CTE Diagnosed in 99% of former NFL players

[huskymedic]

>>According to the NFHS, NJSIAA, Pop Warner, area coaches, medical experts and state legislators, reasons for the decline in football participation at the state and national levels include:

• Safety concerns
• Demographics
• Sports specialization
• The cyclical nature of high school athletics
• A school’s overall male enrollment
• A school’s sports tradition
• On-field success (or lack thereof)
• Lack of interest
• Stability of feeder programs
• Expense<<

 

[champs99and04]

The only argument one can make against the case that football is dying is that it's already dead. It's still quite often entertaining, but between the hyper-sensitivity to head injuries, the emphasis on protecting quarterbacks and wide receivers, and coaches figuring out that it's better to run pass-heavy, up-tempo offenses, it's not the same sport that we grew up watching. I'm about to stop watching any season now and it isn't because of any moral stand. It's because the sport is already kind of ruined.

Moving forward, it will be the sport for fantasy dorks, gambling addicts, barbecue/tailgating minions, and alcoholic/obese types whose habits have been normalized by the routine of football weekends.

 

[CL82]

Moving forward, it will be the sport for fantasy dorks, gambling addicts, barbecue/tailgating minions, and alcoholic/obese types whose habits have been normalized by the routine of football weekends.

I sorta feel like that includes like 95% of the board.

 

[The Funster]

The only argument one can make against the case that football is dying is that it's already dead. It's still quite often entertaining, but between the hyper-sensitivity to head injuries, the emphasis on protecting quarterbacks and wide receivers, and coaches figuring out that it's better to run pass-heavy, up-tempo offenses, it's not the same sport that we grew up watching. I'm about to stop watching any season now and it isn't because of any moral stand. It's because the sport is already kind of ruined.

Moving forward, it will be the sport for fantasy dorks, gambling addicts, barbecue/tailgating minions, and alcoholic/obese types whose habits have been normalized by the routine of football weekends.

I never watch the NBA. There is no defense and it has fast become a 3 point game. MLB looks like it wants HRs more than anything so you have shifts all the time and guys either walking, striking out or hitting a bomb. The NFL and NCAA is more like the arena league than not. Maybe I'm getting jaded but bigtime sports is catering to different types of fans than me. Give me the 80's, everything was better then, IMO.

 

[Waquoit]

What helps football is that compared to the other big sports, it really doesn't take a great deal of skill. Just size and athleticism.

 

[champs99and04]

I sorta feel like that includes like 95% of the board.

And probably 95% of America. Which is why it will be interesting to watch just how much the sport can bend this country before the customers leave.

 

[Adios]

What's it Like Being a British NFL Fan?

"American football is perhaps the most tactical sport in the world, and even the most modest of playbooks is the size of a telephone directory."

This game is not going away. Demand will always be there from here on.

Move the London Jaguars to the AFC East, Bills move to Toronto (or Canada), and the NFL's growth potential is unleashed.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Ed Cunningham Resigned as ESPN Football Analyst, Citing Player Safety Concerns

ESPN College Football analyst quits over player injuries.

 

[atom58]

And, on the other hand, there is also this:

Head Trauma in High School Football May Be More Complicated Than We Thought

 

[Rocktheworld]

And, on the other hand, there is also this:

Head Trauma in High School Football May Be More Complicated Than We Thought

Didnt need that article to understand that Nelson failed statistics 101 and is grossly research-illiterate, but thanks. Still an interesting read

 

[huskymedic]

>>According to the NFHS, NJSIAA, Pop Warner, area coaches, medical experts and state legislators, reasons for the decline in football participation at the state and national levels include:

• Safety concerns
• Demographics
• Sports specialization
• The cyclical nature of high school athletics
• A school’s overall male enrollment
• A school’s sports tradition
• On-field success (or lack thereof)
• Lack of interest
• Stability of feeder programs
• Expense<<

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Didnt need that article to understand that Nelson failed statistics 101 and is grossly research-illiterate, but thanks. Still an interesting read

Another CTE denier.

 

[pepband99]

Another CTE denier.

Beats being a word-and-statistics-bender , not to mention one with an agenda.

 

[Chuck]

Hernandez had advanced stages of CTE

No shock here. I, and others, said Hernandez probably had CTE. I'd also imagine that OJ's brain is Swiss cheese.

The one piece that is still missing for me, is the percentage of non-football players that have CTE. Maybe humans just get CTE after living life. My personal belief is that football either causes CTE more frequently than non-football lifestyles or accelerates the effect. Without the data, however, it's just my belief, not fact.

