Dirty Players” because of their ruthless hits on other players. For example, Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens was labeled as one of the dirtiest players of 2009. Some of this is because of the hard hits he puts on his opponents, whether it’s a legal hit or a helmet to helmet illegal hit. Ray Lewis is one of the hardest hitting players in the NFL and players need to be protected. Players giving or receiving hard hits over time, is doing damage to both players and shown in Dr. Ann McKee’s research has shown.
This research may have an effect on parents on what sports their child can and cannot play. Parents just want to look over their child’s well-being. Of course, people shouldn’t live in fear but this has now been brought to attention of the public and it is something serious to think about.
My opinion of you, Professor Gregory being a Cowboy fan…. “BOOOO!” Haha. Just thought I’d give my opinion of your choice in NFL team.
I have read about this study and movement before but I am surprised you don’t hear about it more often. I think that football players, at all levels, need to be educated about the consequences of playing football and hitting other players. It is insane to me that more players in the NFL aren’t concerned about living short lives because of their careers.
I was thinking, especially after reading about Madden’s comments, that this didn’t seem to be a problem when helmets were not made the way they are now and the rest of the body was protected more. Players used their bodies instead of their heads (maybe like rugby?). Obviously, taking away the helmets is not the answer but I do feel that it is something to think about.
I would like to let you know that I also “BOOO” your choice of football team but can’t really blame you because if I moved from Wisconsin I would still be a Packer fan.
I actually read this article before noticing that it was part of this blog, and yes it is very scary to think about. Just the reaction of the player in this article… “jesus”, is a scary realization of the brain damage suffered throughout an extended period of time playing football. Baseball is developing a safer helmet due to fastballs to the head, so this may be an avenue that the NFL may want to look into. The complaint in the MLB is that they are a little heavier to wear, but when it comes to head safety, the weight shouldnt be a deterent. Clearly this is a big topic in many sports from a lot of age groups and needs to be researched further.
In admitting to being a VIKINGS fan, i hope i wont lose points for knocking your team from the playoffs this year….
I immediately thought of Muhammad Ali when I first read this. He is probably the most well known case of this condition. The research that Dr. McKee has done is very interesting. It really brings to light the nature of how physical sports are and how there may be long-term effects aside from the short-term effects. It makes me wonder; maybe Brett Favre is already experiencing some of it because for the past for years he seems to keep forgetting that he retired at the end of the previous season. All humor aside, this is an alarming study.
It’s tough for me not to just shrug my shoulders and go on my way since football is such a part of me. I grew up in Texas for 18 years. Anyone who knows about Texas football knows that it’s a big deal down there. Football has long been a way for kids to get out of their town and go to high school and maybe the NFL. The sociology of sports is a newer area of sociology but very interesting. I wonder if this study will have an impact on contact sports like football. By the way….Go Cowboys.
After this article there is no question, I will not allow my children to play football! I cringe every time I see a player land on their neck, I worry I am going to see a limb snap or a bone protrude from the skin; in addition, now I will imagine shattered brains like the dead football players.
This article helped shed a new light on how seriously football players abuse their bodies; specifically, their brains all for the love of the game. In our society, football players are regarded as celebrities so the risk seems minimal compared to the lifestyle perks, but knowing the consequences, I wonder when are the rules going to change?
I think it’s great that FINALLY the proper amount of time and research are focused on this topic. I think it’s essential we all understand the risks of playing contact sports as well as the best means of limiting long-term injury. However, I think we also have to remember the MANY positives that come from playing these sports-working toward a common goal, focus, fitness, team work and much more. There is certainly a degree of danger involved in pretty much anything we do but occasionally we get carried away with the potential for injury and try to Kid-Safe our world-which can have significant negative actions too…. It is undoubtedly a good thing to better understand the impact of head injuries in sports(and all activities) but we must also maintain a “happy-medium” of safety and living life without always fearing injury….
I believe the most important aspect of all of this is to change the environment in sports-especially football-and to get away from the “walk it off” culture that exists. We can get new and safer helmets, pads, tackling strategies, etc but from an early age football players are taught “if you can walk, you can play.” That mentality does not work with head injuries. MANY players feel pressure from the coach as well as team peer-pressure to get back on the field ASAP and head injuries don’t LOOK as bad as a broken bone. This change will be the hardest to institute with the generations of previous players, coaches and fans but I believe could have the greatest positive impact.
