concussions | Page 2 | Syracusefan.com

concussions

MadNY3 said:
No.

Those who play are not forced to. If those who play don't realize the potential to get seriously hurt, they likely have bigger broader problems about grasping with reality. It is a total collision sport.
Expand...

The issue isn't whether they know it's a violent sport. The issue is to what extent they were informed of the real long term impact.

Not sure if you have ever played organized football, but getting your bell rung and getting back in there was a rite of passage with the thought it was just part of the violence of the sport.

I've had one diagnosed grade 3 concussion from football and I'm pretty sure I had a second one from skiing that I never addressed. I found a doctor to release me after one week after the grade 3 one, put on a helmet, immediately started having serious head pain but kept going and played the next game because the doctor said it was ok and I didn't want to be perceived as not being tough.

At the NFL level, they knew what telling those guys to get back in the game was dangerous to their long term well being and that their brains were being turned to mush.

Nowadays, yeah, they can know the extent, but even now the NFL isn't fully open about what can happen. But for a seven figure contract, I guess you just agree to take the chance. The problem is that there is really no "chance". It basically will happen to you in some capacity. You will damage your brain, it's just to what extent.
 
PhatOrange said:
i don't feel guilty about it, players choose to play...
Expand...

It's harder for me to enjoy something where I know that the guys playing it are doing permanent physical damage to themselves, even if it's voluntary...but that's just me.

The most damning evidence in the article was the study of the deceased football players, where they found brain damage in all but two of the brains studied. Now some of that brain damage could be from other sources but likely not all of it.

And for those talking about "more safety" as the solution, I don't think that is going solve the problem. We didn't have deaths and massive brain injuries in boxing until safety equipment was introduced. Try punching someone as hard as you can in the head without a glove.

It's hard to stop being a fan after a lifetime of being one but if college football disappeared tomorrow I wouldn't be up in arms about it.
 
MadNY3 said:
No.

Those who play are not forced to. If those who play don't realize the potential to get seriously hurt, they likely have bigger broader problems about grasping with reality. It is a total collision sport.
Expand...

if the long term potential for injury were fully understood, there wouldn't have been anything for the NFL to try to cover up

my guilt is over giving any money directly or indirectly to the NFL

that original link isn't just about concussions (despite my lame title for the post) it's about the NFL lying - that's where my guilt is.

there are lots of distasteful things that people do voluntarily that I don't want any part of. football should be one of them. i feel guilty that it isn't
 
Guinness said:
Some of the studies I have read showed that kids who played soccer their whole lives showed the same sort potential brain damage issues that football players did from the constant heading of the ball.
Expand...
there should probably be some soft helmets in soccer too

i was a middle school goalie, had to wear that big doofy helmet. hated it.

freshman year, no more helmet. loved it. then i got kicked in the head and concussed. whoops.

but i am very skeptical of the football guys saying eh it happens in every other sport. i'm all ears for those studies about heading but i'm very skeptical.
 
Millhouse said:
my guilt is over giving any money directly or indirectly to the NFL
Expand...

Mine too. For the cover up you reference, sure. But also for supporting the cash-rich league and the billionaire owners who make a habit of extorting cash strapped municipalities for billions of dollars so that millionaire players and coaches have places to play games while schools fall into disrepair, ambulances don't work, etc. But that's another subject, so I digress.

I think the NFL's popularity long term is unsustainable for the reasons others mentioned- fewer kids playing in the youth levels, concern over injuries, etc. I don't feel too guilty as I agree with MAD that the players knew that there was some level of risk. I feel disappointed if the NFL withheld any knowledge or proof of danger in order to make a buck, but not too guilty.
 
Bill Rhoden of the NY Times wrote a great article on the NFL settlement last month (too lazy to find the link).

To paraphrase, he laid out this exact moral dilemma the NFL's settlement has forced on its fans as a result. The following excerpt sums it up best:

"I will continue to cover football as one who appreciates the opportunities the game has provided and as a cultural critic who thinks that football is merely evidence of erosion in the American soul. But the moral pendulum has swung from the owners, the executives and the players who produce football’s violence to the millions who consume it."

EDIT - Another sports example of our "erosion" are the psycho parents who have bastardized our youth sports culture.

