All This Concussion Stuff - Is It Over The Top?

[WPBCowboysFan]

Not to minimize the serious nature of the concussion issue, but is it really to blame for everyone's "life after football" issues?

Can every problem be blamed on CTE?

Concussions have been a big issue, we lost Roger and Troy earlier than expected as they shortened their careers because of them. Other Cowboys have joined the lawsuits . . . . . .

Is it just fashionable to join now?

Or, will we find out it really is as big of an issue as it is becoming?

 

[DFWJC]

There are rumblings that the game as we know know it may go away entirely.

I have a couple of brain-doc friends who are basicially begging me to not let my son play football. Seeing that it is/was my favorite sport, I'd have a hard time keeping him from it. But they say the evidence he beyond debate--that even just practicing causes irreparable brain trauma.

Of course, it gets magnified at each level up the ladder. So by the time you get to the NFL and have these massive guys that run like dear and hit like freight trains, some sort of brain damage occurs at almost a 100% clip.
Trying to even compare it to 25 years ago is not valid--though we are learning daily that those guys had major damage as well.

There's too much money for it to go away, but it's going to get more and more regulated.

Hey we're in the 21st century and we still have sports like boxing amd MMA, so I don't really think fans care too much about these people having life spans of 10-20+ years less than everyone else. That's just how it is.

 

[perrykemp]

I love football. Its the only sport I care two squats about in reality.

I've come to the painful conclusion that all these concerns about concussions are legitimate.

Maybe modern day NFL athletes have just gotten so big and fast and the collisions are so violent that we've crossed some sort of rubicon on what the human brain can handle.

Remember, for all the improvements we've made to training, strength, fitness, pads, etc, etc, nothing has changed in a good 100,000 years or so in terms of the time amount of space between your brain and the inside of your skull.

It stands to reason if guys are bigger and faster than they used to be that impact of the brain slamming on the inside of the skull is increasing.

I don't have a good answer for it.

My son is 7 and loves football. I don't think I'll say "No" but I'm starting to wonder if I'd ultimately be happier if he falls in love with <playing> some other sport.

 

[birminghambuckeyes]

I am not sure that the fact that the players are bigger and faster has really changed the risk that much. I would expect that the continuous hits to the head (e.g., banging helmets together on the line on every play) has a big effect on players. Players from the 50s and 60s have had a lot of problems with concussions.

I expect the change would happen if the NFL or some college/high school loses a concussion lawsuit. After that, a lot of high schools will drop football (school systems don't need the financial exposure) and a number of colleges (Division II and III, most of 1-AA and a number of 1A schools) will drop football because of the financial risk. The "minor league" will get a lot smaller and the NFL will really begin to struggle.

 

[theogt]

Yes. /thread

 

[daboyzareback]

No. Seau was troubled and many just can't handle life after football, they know nothing else. If you are going to blame concussions for his death, can you blame it for his domestic violence against his wife/girlfriend and then 'falling asleep' at the wheel after he was released from jail, causing his vehicle to go over a cliff? Come on, this is a sue happy world now and it's a shame.

 

[DFWJC]

No. Seau was troubled and many just can't handle life after football, they know nothing else. If you are going to blame concussions for his death, can you blame it for his domestic violence against his wife/girlfriend and then 'falling asleep' at the wheel after he was released from jail, causing his vehicle to go over a cliff? Come on, this is a sue happy world now and it's a shame.

He didn't mention Seau.

But I agree that ex players can't blame some oftheir other issues on their almost certain brain damage....especially if it was there beforehand.

And I also agree that it's a sue happy world and the the USA is the worst offender in that area. 5% of the opulation and 61% of the the freakin lawyers.

In any case, the bottom line is that everytime they look at these guys brains they look like Joe Frazier's.

 

[CATCH17]

Yes. /thread

This.

I wonder if Aikman was one of the 1600 players who filed a grievance.

 

[SilverStarCowboy]

How about life after life. Something happens to everyone. Breaking News, life's not fair.

 

[Fritsch_the_cat]

Unless there is evidence that the NFL hid knowledge of the effects of concussions I think the lawsuits are baseless.

But I say the concern is real.

Guys just need to learn to stop leading with their head. I know that goes against basic football instinct, but changes need to be made.

 

[Picksix]

Not to minimize the serious nature of the concussion issue, but is it really to blame for everyone's "life after football" issues?

Can every problem be blamed on CTE?

Concussions have been a big issue, we lost Roger and Troy earlier than expected as they shortened their careers because of them. Other Cowboys have joined the lawsuits . . . . . .

Is it just fashionable to join now?

Or, will we find out it really is as big of an issue as it is becoming?

Here's a good article on CTE.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2945234/

It's really long, though. You might just want to read the abstract. The thing about CTE is that it's not a new concept at all. It's been associated with the boxing profession for almost a century. It's just that with all the focus on concussions at the NFL level, it's much more en vogue lately. Concussions have also become a huge issue at the high school level. I think something like 38 states now have specific legislation as to how concussions are to be managed in the secondary school systems. Not that they're associated with CTE, but I have the feeling it will eventually.

