PDA

View Full Version : ESPN's "League of Denial" - on line link



SanAntonioSteelerFan
10-10-2013, 04:11 PM
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/league-of-denial/

I have to admit, over the past few years I've begun to wonder. I stopped watching boxing a long time ago because I didn't want to feel like I was rooting for brain damage.

I wonder if football will still be king in America in 10 or 15 years. I've read a lot of parents are keeping their kids out of the sport nowadays for the TBI issue ...

Jigawatts
10-11-2013, 02:11 PM
ESPN? Ha, I don't think they'd report something like this.:lol:

Slapstick
10-11-2013, 02:52 PM
I watched the Frontline piece and it is pretty disturbing...

A lot of Steelers and Pittsburgh-centric themes...starting with the deaths of Mike Webster and Terry Long...continuing to SB XLIII where the Boston University "brain bank" attempted to make their findings public in Tampa...even a high school player from the Pittsburgh area who suffered the same brain injuries as the NFL players had...

It was truly sad...

Furthermore, the way the NFL tried to sweep it under the rug, stonewalling the scientific findings as much as they possibly could, until they were called before Congress...after that day, there was the illusion of a turnaround in the NFL's thinking...

The NFL once issued players a pamphlet telling them that playing in a game after suffering a concussion was OK...I know that the older players knew what they were getting into to an extent, but the NFL told the players a lie, flat out...

Slapstick
10-11-2013, 02:53 PM
Oh, and the reporters who were behind this piece have worked for ESPN...

sarahjoe
12-11-2014, 02:10 AM
until they were called before Congress...after that day, there was the illusion of a turnaround in the NFL's thinking?

Slapstick
12-11-2014, 07:35 AM
until they were called before Congress...after that day, there was the illusion of a turnaround in the NFL's thinking?

There was a tacit admission on the part of the NFL regarding the negative effects of concussions. One of the medical professionals sent before congress was Dr. Ira Casson, a doctor involved with the NFL committee in charge of evaluating MTBIs (mild traumatic brain injuries). Years earlier, Casson made some very strong statements regarding concussions and how they weren't a problem.

The NFL initiated a study on the effects of concussions.

The guy who designed it? Dr. Ira Casson.

The guy who carried out the physical examinations of the players? Dr. Ira Casson.


Why put this particular doctor in charge of the investigation? It made me wonder....

RobinCole
12-11-2014, 08:55 AM
Recent poll by Bloomberg says half of Americans don't want their sons playing football. That may give some clues about where the game will be in 10-15 years.

Soccer, anyone? But wait. Before we go THAT far, maybe conduct an experiment: Play without helmets. Teach and require form tackling. As in using your arms and seeing what you hit. Yes, sounds scary and will require changes in attitude by players, fans and networks ( no more glorification of big hits). Jack Ham can head up the Department of Form Tackling.

Slapstick
12-11-2014, 09:19 AM
That game is already played. It is known as Rugby.

Rugby players need to be good tacklers...the emphasis is on getting your opponent to the ground rather than making a big hit on your opponent. Also, no pads or helmets to use as a weapon...

RobinCole
12-11-2014, 09:31 AM
Speaking of no pads or helmets, we played that way on the sandlots when I was a kid, before adults organized "leagues" for kids. I realize that 8th-graders aren't 200+ pounds and running 4.5 40s, but FWIW, I don't recall any head injuries. In fact, I don't recall any injuries at all.

BradshawsHairdresser
12-11-2014, 10:08 AM
Speaking of no pads or helmets, we played that way on the sandlots when I was a kid, before adults organized "leagues" for kids. I realize that 8th-graders aren't 200+ pounds and running 4.5 40s, but FWIW, I don't recall any head injuries. In fact, I don't recall any injuries at all.
You didn't play the way we did. We had several kids get knocked out cold. I'll never forget seeing a bigger kid snap a smaller kid's leg. I never had any serious injuries, but was mighty sore and got a lot of shirts ripped up. Our "unorganized" football games were loads of fun, but they could be brutal, too.

I find it hard to believe they can't improve helmets to make the game safer. Put a thick layer of soft (foam?) on the outside so that players quit using their helmets as a weapon, That would result in a substantial reduction in concussions and other head/neck injuries, IMO.

