This Whole Concussion Thing
I'm listening to Rush talk about the NFL and the concussion issue. Every time the subject comes up -- whether he's talking about it or I'm talking to my brother about it or I'm reading about it -- I feel like I know less about it than I did before. Here is how I understand it (and then all of you are more than welcome to try to set me straight).
First, the only reason the subject of concussions has come up is because of the retired players who are suing the NFL due to many of them losing their memory and incurring other brain ailments. They claim the NFL, back in the '70s, covered up data showing that playing football could contribute to long-term brain problems. Had these lawsuits not popped up, concussions wouldn't be an issue at all.
Second, the NFL now overcompensates in the protection of players because it wants to be seen as having "changed its ways" if any of the lawsuits go to court. Also, even though medicine, diagnosis, and equipment have changed since the '70s, the NFL wants to avoid current players down the road getting the same ailments as retired ones. So, essentially, the NFL is trying to minimize the monetary damage from any lawsuits by changing the rules of the game.
Third, as much as I realize the current players know the risk from going out on the field, I'm not sure ex-players knew. My dad played high school and college football, starting all four years, and says he never knew anything about concussion possibilities. So, I understand the ex-players' desire to find out the truth. And I can also understand the desire for the NFL to protect itself from lawsuits that can put it out of business. Remember: Nobody who is in the administration of the NFL today was around at the time of the 70's. Some of the owners were. But, not many. So, really, they're trying to deal with a problem caused by someone else.
And, I'd also be interested to know what all the Ricocheters think should be done to correct the situation if the ex-players are correct in their assertions. And should the rules of the game be changed even though the NFL has come a long way in its recognition of head injuries?
- Comment (45)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (3)
Comments:
Aug '10
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
I once heard that, statistically, pro soccer players suffer more long-term brain damage than football or hockey players, or even boxers.
The key is the frequency, rather than the severity, of the cranial impacts.
In football, hockey, and even boxing, the cranial impacts are severe but infrequent. A football or hockey player that strikes his head badly is taken off the field. A boxer gets hit in the head during a bout, but spends most of his time training, and wears head protection when he spars.
Soccer players, on the other hand, head-butt the ball repeatedly, every single day of their career, when playing in games as well as during practice.
The brain damage in football and hockey make news in part because the examples are exceptional. It's a tragedy when it happens because serious permanent damage is infrequent, and the transition from healthy to brain-damaged happens very quickly.
In pro soccer it's less newsworthy because it's more common, and because the brain-damage accumulates slowly over time, like the frog in the pot of boiling water.
This is all based on anecdotal and apocryphal conversations. I have no citations to back it up.
Aug '10
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
Freakonomics did a podcast about head injuries in football.
I don't think it mentioned pro soccer, but it did talk about how helmets may make head injuries worse and/or more frequent.
May '11
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
There's only so much the league can do. The game to its' core is violent. It will always reward the biggest, fastest and bravest players who aren't afraid to put their body on the line every play. Imho the game will rot from the bottom up. With more information we are learning about head injuries, I don't see how little league and high school football will be able to afford the inflated insurance premiums and probable lawsuits. I've heard reports that much of the brain damage suffered by NFL players often happens before they reach the NFL.
Edited on May 7, 2012 at 10:36pmApr '12
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
Call me a desk-jockey, but it seems pretty obvious to me that playing a sport which involves several of your biggest friends piling up on several of the opponent's players might just possibly have an increased risk of all sorts of physical damage. It's a bit like saying, "Yes, I know being a boxer means I will get hit, but I didn't realize I was going to have a cut lip as a result!"
I'm not unsympathetic to their plight, but... Oh, wait, yes I am. Perhaps this just shows what all of us nerds already knew about the IQ of the football team.
Jul '11
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
The impact was not appreciated by the medical profession until more recently.
Aug '10
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
Pop quiz: Depending how how one compiles the statistics, which college sport has greatest risk of permanent injury and/or death?
Cheerleading.
May '10
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
There are several things in play here. The first Misthiocracy hits on. The idea that they are safer means players are taking more risks. Riskier behavior means more injuries.