And it's not like former players committing suicide is all that new either. It's just getting a lot more attention lately, and with that, a lot more research and a lot of lawsuits. I think it may just be reaching that point of critical mass, where more and more people are jumping on board. Any time you're talking about litigation, there's a financial aspect involved, and with all we hear about players going broke after retiring, that probably plays a role.

Regardless, CTE is a monster. If you look at pictures of what a brain looks like, with the protein changes/formations from CTE, it's pretty clear to see how the effects can be huge. I'm sure there are other factors involved that lead to players getting to the point where they do something as drastic as taking their own lives, but it definitely plays a significant part.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Absolutely it is.

I bet 90-95% of little kids who play football suffer no lasting ill effects. And the ones who play in college and high school know they're playing a dangerous game.

Guess what, it's worth it, because it's an amazing experience.

 

[baj1dallas]

How many concussions do you get in the course of a normal life? I know for a fact that I've had at least one serious concussion where I was out of of it for days. And probably many more that were less serious. And I never played football in any organized fashion in my life.

Yes it's completely over the top and that's the nature of TV/media today, to sensationalize any "new" issue. Sure we could all wear helmets and live inside of plastic bubbles. But we'd still die.

 

[theogt]

Absolutely it is.

I bet 90-95% of little kids who play football suffer no lasting ill effects. And the ones who play in college and high school know they're playing a dangerous game.

Guess what, it's worth it, because it's an amazing experience.

It's probably even more than that. And the majority of those lasting ill effects are not debilitative.

I tend to prefer not to live my life fretting about the miniscule risks involved. Otherwise, I wouldn't get in a car and drive to work. I wouldn't do all sorts of things.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

It's probably even more than that. And the majority of those lasting ill effects are not debilitative.

I tend to prefer not to live my life fretting about the miniscule risks involved. Otherwise, I wouldn't get in a car and drive to work. I wouldn't do all sorts of things.

Agree, it probably is higher than that.

People seem concerned about the little kids, but I was playing organized tackle football in the third grade, and what I remember is that no one ever got hurt other than little bruises and maybe smashing a finger or something. You aren't going fast enough to get hurt at that age... And kids are pretty much indestructible anyway.

But totally agree with your second point, too. Saturday mornings on 103.3 the Mavs team doctor has a call-in show, and from listening to him you'd think almost any sport -- or any activity -- was too dangerous to participate in. It's so ridiculous. Like someone said above, you can get hurt doing anything. I know for a fact the worst concussion I ever got was hitting my head on a metal piece of schoolyard equipment in the fourth grade.

So maybe kids should never play and just stay inside and become obese diabetics... Oh wait, that is what they're doing. Much better.

 

[rkell87]

i think if the nfl had any concern for player safety they would put a substantial amount into R&D to make the equipment better and pursue the latest greatest tech available to make the game safer , but they will never do that because very few companies can afford to the license required by the nfl. there are products out right now that could potentially revolutionize the game if they were to be used in the right application.

like this

[youtube]KkYeq9J1nWo[/youtube]

[youtube]_DGZ04YBTpk[/youtube]



if they put this in helmets, how many concussions do you think could be prevented? the nfl is putting these pansy rules in place and feeding us player safety when in reality it is to promote scoring

 

[ThreeandOut]

There are probably more health issues caused by being a 300 lb human being than from the concussions. The extra weight may be beneficial in playing football but can't be good for your post-football life.

 

[rkell87]

There are probably more health issues caused by being a 300 lb human being than from the concussions. The extra weight may be beneficial in playing football but can't be good for your post-football life.

only if you remain 300 after football, most if not all nfl players are among the fittest, healthiest people in the population

 

[jobberone]

i think if the nfl had any concern for player safety they would put a substantial amount into R&D to make the equipment better and pursue the latest greatest tech available to make the game safer , but they will never do that because very few companies can afford to the license required by the nfl. there are products out right now that could potentially revolutionize the game if they were to be used in the right application.

like this

[youtube]KkYeq9J1nWo[/youtube]

[youtube]_DGZ04YBTpk[/youtube]





if they put this in helmets, how many concussions do you think could be prevented? the nfl is putting these pansy rules in place and feeding us player safety when in reality it is to promote scoring

Are you really serious? I hope not. If it was that simple then don't you think they would have already done it? Injuries are not just caused by direct force but also by contrecoup injuries as well as from cerebrospinal fluid and inertia. You won't stop all the injuries even with perfect head gear. You have to understand the mechanism for injury.

 

[SilverStarCowboy]

Are you really serious? I hope not. If it was that simple then don't you think they would have already done it? Injuries are not just caused by direct force but also by contrecoup injuries as well as from cerebrospinal fluid and inertia. You won't stop all the injuries even with perfect head gear. You have to understand the mechanism for injury.

The snapping of the spinal cord and neck area causes oxygen to be depleated to the brain, but does it cause brain damage or is that from the actual impact around the skull.