SidSmythe
12-11-2014, 10:29 AM
Football is a big thing in my town ... even with the emergence of Soccer. Not a big town at all.
But then again we aren't in a sissy Liberal area, hehe

RobinCole
12-11-2014, 11:15 AM
Bradshaw's: "You didn't play the way we did." Well, we blocked, we tackled, we ran hard and we self-officiated. Maybe one reason we didn't have injuries is that we didn't have any "outliers" in size. No physical mismatches. All I can say is that when you're not wearing a helmet, you don't dive in headfirst...unless you're a little bit crazy.

Oddly enough, in my home town, in about 90 years of high school sports, there has been one death of a football player from a head injury, but two deaths from head injuries in baseball.

Oviedo
12-11-2014, 12:10 PM
This is the "flavor of the week" crisis in American sports. It was steroids in baseball and now it is football and brain damage. Much of this is generated by the money grab by former player (Tony Boselli called it this the other day on the Dan LeBatard show). The reality is that football will always be seen as a way to get ahead or get something for free as long as you can get a college scholarship to play the game and beyond that it will be viewed as a ticket to lots of money in the NFL which is why there will be no shortage of people willing to take the risks. Heck, people join the military all the time and there is much more risk there than the NFL. People love their "Gladitorial sports" and that won't change, it is human nature. People want to see effort to improve safety but just as many people cry about the game getting too soft..many on this board. The NFL will be around and going strong as long as any of us are alive because we build the Addiction" for the sport starting in high school, through college and ultimately into the NFL. Some parents will steer their kids to to other sports like soccer but no sport is 100% safe just like any other activity. It is far more dangerous for parents to let their 16 year old get a drivers license than play football. This is just the hyped up topic that the 24/7 news and sports media need to fill massive amounts of print space and air time. It is also a way for researchers to get money so it is to their advantage to over hype their results to apocalyptic levels.

feltdizz
12-11-2014, 12:38 PM
yup Ovi,

the media highlighted the emergence of concussions in Soccer during the World Cup....

Discipline of Steel
12-11-2014, 12:52 PM
Ive had all my major injuries in my life happen while playing soccer....FWIW

Djfan
12-11-2014, 01:20 PM
Once during a soccer game I had a brain injury from falling asleep in my seat and hitting the floor.

fordfixer
12-11-2014, 03:30 PM
Once during a soccer game I had a brain injury from falling asleep in my seat and hitting the floor.
Nice .........:D

Discipline of Steel
12-11-2014, 07:45 PM
Once during a soccer game I had a brain injury from falling asleep in my seat and hitting the floor.

Once during a soccer game i had an injury after I scored the winning goal and all the latina spectators dog-piled on top of me in excitement

fordfixer
12-11-2014, 08:01 PM
Once during a soccer game i had an injury after I scored the winning goal and all the latina spectators dog-piled on top of me in excitement
Too much information :p

NorthCoast
12-11-2014, 08:57 PM
Recent poll by Bloomberg says half of Americans don't want their sons playing football. That may give some clues about where the game will be in 10-15 years.

Soccer, anyone? But wait. Before we go THAT far, maybe conduct an experiment: Play without helmets. Teach and require form tackling. As in using your arms and seeing what you hit. Yes, sounds scary and will require changes in attitude by players, fans and networks ( no more glorification of big hits). Jack Ham can head up the Department of Form Tackling. People have known about the dangers of smoking for almost 2 decades and yet there are plenty of smokers out there puffing away. The pool of future football players will remain pretty large when the potential is there to become an instant millionaire.

bostonsteeler
12-11-2014, 09:26 PM
I find it hard to believe they can't improve helmets to make the game safer. Put a thick layer of soft (foam?) on the outside so that players quit using their helmets as a weapon, That would result in a substantial reduction in concussions and other head/neck injuries, IMO.

Its not the helmet per se anymore. They're pretty good. Its the massive deceleration when the brain hits the skull because a really fast person came to a sudden stop head-first.

I suspect we'll see a greater demographic shift in the players, as the more educated and savvy, educated parents opt their children out of football towards other games (I, personally, wouldn't see the sense in having my kid suffer multiple concussions playing a game that is not going to be his long-term career). We'll still have players.

The sensible thing would be to continue improving the helmets and pads, but at the same time somehow try to modify the game in a manner that favors *less* massive people. Much of the damage is because the players are just too big.

DukieBoy
12-12-2014, 09:26 AM
Add width to the field, make more space. They should do the same with NHL hockey IMO.