This is a very interesting article to read and I do think that this research should be looked into further to find out more of the affects of contact sports in general on athletes. However, being an athlete myself, I have a hard time thinking that these sports will be limited or that their players will give more consideration to whether they want to play or not. Anyone who has been injured playing the sport they love continue to want to play and many, including me, say that its worth the risk to be able to continue playing.
I don’t really find all the numbers in this article to be very shocking. I have played football since I was 6 or 7 and always watched my older brother play all the way up to the college level. Because of this I have always been aware of the concussions in the sport and how likely everyone is on the field to experience one. Teams that I have played on along with probably 99% of all teams in the nation go over safe tackling techniques, which didn’t include using your head. That makes you wonder why these head injuries are still a huge issue with the sport. Well i looked at some of the responses to this article and found a possible answer to this. Should football players be wearing helmets. It might seem like a dumb question, but answer this question; If you had a helmet on would you be afraid to hit another player headfirst? What about if you didn’t have a helmet on? The person that had this responses also brought up the sport of rugby and how they don’t wear helmets. I think it would be interesting to compare football and rugby in terms of head injuries and possibly consider the idea of no helmets.
WoW. Is all I can really say. I find it amazing that they have done research on the brain and found these spots. As well as the long term effects that playing football has. I am not a sports fan at all and I know that they get paid millions and millions of dollars but I think my brain is priceless. NO amount of money is worth it in the end. I just cant believe that after the research that they still allow football! But then again we have free will and we have the choice to take care of our bodies! So amazing.
I find this hilarious. While 90% are turned off by the comment. Dallas is the only team that is worth anything in football and I swear by it. Sure romo screws up alot, and sure witten drops balls, we used to be the most penalzied team in the leaque.. not anymore thanks alot packer fans! We enjoyed having that title. Dallas is a team where when they are loosing they get rough, it seems like they have fun doing it. I have seen alot of articles about football not being safe. It is the profession you signed up for they are paid millions to do it, so who are we to judge? If you dont want to get hurt, take dance or something.
Even thought I am not much of a football fan, I do know many guys (friends and family) who have played football. This article is so interesting but scary because the fact that young kids are being exposed to being hit and possibly get concussions is a scary thing. But if a person is willing to play the sport with the knowledge of knowing that there are hidden dangers that can happen with the sport that is their choice. I although think sports in general need to be re-looked at because myself have been in sports my whole life and from that I am 20 and had 2 laberal tears in my hips. Sports in general should be looked at to make them more safe.
This research shocks me! Don’t get me wrong, I watch a lot of football and have seen some pretty intense hits, but I never knew how much internal damage these hits could potentially lead to! I was shocked to see even the small amounts of the tau protein in a high school players brain, compared to a NFL player and even again compared to the large amount found on a professional boxers brain!
As much as this shocks me, I don’t think it will stop me from allowing my future children to play football or other contact sports. Though I am sure this affects hundreds of ex-NFL players, we as the public don’t hear about it much, which makes me wonder how bad the actual aftermath actually is.
I am not surprised by these stats either. The prevalence and incidence of concussions in any rough sport is simply one of the consequences players must weigh when choosing to pursue their choice sport. As a parent, I would love to shield my son from anything that can harm him, but the best I can do is explain the good and the bad and let him make his decision. I was a bit relieved when he choose to play soccer because it’s not as rough at the elementary level.
Soccer and hockey are other two major sports where concussions are a fact. However, Alex’s comment about how people cheer louder when someone goes down hard is very true. If everyone was gentle and respectful I doubt we’d have arenas and stadiums filled to capacity.
The only team I hate more then the Cowboys is the Yankees… Anyways I find that the NFL is finally taking “baby steps” towards research that will ultimately help players/coaches/staff/etc. understand how serious these head injuries are. As fans we see these big hits multiple times during games and are surprised that most of the times players actually get up. I think after the Bills Tight End two years ago (forgot his name) was paralyzed after blocking on a kick return, sent shockwaves throughout the NFL and to the players and fans about how serious this game is when it comes to life-threatining injuries. I only hope that with more research that we can find out more and more information about how concussions can affect players and more safter boundaries for players who endure concussions.