Football, Dog Fighting, and Brain Damage

[Jonzard]

Football, dog fighting, and brain damage : The New Yorker
via Malcolm Gladwell

One evening in August, Kyle Turley was at a bar in Nashville with his wife and some friends. It was one of the countless little places in the city that play live music. He’d ordered a beer, but was just sipping it, because he was driving home. He had eaten an hour and a half earlier. Suddenly, he felt a sensation of heat. He was light-headed, and began to sweat. He had been having episodes like that with increasing frequency during the past year—headaches, nausea. One month, he had vertigo every day, bouts in which he felt as if he were stuck to a wall. But this was worse. He asked his wife if he could sit on her stool for a moment. The warmup band was still playing, and he remembers saying, “I’m just going to take a nap right here until the next band comes on.” Then he was lying on the floor, and someone was standing over him. “The guy was freaking out,” Turley recalled. “He was saying, ‘Damn, man, I couldn’t find a pulse,’ and my wife said, ‘No, no. You were breathing.’ I’m, like, ‘What? What?’ ”

They picked him up. “We went out in the parking lot, and I just lost it,” Turley went on. “I started puking everywhere. I couldn’t stop. I got in the car, still puking. My wife, she was really scared, because I had never passed out like that before, and I started becoming really paranoid. I went into a panic. We get to the emergency room. I started to lose control. My limbs were shaking, and I couldn't speak. I was conscious, but I couldn’t speak the words I wanted to say.”

I thought this was a really good read. There's been a lot of talk about the NFL's treatment of retirees lately, along with lawsuits. This piece paints a pretty terrible picture of the toll that football takes on the brain. It is to the point where I feel kind of dirty just being a fan. I don't have kids, but I don't know if it is something I could let them do. It is a long article, but well worth the time. We've had some discussions on this stuff before I believe, but I think this could bring some good discussion.

***
To me it presents a problem that may be hopeless. I really don't know what can be done with equipment to really change things. Rule changes that could do something seem to change the sport completely. Further, I think that is unrealistic.

Getting this information out there may be the best idea, to me. I think there is enough ignorance that players, fans, and coaches simply have no idea of the dangers. This is not their fault, as these are very new findings. But letting players, from kids to adults, go out there and do this kind of damage to themselves unknowingly is morally reprehensible. There may be people willing to take the risks for the payday or the thrill, I think they are entitled to that. The problem is that nobody realizes what they are getting into.

[Craig Costello]

I agree 100% that the long-term effects of playing the game need to be better researched and more widely known.

However, the comparison between football and dog fighting seems to non-existent and sensationalist.

[bababui]

Its time for pro football to go away. Besides the terrible risk of injury, its just a shell of what it used to be. Rule changes and corporatism have taken a toll on the games credibility.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by Craig Costello

However, the comparison between football and dog fighting seems to non-existent and sensationalist.

Excellent point. Humans choose to play the game.

[Skipaway]

Originally Posted by Craig Costello

I agree 100% that the long-term effects of playing the game need to be better researched and more widely known.

However, the comparison between football and dog fighting seems to non-existent and sensationalist.

I don't think they are similar either. Football is way worse than dog-fighting. We do way worse things to chickens and cows than fighting dogs, but those aren't on the same level of the football issue. Those are just animals raised for specific purposes doing just that, not humans sent to do dangerous tasks without understanding the risks.

[Skipaway]

Originally Posted by bababui

Excellent point. Humans choose to play the game.

Having a choice is hardly a good argument when one is not aware of the consequences. It's pretty common for people to choose to work in an environment full of dangerous chemicals without knowing it, and then being compensated later.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by Skipaway

Having a choice is hardly a good argument when one is not aware of the consequences. It's pretty common for people to choose to work in an environment full of dangerous chemicals without knowing it, and then being compensated later.

LoL

Surely you dont believe that any person of average intelligence doesnt understand that getting frequently concussed is dangerous. They know the danger but they ignore it.

[Jonzard]

Originally Posted by bababui

LoL

Surely you dont believe that any person of average intelligence doesnt understand that getting frequently concussed is dangerous. They know the danger but they ignore it.

Did you read the article or what I posted in full? The major factor here is the things we are just finding out. The damage seems to be terrible because people think that concussions are the biggest issue, when it appears to be that it is really the continual trauma of much lower than expected forces.

You stating this misunderstanding is exactly the point here. These players, coaches, parents, and fans are ignorant to the true danger. We are just starting to see what is really going on and what we thought the danger of concussions were, is just the tip of the iceberg.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by Jonzard

Did you read the article or what I posted in full? The major factor here is the things we are just finding out. The damage seems to be terrible because people think that concussions are the biggest issue, when it appears to be that it is really the continual trauma of much lower than expected forces.

You stating this misunderstanding is exactly the point here. These players, coaches, parents, and fans are ignorant to the true danger. We are just starting to see what is really going on and what we thought the danger of concussions were, is just the tip of the iceberg.

I didnt have time to read the full article when I responded to Skip. When you assume.......

I got from the article that its the concussions plus the subconcussional contact. It will be interesting to see how the research goes.

Nice find, by the way.

[Skipaway]

Originally Posted by Jonzard

You stating this misunderstanding is exactly the point here. These players, coaches, parents, and fans are ignorant to the true danger. We are just starting to see what is really going on and what we thought the danger of concussions were, is just the tip of the iceberg.

Yeah, that's why health insurance of retired NFL players is becoming a big news now. Nobody knew about the real impact, and a lot of damages that could be caused by playing in the NFL are not covered at all, exactly because there weren't enough studies to link them up.


Since we are learning more and more about these injuries right now, the push for better health coverage for NFL retiree is stronger and stronger.