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The Case Against Football

https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/evdbzw/footballs-brain-injury-crisis-isnt-just-for-star-players

Glaud sees a visual therapist. A functional neurologist. A chiropractor. A cognitive therapist who doubles as an emotional counselor. He practices memorization with flash cards and numbers, works on his balance and eye movement, gets coaching to improve his ability to think and concentrate. He has cycled through four different migraine and mood medications. So far, none of it has helped. He's looking into Botox injections, which have been approved by the FDA to treat chronic headaches, and a numbing agent that would be injected into his upper neck.
 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...5b49e4-70bc-11e7-8839-ec48ec4cae25_story.html

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Researchers studying the link between football and chronic traumatic encephalopathy found that 99 percent of the brains donated by families of former NFL players showed signs of the neurodegenerative disease, according to a new study published Tuesday.
In all, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine and the VA Boston Healthcare System examined 202 brains that belonged to men who played football at all levels and were later donated for research. They found CTE in 177 of them — 87 percent.
While they found evidence of the disease across all levels of play, the highest percentage was found among those who competed at the highest level; all but one of the 111 brains belonging to ex-NFL players were diagnosed post-mortem with CTE.
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There are obvious issues with the sampling that are hard to overcome but this is still very troubling.
 
That could be of concern. What do male non-football players' brains typically look like? Is there a chance that non-football players' could show some such signs as well?
 
The "everybody's got CTE" defense?
 
The baseline isn't 110 of 111 men whose families were concerned enough to submit their brains for a study.
 
Yeah scientifically speaking that's a shitty sample size and no baseline. Need completely blinded study with mixed population compared to a standardized baseline that includes a lot of potential variables.
 
Probably 110 out of 111 have compromised joints as well. So what. People choose all kinds of dangerous activities and jobs or they choose not to do them. It's their choice and their freedom. And while I am not defending the actions of teams in the past that might have withheld medical information from players - no question that is horrible and there should be consequence, I find it hard to believe that players didn't know they were doing damage to their body in exchange for the positive things they took from playing the game.
 
Probably 110 out of 111 have compromised joints as well. So what. People choose all kinds of dangerous activities and jobs or they choose not to do them. It's their choice and their freedom. And while I am not defending the actions of teams in the past that might have withheld medical information from players - no question that is horrible and there should be consequence, I find it hard to believe that players didn't know they were doing damage to their body in exchange for the positive things they took from playing the game.

I don't believe most players knew they were (if true) suffering long term damage to the brain.

Agree that baseline is important. If studies become conclusive, at some point major changes will need to happen if the sport will survive at the high school level.
 
Yeah scientifically speaking that's a shitty sample size and no baseline. Need completely blinded study with mixed population compared to a standardized baseline that includes a lot of potential variables.

Good luck getting a mixed population to donate their brains.
 
Right, and it sounds like most, if not all, samples were sent because there was suspicion based on observed symptoms. It's concerning, but it's really hard to figure out what it means.
 
Probably 110 out of 111 have compromised joints as well. So what. People choose all kinds of dangerous activities and jobs or they choose not to do them. It's their choice and their freedom. And while I am not defending the actions of teams in the past that might have withheld medical information from players - no question that is horrible and there should be consequence, I find it hard to believe that players didn't know they were doing damage to their body in exchange for the positive things they took from playing the game.

There's a huge difference between not being able to walk well or your hands hurting and head trauma that leads to dementia, depression, more suicides and early death.
 
Right, and it sounds like most, if not all, samples were sent because there was suspicion based on observed symptoms. It's concerning, but it's really hard to figure out what it means.

It means 111 NFL players died and their families were concerned enough that they may have CTE that they donated the brains to research. And 110 of them were right.

Obviously, it's not the ideal research design, but that doesn't mean it's not very concerning.
 
deplorables love them some football. probably wouldn't know how to live without it.
 
deplorables love them some football. probably wouldn't know how to live without it.

You may be on to something. A lot more people can play football in small high schools. Everybody can make the team.
 
Of course football gets more ammunition to be scrapped as soon as we sign a four-star quarterback. So Wake Forest.
 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...5b49e4-70bc-11e7-8839-ec48ec4cae25_story.html

-----
Researchers studying the link between football and chronic traumatic encephalopathy found that 99 percent of the brains donated by families of former NFL players showed signs of the neurodegenerative disease, according to a new study published Tuesday.
In all, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine and the VA Boston Healthcare System examined 202 brains that belonged to men who played football at all levels and were later donated for research. They found CTE in 177 of them — 87 percent.
While they found evidence of the disease across all levels of play, the highest percentage was found among those who competed at the highest level; all but one of the 111 brains belonging to ex-NFL players were diagnosed post-mortem with CTE.
------


There are obvious issues with the sampling that are hard to overcome but this is still very troubling.

Odds that either the kicker or punter had the only brain that was fine?
 
Yeah scientifically speaking that's a shitty sample size and no baseline. Need completely blinded study with mixed population compared to a standardized baseline that includes a lot of potential variables.

Yep. What's the difference in former NFL player suicides/dementia cases/depression cases compared to the rest of the country? That's a starting point and then you would need to see a correctly done test with a baseline of brains tested.

Seems obvious that something is there but the testing needs to follow the proper scientific method so that the data/results are sound and impossible to dismiss if you are ever going to get anything to change.

One thing that i've seen watching recruiting stuff this year that I haven't seen before is that it looks like 7 on 7 camps and drills/camps for prospects are all issuing soft shell protective head gear for all participants. That's a positive sign that things may be changing.
 
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