Football on trial at University of Colorado..

[cto]

Is this a harbinger of things to come on the college football front? (Article is well worth reading).

At Colorado, a Breach in Football’s Wall

 

[orange79]

I'm very conflicted watching and being a fan of football. I love the game, but inherent in it is the very real possibility that it can adversely affect the players' health and well-being. This article states the downside of my fandom nicely.

 

[MaxwellCuse]

A sobering article and many excellent comments from readers (how unlike the comment section on a certain .com!). I too feel conflicted about my fandom. Maybe even guilty.

 

[Finwad32]

You play by choice and players are more educated now than ever, even though there are still many unknowns.

Change is inevitable, but I will never feel guilty for loving the game.

 

[reedny]

I'm very conflicted watching and being a fan of football. I love the game, but inherent in it is the very real possibility that it can adversely affect the players' health and well-being. This article states the downside of my fandom nicely.

I feel the same way. I love the game but am increasingly conflicted about CTE, less so with pros but acutely with middle and HS kids. Change is inevitable and I hope they come up with a different tackling style that will subtract from the force and brutality of the hits. If fans can accept changes, players won't have to suffer with brain damage and early mortality.

 

[cuse309]

I love the game. Therefore, I shall continue to watch with my head buried deep in the sand.

 

[shu 49]

You play by choice and players are more educated now than ever, even though there are still many unknowns.

Change is inevitable, but I will never feel guilty for loving the game.

I agree wholeheartedly. I love the game itself and loved playing. I use to like practice. It’s a fight with pads on basically. As gladiator of sport as u can get and yes I would like it safer but u have a choice to play and most kids love the game. It teaches so many things other than just football. How to work with others and how much work it takes to get where u want to be and the list goes on.

 

[longtimefan]

I agree wholeheartedly. I love the game itself and loved playing. I use to like practice. It’s a fight with pads on basically. As gladiator of sport as u can get and yes I would like it safer but u have a choice to play and most kids love the game. It teaches so many things other than just football. How to work with others and how much work it takes to get where u want to be and the list goes on.

On the other hand, playing football is not the only way to learn those life lessons.

 

[Oakland]

Hopefully, it will be a harbinger.

Should also be noted that this article does not mention the history of rapes committed by the Colorado football team and covered up by the university.

Is this a harbinger of things to come on the college football front? (Article is well worth reading).

At Colorado, a Breach in Football’s Wall

 

[sufan4eva13]

Fact: No unique neurodegenerative profile has been identified for CTE. What does that mean? It means they can't demonstrate that CTE does anything at all.

 

[kcsu]

And the earth is flat.

 

[upperdeck]

there is a whole long list of pursuits that humans have that is probably bad for them long term. some are fone for money, some for adrenaline, some for love, some for education.

people have been playing football and getting hurt for close to 100 yrs now. boxers still box. free climbers still fall, divers still dive.

people should stop blaming others if they choose to do something that any normal person can see has some potentially bad side effects.

 

[Hoo's That]

there is a whole long list of pursuits that humans have that is probably bad for them long term. some are fone for money, some for adrenaline, some for love, some for education.

people have been playing football and getting hurt for close to 100 yrs now. boxers still box. free climbers still fall, divers still dive.

people should stop blaming others if they choose to do something that any normal person can see has some potentially bad side effects.

The cases people are talking about involve players who began playing well before the problem was identified. Affluent parents are now taking the actions that you mention by forbidding their sons to play football. In the future it will become a game for the poor to play even more than it is now. This was the situation with boxing. The Ivies will find it increasingly difficult to find players as time passes to the point they will probably be the first conference to drop football.

 

[elimunelson]

there is a whole long list of pursuits that humans have that is probably bad for them long term. some are fone for money, some for adrenaline, some for love, some for education.

people have been playing football and getting hurt for close to 100 yrs now. boxers still box. free climbers still fall, divers still dive.

people should stop blaming others if they choose to do something that any normal person can see has some potentially bad side effects.

I feel worse for coal miners and toll booth collectors who do jobs w less fanfare and huge health implications.

Sports are and have been dangerous for centuries.

Freedom allows those who want to pursue and those who enjoy. I don’t apologize at all and I think people need to make their own mind up on it. To tel others how to think would be the bigger problem

 

[RandomGuy]

The cases people are talking about involve players who began playing well before the problem was identified. Affluent parents are now taking the actions that you mention by forbidding their sons to play football. In the future it will become a game for the poor to play even more than it is now. This was the situation with boxing. The Ivies will find it increasingly difficult to find players as time passes to the point they will probably be the first conference to drop football.

That's not necessarily true. I live in a very affluent area, and the football numbers have been steadily increasing. 155 players. It's run like boot camp. Everything else is run so soft, that many parents want it for the hard work, and discipline that isn't provided elsewhere.(it's almost non-existent)

True to the study published in the NE journal of medicine, the girls soccer team is always the most concussed sport. It's not a guess. The football players helmets are equipped with sensors that measure force, and are monitored. Remember I said affluent area?

When you have ALL the facts, and your own data, HS football falls below girls soccer, hockey(and for some reason, I remember cheer?) In regards to head trauma. Above the high school level? It's freaking dangerous.

 

[DaCuse]

I remembered throwing tight 35-40 yard spirals as a high school freshman. And I’m now thankful my parents refused to let me play beyond 9th grade.

 

[DaCuse]

Although at the time I was peeeeeasyd lol

 

[sufan4eva13]

What's a bold distortion of the truth? The simple fact that they haven't been able to link CTE to anything, including pain, memory loss or personality changes? Wow. Telling the truth in its entirety is a "bold distortion of the truth", I guess.

