Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Head injuries

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Head injuries

    110 of 111 (99%) of NFL Players in Autopsy Study Had Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

    TL DR. This wasn't a randomized study and is inherently biased, but the likelihood is that ex-NFL players have greatly increased incidence of CTE.

    This is pretty alarming. The obvious solution would be to outlaw pads and helmets, but I can't see fans standing for that. I must add that you could write my knowledge of American Football on a small Post-It note.

    It also makes me wonder why boxing is singled out for this, to the exclusion of all other sports.

    #2
    These weren't only NFL players. Some of them had only played in high school.

    Comment


      #3
      Rugby is also going to be included in this the way the modern game is.

      Is this the same disease that killed Jeff Astle?

      Edit: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/f...-a7533886.html

      Brain trauma from heading a wet leather ball
      Last edited by Antepli Ejderha; 25-07-2017, 22:44.

      Comment


        #4
        Concussion in sport: Five sports gather to discuss head-injury prevention - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/40675605

        This might be relevant too.

        Comment


          #5
          Astle's brain was not examined after his death, but neurologists have suspected that he suffered from CTE

          Comment


            #6
            The brain imagery in this New York Times piece is terrifying

            Comment


              #7
              Serious question to all posters: if you had a school age child, which sports would you refuse to let them take part in based on the above?

              Comment


                #8
                I can tell you that American Football is terrifying and I will definitely encourage my son to opt out. Part of the problem at junior levels is that the size of the players varies drastically. I know my nephew played running back a little - he was maybe 100lb and he was running at kids who weighted over double that. He broke his arm pretty quickly and decided he would rather focus on basketball.

                Comment


                  #9
                  I do have school age children, but live in a country/region where the only one of those that would have been an option is ice hockey (which is very popular here and played by boys and girls though more commonly by boys). As it happens neither of them ever expressed any interest in that so it never came up. If it had I think my initial reaction would have been enthusiasm, but then it might have tapered off quickly when I considered the injury possibilities.

                  My 11 year old daughter plays handball in goal, which frankly scares me, with the only saving grace being that other 11 year old girls don't throw the ball that hard

                  Comment


                    #10
                    ursus minor never had any interest in gridiron (his high school didn't field a team), but I would have seriously tried to dissuade him if he had wanted to play.

                    I don't have similar issues with either rugby or football, in part because he would only ever play recreationally

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Jesus, playing in goal for handball is terrifying.

                      I had a cousin in law (or something similar) who played semi-pro hockey in Norway and he thought handball could be the rougher sport when I first took it up. I've not seen any head injuries, just limb stuff mostly.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        What would American Football look like if you banned helmets and shoulder pads?

                        Comment


                          #13
                          My dad's solution was taking away the current helmet and facemask, and going back to the leather variety from his era. He told me he got his bell rung going head on trying to tackle a running back early in high school and that taught him.


                          Take away helmets and shoulder pads and you have rugby. Making NFLers play that sport would leave them on their knees wheezing on the field after about 3 minutes.

                          To play American Football w/out shoulder pads and helmets would eliminate an incredible amount of contact which would cause the average/extreme NFL fan to lose their lunch.
                          Last edited by Cal Alamein; 26-07-2017, 16:01.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            It would be unrecognisable, which is one of the reasons why the NFL and other football authorities have been trying to so hard to ignore/discredit this kind of research.

                            In particular, "line play" (when the two opposing lines of behemoths crash into each other) would be radically different, and my guess is that the defensive line would have a major advantage, as they are going forward, whereas their offensive counterparts are backing up. Without a fair contest on the line, the role of forward passing would be radically reduced, and one would end up with something that looks sort of like rugby league with whatever forward play survived.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              There are some enterprising athletes trying to develop a league of American football without pads with rugby-style tackling. Kids (and some intrepid adults) have been playing this version informaly for a century. It might catch on eventually. It's faster and higher scoring, I guess.

                              www.a7fl.com

                              Comment


                                #16
                                Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
                                It would be unrecognisable, which is one of the reasons why the NFL and other football authorities have been trying to so hard to ignore/discredit this kind of research.

                                In particular, "line play" (when the two opposing lines of behemoths crash into each other) would be radically different, and my guess is that the defensive line would have a major advantage, as they are going forward, whereas their offensive counterparts are backing up. Without a fair contest on the line, the role of forward passing would be radically reduced, and one would end up with something that looks sort of like rugby league with whatever forward play survived.
                                So change some other rules to make defending harder. More than three defensive linemen = illegal formation. Or how about a defender is offside if he is within a yard of the ball when it is snapped rather than overlapping it? Sports always have the scope to tweak their rules to get the desired balance of play. Or play with sides of 7 giving the attackers more space to use and the defenders more to cover, as in Reed's example.

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  It will be easier to get universal health care

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    ...and have all 50 states recognize same sex marriage.

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      Janik - the desired balance of play is people brutally crunching into each other who are paid significant amounts of money to mortgage their brain.

                                      Comment


                                        #20
                                        Rugby, especially at age group levels, must ban shoulder pads and had gear for two reasons. Firstly, it's giving a false sense of security and more importantly it's allowing kids from richer backgrounds to have equipment that poorer kids can't afford.

                                        Comment


                                          #21
                                          Interesting if depressing thread

                                          I am sure many know this, but NYT's devastating investigation into the death of Derek Boogard is a must read from a few years back

                                          https://mobile.nytimes.com/2011/12/0...d=all&referer=

                                          Comment


                                            #22
                                            There's a book too. I've found it interesting.

                                            Comment


                                              #23


                                              Profoundly sad, but really well done.

                                              Comment


                                                #24
                                                That 7s game looks great, but lord if that isn't 20x scarier. One bad tackle and we'll have a whole land of Eric LeGrand's.

                                                The bottom line is if that 7s game could work as a Super Bowl. I'd say it could.

                                                All it would take is NFL Films making their first facial slo-mo closeups of a tackle. Instant acceptance (apart from the old fogeys.)

                                                Who knows. Having seen Drew Brees for most of the past 10 years, I'll say his game is as beautiful as Messi's or Zidane's or Michael Jordan's or any great sporting artist. It's a shame that beautiful and awesome game is that destructive.

                                                To see Snake Stabler on that article, after all he had to offer.

                                                Comment


                                                  #25
                                                  At least some soccer leagues are banning heading the ball in younger age groups. That makes sense.

                                                  Apparently, the sport with the most - or among the most - head injuries is cheerleading. Not the dance-team stuff or the pom pom waving bits, but the bits where bigger girls and boys (or men and women in college) throw smaller girls/women in the air, etc. I guess it's not very well regulated and the competitions incentivize dangerous stunts that are beyond the kids' capabilities. Like gymnastics or trampoline, but without enough safety controls (of course both of those sports are dangerous too.)

                                                  I'm happy that my nephew seems to have settled on baseball and my niece likes swimming (and maybe some triathloning). Baseball can be dangerous too, but not like football. He likes watching football, but I don't think he's going to play.

                                                  Comment

                                                  Working...
                                                  X