Found he link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/s...-violence-a-moral-quandary-for-fans.html?_r=0
 
Last edited:
ForCuseSake said:
Bill Rhoden of the NY Times wrote a great article on the NFL settlement last month (too lazy to find the link).

To paraphrase, he laid out this exact moral dilemma the NFL's settlement has forced on its fans as a result. The following excerpt sums it up best:

"I will continue to cover football as one who appreciates the opportunities the game has provided and as a cultural critic who thinks that football is merely evidence of erosion in the American soul. But the moral pendulum has swung from the owners, the executives and the players who produce football’s violence to the millions who consume it."
Expand...
how convenient. he gets to wash his hands of it while still benefiting
 
SWC75 said:
I feel the same way I do about boxing. If the players are willing to play the games, I'll watch if it pleases me to do so. (UFC does not please me so I don't watch it.)

But I still think the issue is technique. I don't believe that this has been a problem all along and people are just talking about it now. I believe, looking at old films. I think there are more head and neck injuries than ever before because players are going for the helmet-helmet stuff more than they ever did. "Hard Hitting" used to mean with the shoulder- that's why there are pads there. And tackles were made with arms open, not at the sides, to control the player. You didn't use to see all these scenes on a guy motionless on the turf and everybody on both teams praying for him. Players are going for the DA-DA-DAH, DA-DA-DAH on Sports Center rather than playing good football. That's what's got to change.
Expand...


I agree.

A proper tackle should not result injury.

Today's players tackle, or should I say, spear high.

Actually I have noticed that Shafer's players are tackling low this year - they are tackling well.
 
Last edited:
billsin01 said:
Hyperbole is supposed to be overblown. I'm way too lazy to go the UT site and actually look up the specific figure, so let's meet in the middle and say the league has some fairly significant behavioral issues.
Expand...
That's not true if you look at % of population. The NFL actually has less behavioral issues compared to the general population as a whole. You just know about them all because it's all reported and covered in detail.
 
I don't see this as a challenge that will resolve itself ... You might mitigate damage by drug testing and greater penalties for spearing but it is an inherently violent sport.

Players who generate revenue at any level should receive compensation and health car benefits for life. This ought be true of any sport. Such rules would catch the attention of those in a position to keep young athletes in good health.

That said, I love UFC but cannot watch before bed ... Nightmares of what is happening to those guys.
 
Guinness said:
I know you are making a joke but I do wonder how having had concussions alters one's opinion on this topic. I personally have suffered from 5 concussions that I know about. 2 were from accidents and 3 were from football. I absolutely know I am not the same person I was and because of this as much as I love the game I have encouraged my son to play other sports.

I am curious if there other guys out there who have suffered multiple concussions and are choosing differently than I have and are letting their sons play football.
Expand...

I played for 12 years and had one. It was not a knock out type- I literally had a bruise that was the imprint of my helmet on my forehead and felt foggy after the game and later that night. A concussion can be as simple as that and not the full blown knocked out not knowing where I was. Of those I have seen only 3- 2 in high school and 1 in college, albeit D3 NESCAC.

I don't think most of the collisions in lower level football are hard enough. Plus there are not the helmet to helmet hits. In the end though they have one of two ways to get rid of the helmet to helmet stuff. Either improve the padding a la Mark Kelso or eliminate helmets altogether. Tackles in rugby are always with the body. I'm sure concussions still happen but I would imagine they are less frequent. And one other thing- get rid of the PEDS. Amphetamines and steroids sure do not help the issue. I'm pretty sure humans do not get that big and fast slugging back whey protein and raw eggs.
 
I saw a commercial with Dr. Oz supporting football at a young age and how proud he was of he son when he made his first tackle. I was very surprised that with all the info on concussions that Dr. Oz would allow his son to play football.

I played football in HS and I will have no problem allowing my future kids to play if they feel so inclined.
 
This isn't the gladiatorial games at the Roman coliseum, people aren't enslaved and forced to play at the point of a spear or worse. I don't feel bad at all that people get hurt playing a game where they know walking into it there's a higher risk of them being seriously injured than other lines of work. They're getting compensated much more than the average American worker and it's because of the risk involved, and they themselves make the decision to participate rather than seeking another line of work. Putting the concussion and long-term joint issues aside (you could make an argument that players pre-80's didn't really know about the long term effects on the joints), the risk of broken bones, serious ligament injuries, paralysis, and even death has been part of this game from its inception and unless they live under a rock every player that plays at the NFL level should be aware of that now before they ever step on the field.