Secondly, football players have grown into physical freaks. In 1970 Gene Ferguson of the San Diego Chargers was the only player in the NFL who tipped the scale at 300 pounds. By 1980 the number became three. In 2009 there were 394. Despite rules changes on helmet-to-helmet contact and other safety measures, today's players are subjected to greater violent force than ever before.
The concern here is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. The problem is that the diagnosis is only provable through autopsy.
There have been 11 suicides of retired NFL players since 1990 plus two college players whose suicides have been linked to CTE (Mike Borich and Owen Thomas). There have also been three in the NHL - Derek Boogaard, Wade Belak and Rick Rypian - all suffered from CTE as well.
Other NHL players such as Bob Probert, who have died of natural causes have also been shown to have been inflicted with it.
(Continued)
Edited on May 7, 2012 at 10:29pmMay '10
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
Even faux sports stars in professional wrestling have been effected. Chris Benoit killed his wife and son before turning the gun on himself and Andrew "Test" Martin took his own life with an overdose of drugs.
If the suit against the NFL is successful watch for public schools start bailing on their high school football programs. If that happens the future of the NFL itself will be in the balance.
Nov '11
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
Want to reduce head injuries? Reduce the amount of overall padding.
For instance, boxing gloves aren't used to protect the person getting hit as much as they're to protect the hands of the person doing the hitting. Ever punch a bully in the jaw in the school yard? It hurts your hand. A lot. Bare-knuckled fighters would likely break bones in their own hands before causing brain damage in their opponent.
I'm sure gloves reduce superficial brusing and cuts on the person getting hit, but by allowing the boxer to punch longer and harder without damaging themselves, they allow much more energy to be pounded into the opponent's head and body.
Apply the same logic to football. If you reduce the effectiveness of shoulder pads, knee pads, etc., the attacking lineman wouldn't be able to hit the ball carrier as hard without risking injury to themselves. Again as I understand it, rugby (which is sorta like football, only without the pads) doesn't have nearly the instance of severe head injuries per capita.
Of course, boxing and football wouldn't be as exciting to watch without the all-out play the padding permits.
Aug '10
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
Terry Mott:
Ever punch a bully in the jaw in the school yard? It hurts your hand. A lot. Bare-knuckled fighters would likely break bones in their own hands before causing brain damage in their opponent.
Boxing Deaths from 1998 until 2006 | MMA Death Rates from 1998-2006
1998 = 2 Deaths in the ring | 1998 = 1 Death in the ring
1999 = 6 Deaths in the ring | 1999 = 0 Deaths in the ring
2000 = 10 Deaths in the ring | 2000 = 0 Deaths in the ring
2001 = 12 Deaths in the ring | 2001 = 0 Deaths in the ring
2002 = 10 Deaths in the ring | 2002 = 0 Deaths in the ring
2003 = 10 Deaths in the ring | 2003 = 0 Deaths in the ring
2004 = 9 Deaths in the ring | 2004 = 0 Deaths in the ring
2005 = 7 Deaths in the ring | 2005 = 0 Deaths in the ring
2006 = 4 Deaths in the Ring | 2006 = 0 Deaths in the ring
Total deaths in the ring for between the period of 1998 to 2006:
BOXING 70 deaths
MMA 1 Death
Ironically, MMA was long kept out of Canuckistan because the requirement for weighted gloves in prize fights is listed in Canada's criminal code!
May '10
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
Jun '10
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
I grew up in the '50s and '60s. Everyone in sports knew about the potential of possible concussion and that concussions were scary, although they may not have fully appreciated long term effects.
The best thing football could do is eliminate the hard plastic helmet. Go back to leather helmets. Players would be far more careful with their heads and would not use them as weapons as they do now.
Dec '11
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
I think its reasonably assumed to be an occupational hazard by the standards of today.
What is the leagues responsibility, and what is the players responsiblity to make their life choices about their own health. If the league paid doctors to lie to the players well thats a seperate subject. Also, what is the unions culpability?
Aug '10
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
I've had two concussions.
One was from snowboarding leisurely (ie, non-extreme, not doing tricks). Hit a patch of ice and fell backwards.
The other occurred on a neighbourhood toboggan hill.
Statistically, what's the lesson? People should always wear helmets whenever they do anything above the level of a light jog?