 

[auggie22]

A while back I thought CTE was the beginning of the end of football as a mainstream sport. What was missing was a high profile event to accelerate the fall. I think this is the event. Next up - ability to detect early onset CTE on the living.

 

[The X Man]

A while back I thought CTE was the beginning of the end of football as a mainstream sport. What was missing was a high profile event to accelerate the fall. I think this is the event. Next up - ability to detect early onset CTE on the living.

And they’re getting closer to detecting in the living.

The Future of Detecting Brain Damage in Football

 

[Rocktheworld]

And they’re getting closer to detecting in the living.

The Future of Detecting Brain Damage in Football

Started to read some of this too

Traumatic brain injury, neuroimaging, and neurodegeneration

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Beats being a word-and-statistics-bender , not to mention one with an agenda.

CTE is a myth.(?)

 

[Vowelguy]

Hernandez had advanced stages of CTE

No shock here. I, and others, said Hernandez probably had CTE. I'd also imagine that OJ's brain is Swiss cheese.

What's extra troubling here is that Hernandez didn't have a long career. 3 years of college, 3 years of pros.

 

[Vowelguy]

Question: what positions are most/least likely to get CTE?

RBs, receivers, and linebackers seem like they do a lot of banging and colliding and would see it the worst. With maybe offensive linemen less? I have no idea.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

What's extra troubling here is that Hernandez didn't have a long career. 3 years of college, 3 years of pros.

His career likely began with Pop Warner football. Add that and high school, and his career was more like 13-14 years or more.

And those developmental years are when potential long term damage has the best chance of getting a start.

When discussing this, childhood participation cannot, must not, be overlooked.

This is also where the biggest impact of football contraction will be felt first.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Opinion | I’m the Wife of a Former N.F.L. Player. Football Destroyed His Mind.

 

[noeynox]

Opinion | I’m the Wife of a Former N.F.L. Player. Football Destroyed His Mind.

Sad, but I'm surprised to see you link this, as you hate anecdotal evidence.

 

[CL82]

This is so sad. It hard to see how the game can sustain it.

FWIW and only semi-related, if you haven't seen the Will Smith movie Concussion, it is surprisingly good.

 

[noeynox]

This is so sad. It hard to see how the game can sustain it.

FWIW and only semi-related, if you haven't seen the Will Smith movie Concussion, it is surprisingly good.

I look at it like boxing. As long as it provides a way for someone to go from abject poverty to fame and fortune, there will be people willing to sacrifice their bodies for it.

The great heavyweight boxer like George Foreman disappeared because they were playing defensive end somewhere. I imagine fb will also see a decline, but I don't know where tjat plus sized athlete is going next. Baseball?

 

[CL82]

I look at it like boxing. As long as it provides a way for someone to go from abject poverty to fame and fortune, there will be people willing to sacrifice their bodies for it.

The great heavyweight boxer like George Foreman disappeared because they were playing defensive end somewhere. I imagine fb will also see a decline, but I don't know where tjat plus sized athlete is going next. Baseball?

I guess. I feel like there are a lot more guys playing football than boxing though.

 

[noeynox]

I guess. I feel like there are a lot more guys playing football than boxing though.

Boxing is world wide thing. It is an individual sport, but there are literally tens of thousands of professional boxers active right now even the most hardcore fans never heard of.

 

[dayooper]

If the NFL wants to do something about this, they need to punish the hits like Malcolm Jenkings had on Brandon Cooks last night. He went up with the crown/forehead and hit Cooks in the head. It was done intentionally to injure. Football is a violent game, but there are ways to to make it somewhat safer. Removing plays like that from the game is the first step.

 

[Adios]

And maybe abolish PeeWee football.

 

[Husky25]

And maybe abolish PeeWee football.

A fair number of players don't start playing football until high school. There are weight limits in youth football, which contributes to less forceful impacts and coaching methods surrounding tackling and hitting have also evolved.

All youth football programs should adopt the old Mark Kelso Pro-Cap shell, but back when the NFL was still head deep in the concussion denial game, they and Riddell killed what would otherwise be logical additional protection.

In June 1996, the NFL sent its players a memo warning that the “standard helmet manufacturer's warranty may be negated or modified by the use of the ProCap.” It also said players risked “catastrophic neck injuries, including possible death,” by wearing the device. Straus told Helyar that Riddell salesmen provided copies of the memo to youth sports equipment dealers and colleges that used the ProCaps — essentially marking the beginning of the end for the device made famous by an undersized safety for the Buffalo Bills.

On the other hand, I have a hard time believing that a preadolescent's head and neck is developed enough to hold the weight of a helmet. I remember having a stiff neck for the better part of a week when I first wore a helmet each season in high school.