That being said, the NFL should be doing everything in it's power to make the game as safe as possible and if trends appear that show a link between long term debiliatating issues and the game then those trends need to be researched and addressed as best as possible. It's irresponsible at best for the NFL to turn a blind eye.
 
tep624 said:
This isn't the gladiatorial games at the Roman coliseum, people aren't enslaved and forced to play at the point of a spear or worse. I don't feel bad at all that people get hurt playing a game where they know walking into it there's a higher risk of them being seriously injured than other lines of work. They're getting compensated much more than the average American worker and it's because of the risk involved, and they themselves make the decision to participate rather than seeking another line of work.

That being said, the NFL should be doing everything in it's power to make the game as safe as possible and if trends appear that show a link between long term debiliatating issues and the game then those trends need to be researched and addressed as best as possible. It's irresponsible at best for the NFL to turn a blind eye.
Expand...

What you are missing is that we know that information now. Guys from earlier generations did not.

They were also subject to the league hiding information along with outright lying about it. Teams would push guys onto the field when they knew they should not be playing. They used them like cattle all the while knowing what they were doing was hurting players. Which is why they settled the lawsuit so quickly, imo.

I totally agree if you are headed into the NFL in 2013 you know all of this and can make an informed decisions.
 
Read the story on Mike Webster who admittedly wanted to be on the field all the time, it was near impossible to get him off the field:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1972285

Haven't seen/heard anything about technology needing to catch up to this issue. Can we design/engineer better protection for our players? I love football but am really conflicted -- there are too many conflicts of interest surrounding player protection against permanent injury. I don't want to see football go away, just want to see players get the protection they need.
 
OrangeTarheel said:
Read the story on Mike Webster who admittedly wanted to be on the field all the time, it was near impossible to get him off the field:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1972285

Haven't seen/heard anything about technology needing to catch up to this issue. Can we design/engineer better protection for our players? I love football but am really conflicted -- there are too many conflicts of interest surrounding player protection against permanent injury. I don't want to see football go away, just want to see players get the protection they need.
Expand...

In regards to technology it amazes me there have not been more advance. The idea that a race car driver can walk away without injury from a crash 150-200 mph and the NFL cannot protect guys from concussions is astounding. I would think that helmets using soft technologies to absorb and decrease impact would be a better idea than using the hard shells they currently do.
 
OrangeTarheel said:
Read the story on Mike Webster who admittedly wanted to be on the field all the time, it was near impossible to get him off the field:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1972285

Haven't seen/heard anything about technology needing to catch up to this issue. Can we design/engineer better protection for our players? I love football but am really conflicted -- there are too many conflicts of interest surrounding player protection against permanent injury. I don't want to see football go away, just want to see players get the protection they need.
Expand...
meatheads are scared of looking soft so they don't wear the mark kelso soft cap.

all this stuff filters from high school through college to the pros (spread, softer helmets) but the meatheads drag their feet and it takes decades
 
Millhouse said:
meatheads are scared of looking soft so they don't wear the mark kelso soft cap.
Expand...

Your use of meathead is starting to reach school voucher level. You need to work both into your next post! :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

sutomcat
    • Like
Orangeyes Daily Articles for Wednesday for Football
Replies
2
Views
746
Oakland
Oakland
sutomcat
    • Like
Orangeyes Daily Articles for Wednesday for Football
Replies
3
Views
651
Ozone!
Ozone!
sutomcat
    • Wow
Orangeyes Daily Articles for Tuesday for Football
Replies
1
Views
478
Ozone!
Ozone!
sutomcat
    • Like
    • Love
Orangeyes Daily Articles for Thursday for Football
Replies
2
Views
870
Ozone!
Ozone!
SWC75
    • Like
My 2024 SU Football Preview: The Situation
Replies
17
Views
2K
AlaskaSU
AlaskaSU

Forum statistics

Threads
170,417
Messages
4,890,537
Members
5,996
Latest member
meierscreek

Share this page

Online statistics

Members online
288
Guests online
1,614
Total visitors
1,902
Totals may include hidden visitors.


...
Top Bottom