Mar '11
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
Terry Mott:
Of course, boxing and football wouldn't be as exciting to watch without the all-out play the padding permits.
I think this is the #1 determinant of whether or not hard hitting continues in the NFL. Do the people paying money (i.e. the fans) find it thrilling when someone gets pummeled, or are they disguted? I imagine most fans tend toward the former, so I also imagine that the NFL won't be scaling back the aggression in any meaningful way anytime soon.
To connect it with Mollie's thread about pitchers beaning batters: what makes the nightly sports news around the country - a bench-clearing brawl, or a pitcher showing honorable self-restraint?
As always, follow the money.
Edited on May 7, 2012 at 11:04pmMar '12
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
I saw a related item. The original football players did not have helmets and did not willingly stick their heads into players or piles.
The leather helmet did not add much protection and players were still generally unwilling to use their heads to attack opposing players.
The introduction of the modern helmet meant that players began to use their heads to attack opposing players.
There have been significant refinements in helmets throughout the modern era, but there have not been significant refinements of how the brain is situated in the skull in any kind of collision.
My youngest son, who did play high school soccer, was accidentally hit in the head with a soccer ball powered by a kick. He remained upright and was not pulled from the game. He should have been. He did not appear to have a clue of what was going on around him in the game. The upshot was that when we asked him about being hit, he was unaware of that fact, and he had a terrible headache. We kept him up for several hours (a discernible danger period per the medical professionals) before finally letting him go to sleep.
Edited on May 7, 2012 at 11:16pmAug '10
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
Donald Todd:
My youngest son, who did play high school soccer, was accidentally hit in the head with a soccer ball powered by a kick. He remained upright and was not pulled from the game. He should have been. He did not appear to have a clue of what was going on around him in the game. The upshot was that when we asked him about being hit, he was unaware of that fact, and he had a terrible headache.
That's very similar to my snowboarding concussion. I had a headache and nausea, and no recognition of my surroundings, but I still had full equilibrium so I kept right on snowboarding!
I was very lucky I didn't accidentally go down a black diamond trail.
I also had the STRONGEST sense of deja vu. Everything I looked at set off the deja vu impulse. I asked my first year psychology instructor about it years later and he said, "I've never heard of that before. You're weird!"
He then theorized that the agitated electrical impulses were triggering subconscious events in the memory centres of my brain. But he was only a masters student, so who knows?
Mar '11
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
I don't mean to seem heartless, but how could they not know? Everyone's heard questions like, "Did you get dropped on your head?" We instinctively know that head blows lead to nothing good. That's why we involuntarily flinch when objects fly at us unexpectedly.
Voluntarily engaging in activities that have a high probability of sustaining multiple repeated head blows is risky. Except for extraordinary cases, nobody is forced to play football (the obvious exception being the overbearing father in Friday Night Lights). So while we're saddened by these stories, some truly tragic where the injured turn on the innocent, the injured brought this upon themselves. It's akin to chronic smokers dying of lung cancer; it's sad, but that is the path they chose.
Society continues to relieve people of the consequences of their actions and decisions. Next time you're watching an NFL game, count the number of injuries that occur - there's nearly an injury every play. These are not necessarily head injuries, but knees, ankles, ribs, shoulders, etc. Numbers vary, but average NFL career length is 3.5 years. Are we to believe NFL players were unaware?
Aug '10
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
GypsyNuke:
It's akin to chronic smokers dying of lung cancer; it's sad, but that is the path they chose.
Wellllll ...
I think it depends on the era being discussed.
Show me an advertisement featuring a doctor who claims that repeated blows to the head are good for your neurological health, and then we can discuss the similarity to elderly smokers with lung conditions.
Jul '11
Re: This Whole Concussion Thing
My stepson played linebacker in college. No concussions and he's done now. We feel fortunate and were quite nervous at times.
My 9 year old played linebacker and defensive end. He was very good at it but loves basketball and soccer so while he was vacillating about football this coming fall we pulled him. I don't regret it as he hit very hard and it was likely a matter of time til he had his bell rung. If he begs me in high school I would let him but be very nervous but I doubt that will happen as he will probably be about 6'6" and 180 lbs at that point which seems suited for something else.