CTE has only been identified in brains after someone is dead because they haven't found a way to identify it in anyone who is alive. You know why that is? Because CTE has no unique neurodegenerative profile, meaning they cannot identify any symptoms which are apparently caused by CTE.

One might call leaving one half of that in without putting in the other half a pretty bold distortion of the truth.

There may be "plenty of evidence that suggests repeated blows to the head is a major factor in CTE", what there isn't any evidence of is that CTE manifests during life or causes any neurological issues whatsoever.

Just think about this for a second: About 40% of high school football players brains that were tested were found to have CTE, yet multiple studies on the subject have turned back no greater incidence of cognitive impairment in ex football players than they do amongst the general population. Cleveland Clinic did a study along these lines with guys who played football in the 1950s, and they actually lived longer and had slightly lower incidence of cognitive disorder than the general population.

How can BOTH of those things be true?

My hypothesis is that it's because CTE is not a genuine mental disorder.

This is a pretty bold distortion of the truth.

They can’t say with statistical confidence what CTE does, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a link between football, CTE, and the issues it causes. There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence surrounding pain, memory loss, personality changes, etc.

The reasons there’s no definitive link between football and CTE are because of the careful nature of scientific research and the fact that CTE can only be examined in brains after the patient is dead. CTE research is relatively new, and there hasn’t been enough time / sample for rigorous analysis to be definitive.

Also, yes, scientists who study CTE have been careful to point out that there’s no definitive link between CTE and football. But there is plenty of evidence that suggests repeated blows to the head is a major factor for CTE. The question is why some players get it and some don’t.

 

[RandomGuy]

I agree that only a portion of the facts are being presented. Although, head trauma studies certainly find consequences. (Football, or not)

My larger concern is that folks think NFL/college studies directly correlate to the youth level. Studies show that there are a few HS sports that are more dangerous, yet folks freely let the girls play soccer, and the other sports, thinking football is the big problem. Studies say it's not. Sticking your head in the sand and attacking a less dangerous sport, has just as much to do with not liking the violent nature of it. An entirely different debate.

 

[sufan4eva13]

RandomGuy, to be clear, I would never say that HEAD TRAUMA is not an issue. I personally, when I have kids, will have a "3 and out" rule as it relates to concussions and football. 3 in their life, and they're done playing. But, as you know, there's a difference between head trauma & CTE.

 

[SWC75]

I have a libertarian attitude toward these things: if somebody wants to do something and they want me to watch and I find it entertaining, i'll watch. But the participants have to be made fully aware of the risks and everything that can be done to protect them without compromising the sport should be done: rules, equipment, etc. I don't like outsiders trying to ban something because they have decided they don't like it or that the participants are not capable of making their own decisions.

As to the schools, their decision about continuing the sport will be made for business reasons as it always has.
They do it for the revenue and for the publicity, which helps them attract more students who pay more tuition.

Communities will continue to support it because it brings people together and gives them a sense of well-being if their team can win. It's hard to put a price tag on what happened here last fall.

 

[RandomGuy]

For the 1.1 million kids playing HS football, something like 96%-98% will never play at the next level. With football NOT being the most dangerous head injury HS sports, I think there are other things at work

States like Massachusetts are trying to Ban youth football. Not the more dangerous girls soccer, hockey, gymnastics, etc. I personally believe there are those that have issue with the inherent violence of the game, and feel it should not be part of society. If it was just danger, soccer, hockey, motorsports, mma, boxing, most every extreme sport, etc. Would be on trial.

I think, in part, the CTE issue in football is at the forefront, because folks take issue with the popularity of a violent sport. While we should be concerned, I think it is also being used as a vehicle for another agenda.

To be clear, I'm not discounting CTE at the higher levels. MMa wouldn't exist if people truly cared about the safety of the athletes. It simply carries less cultural significance - as does girls soccer.

 

[sufan4eva13]

Reed, your article doesn't substantiate your claims, it actually solidifies mine. The study presents a theoretical framework of symptomology SPECIFICALLY to compensate for the fact that it has not been scientifically validated. It literally says " At present, there is little scientific evidence to suggest that all CTE symptomology is the product of CTE pathophysiology. It has been assumed that CTE pathophysiology causes CTE symptomology (Meehan et al. (2015), Iverson et al. (2016)) but this link has never been scientifically validated". That's exactly what I am saying. It is assumed that the symptoms which people claim are the result of CTE are being caused by this condition that is being found after death, but that has never been scientifically validated. The premise of the study you linked substantiates the very point I am making.

 

[All4SU]

CTE...paying players...bogus degrees...diminished emphasis on the student aspect of the student athlete...chemical enhancements...masking drugs...payola from boosters...players who live above the law...coaches who operate above the law...inconsistent application of rules and penalties from the NCAA...elimination of solid olympic sports... gobs of $ made by colleges... crooked AAU coaches/parents...shall i continue? There are a LOT OF Things to hate about college sports right now. I move a little closer to the door every day. That’s my reality.

 

[sufan4eva13]

Pretty sure I have been watching you say this for at least 3 years now

CTE...paying players...bogus degrees...diminished emphasis on the student aspect of the student athlete...chemical enhancements...masking drugs...payola from boosters...players who live above the law...coaches who operate above the law...inconsistent application of rules and penalties from the NCAA...elimination of solid olympic sports... gobs of $ made by colleges... crooked AAU coaches/parents...shall i continue? There are a LOT OF Things to hate about college sports right now. I move a little closer to the door every day. That’s my reality.