This is Superbowl Week, a major holiday for sports fanatics and queso dip lovers everywhere. But, lost in the hoopla (ridiculous and sickening as it may be at this point) is a growing story of the ugly side of football. Football is beloved with its fans for its violence and machoism. Stories of players like Ronnie Lott who lost part of his finger and finished the game or Mark Schlereth who has had over 25 knee surgeries, or heroes like John Elway fighting off age and injury to helicopter his way for a firstdown define the sport. But, what is the cost for all this violence and physicality?
Increasingly former players are talking about the physical costs, especially as related to concussions. Another player, Ted Johnson, who as a linebacker helped the Patriots win 3 Superbowls, has come out and said that concussions he suffered as a player have caused him brain injuries that have lead to depression, memory loss, and fatigue. In the story Johnson even blames Coach Bill Belichick for making him play with a concussion and contributing to his injuries. Coming on the heels of the suicide death of Andre Waters a former Eagles safety, this story is even more important.
The NFL has been studying the effects of concussions for year, but has seemingly done very little to stem the tide of concussions or put in policies that will better protect players who have suffered from them. There is a huge physical cost to being a professional football player. For many, the glory of their 20′s is exchanged for barely being able to walk when they are in their 40′s and 50′s. When a player such as Tiki Barber walks away from the game, in part becaue he can still walk, older players, many of whom can barely move, criticize him for not getting it.
The NFL needs to do some dramatically different to protect its players. Concussions are not insignificant, they are damage to your brain. If the machoism and professional drive of players and/or coaches is going to prevent them from making good decisions about their future then the league should help them. A couple of years ago helmet makers came out with helmets that help better protect from concussions, why not mandate them? Why not invest some of the billions of dollars the league makes each year into the most extensive and thorough study of concussions that has ever been done? Why not create a culture within football where sitting out because someone else hurt your brain is considered a good thing?
Hopefully, while the world has its eyes on the NFL this week someone will start to care about these players and their injuries. Hopefully someone will make decisions based on the good and future of other human beings instead of money. Hopefully, but I am not going to hold my breath.
February 4, 2007 at 12:06 am
The difficult thing about preventing concussions is that no helmet can really prevent one. I’d love to hear more about how this helmet you were talking about works. My understanding is that concussions are brain injuries not a skull injury; helmets protect the skull but are limited in their ability to protect the brain. A helmet can prevent damage to the skull on impact, but concussions are caused by the brain impacting against the skull inside the head. The brain kind of floats around inside the skull and a sudden impact can cause the brain to collide with the skull from the inside even if the skull is protect well by a helmet on the outside. What you really need is a helmet for the brain inside your skull in order to prevent a concussion on impact. If some one has come up with a helmet that can reduce concussions to a greater degree, I agree that they should make it mandatory.
The only other way to reduce concussions is by adjusting the rules, which is difficult in a game based on contact. People already complain about all the rules that “protect” quarterbacks” from hits, but it seems to me the QB’s get more concussions than anyone. If I had to guess I would have guessed that running backs get more, but I don’t think that is the case. Remember it is not the collision on the head as much as it is the collision of the brain against the skull inside the head; I think QB’s experience the whiplash movement that causes the brain to collide with the inside of the scull more than other players because of the blindside hits they often take. QB’s probably also hit the back of their head against the hard turf more often than other players causing the brain to also collide with the back of the skull. As fans we should support the rules in place to protect the QB and other players and be open to more.
I hope everyone enjoys the Super Bowl and whatever surrounding activities they have planned and I pray that there are no serious injuries during the game.
Peace,
James
February 4, 2007 at 3:02 am
Oh, yea….Go Skins!! (I am a dreamer)
Peace,
James
February 4, 2007 at 4:23 am
My grandfather was a hometown highschool football hero. He suffered from football injuries (knees especially) all his life. I am not much of a football fan (ok I hate it)and I don’t see the point. The human body, no matter how strong, is not designed to take that much punishment. Just look at what injury you are talking about, concussions. The skull is an incredible shield for the brain and with the helmet on top of it, it should protect. But yet, over time, the punishment injurs through helmet and skull alike. The really sad part about it is that football players are encouraged to adopt such unhealthy weight to be more formidible. This just adds to the problem of potential for injury. I don’t see how a new helmet will make much of a difference. Players are always challenged to run faster and hit harder than they did the previous year. The inevitable increase in competition will supercede any improvement in safety equipment I would imagine. But on the other hand maybe football is getting a bad rap and all the injury happened while crushing beer cans on the forehead during college.
February 4, 2007 at 4:49 am
Greg:
Would you give me permission to copy your blog on the emergent Nazarene site, concerning unity, to my blog site? Wanted to get your permission before I did so.
Please let me know. I’ve read your site here and will lurk often.
Cahoona@Juno.com
http://www.lafayettenazarene.com
http://www.christiancadence.blogspot.com
February 5, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Concussions are an issue in any sport in which there is physical contact. I got my bell rung in a wrestling match, though I never went to the doctor. I probably should have.
The protection aspect comes with players taking the time off to rest and heal after a concussion. That is also on the coaching staff and doctors as well to make players rest after a head injury, or any injury. However, the mindset of play through injury exists. But, in my opinion, there is a difference between playing through injury and being stupid with your life. You can play with a stub finger, maybe a broken arm or rib, but a concussion, I’m sorry, but you need rest and you can’t get back out there.
As for Johnson’s situation with the Patriots, that’s on him, the coaching staff and the doctors. They all had a responsibility in his health and, sadly, it seems like the checks and balances that should have been in placed were never used.