Frontline Report on Football and CTE injuries

[raduray]

What does this mean for the future of the sport and our enjoyment of it. A few random thoughts:

• Even more than now, the sport will attract those from a lower socio economic stratus who are willing to take the risk (or do not understand that risk).
• What must be going through Bryan Stork's mind?
• Why don't I feel more guilt in the enjoyment of this sport?

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Exponent's study says CTE is just a made up scare tactic, and Roger Goodell agrees.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Meanwhile, the NFL continues to claim that this whole issue's being "over-exaggerated".

 

[Dr Pain]

If you haven't seen the frontline story watch it http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/league-of-denial/

If I were Stork I would retire. I played and have had a few concussions in my life. My last one was a year ago when I hit my head on a low door frame. The more you have the easier you get them. My son did not play even though the coaches begged him to, I never forbade him but I never encouraged him and am glad he did not. I may have stopped him if he wanted to play. One of his friends had concussion problems with hockey and now he is a 20 year old kid with problems.

This will spell the end as we know it at some point. Australian rules football is a good substitute.

Football is like heavyweight boxing in the 80s.

 

[Fencer]

I first noticed Australian Rules Football in the 1980s. It may actually be the coolest version of the sport.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

Sorry, but this isn't as important as deflated footballs, ball boys, and text messages.

 

[Fencer]

I recognize how central the gladiatorial aspect is to football, but I think for reasons of health it's going to be drastically reduced over time -- unless equipment somehow solves the problem, but I don't think it will.

Bodies change velocity suddenly, due to collisions; heads are attached to bodies; so heads will have sudden velocity changes as long as those collisions are happening. It would be great if all the brain damage was only being caused by "extra" banging that can be removed from the game without essentially changing it, but my guess is that that's not how things are going to work out.

 

[SVN]

Bill Simmons ‏@BillSimmons 2h2 hours ago
Time for the NFL to create another DeflateGate-type story to deflect everyone's attention from that Frontline report.

 

[deters]

wow, this could be huge, especially with the movie coming out too. As soon as the NFL's eyes heal, they get punched again.

 

[dales804]

Such a brutal sport. I'm sure the NFL will just say that they're always looking for ways to improve safety in the game. Like adding more games to the schedule, for instance...

 

[dales804]

Bill Simmons ‏@BillSimmons 2h2 hours ago
Time for the NFL to create another DeflateGate-type story to deflect everyone's attention from that Frontline report.

Dead on. Can almost hear the timer ticking down until another spygate/deflategate "report" is put out.

 

[venecol]

The sad part is how the NFL is promoting this Heads Up Football program to mothers and children. I know this has been posted before but here's Madden's take on it:

“I’m a firm believer that there’s no way that a six-year-old should have a helmet on and learn a tackling drill,” Madden said. “There’s no way. Or a seven-year-old or an eight-year-old. They’re not ready for it. Take the helmets off kids. . . . Start at six years old, seven years old, eight years old, nine years old. They don’t need a helmet. They can play flag football. And with flag football you can get all the techniques. Why do we have to start with a six-year-old who was just potty trained a year ago and put a helmet on him and tackle? . . . We’ll eventually get to tackling.”

 

[BelichickFan]

Going back to leather helmets and adding significant shock absorption materials would probably help a lot, make the "helmet" a protector not a weapon.

 

[farn]

Some of the NFL players have alternatives. Others, surely don't. What is better : risking head injury by competing a few years in the league while making substantial cash or wasting away in a rough neighbourhood in a dead end job, or no job at all ? Some players might prefer the risk.

 

[Wrath Mania]

Only way sport will survive is if they are up front about the potential effects and have all players sign some sort of waiver form acknowledging and accepting the high risk, while the league also searches for genuine ways to make the game safer- i.e. not tacky rule changes and bogus fines. So far there's no reason to think any of that will happen though.

 

[dales804]

Watching the Frontline report that you can get at the bottom of the article. Can't believe I didn't watch this before. It's amazing. Very gripping, heart wrenching and eye opening.

 

[Zeus]

Sorry, but this isn't as important as deflated footballs, ball boys, and text messages.

Don't forget revenue. Nothing is as important as revenue ...

 

[TommyD4207]

This is the report ESPN dropped out of, correct?

 

[Tuck]

If you haven't seen the frontline story watch it http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/league-of-denial/

If I were Stork I would retire. I played and have had a few concussions in my life. My last one was a year ago when I hit my head on a low door frame. The more you have the easier you get them. My son did not play even though the coaches begged him to, I never forbade him but I never encouraged him and am glad he did not. I may have stopped him if he wanted to play. One of his friends had concussion problems with hockey and now he is a 20 year old kid with problems.

This will spell the end as we know it at some point. Australian rules football is a good substitute.

Football is like heavyweight boxing in the 80s.

I liken the NFL to a sausage. It tastes good, just don't ask what goes into it.

 

[JarOfMayo51]

Exponent's study says CTE is just a made up scare tactic, and Roger Goodell agrees.

Well that clears things up for me! Haha