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96% of ex-NFL players and 78% of all ex-football players tested have brain disease

RCTrooper

RCTrooper

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Apr 9, 2010
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New study came out today and it is shocking:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/front...-nfl-players-test-positive-for-brain-disease/

You wonder who will be playing this sport in 10 years. My son is in the 3rd grade and is in the last year of flag football. Next year starts tackle in his rec league. I don't think that I'll let him play. Seems too risky.

Will this sport might be left, more and more, to economically disadvantaged kids who view it as the means to get to college?
 
In this society a kid can start playing in 8th or 9th grade and not miss much compared to the ones that played their whole childhood.
 
PeteGiam07 said:
In this society a kid can start playing in 8th or 9th grade and not miss much compared to the ones that played their whole childhood.
Click to expand...

I don't agree and here's why. I watch a lot of HS programs. I see a lot of city teams and when the team warms up you cannot believe the athleticism/size/speed they display. Then I see a suburban team that isn't nearly as big or athletic and they thump the city teams. I have learned that the suburban teams have great pee-wee programs and the kids have been playing since they were 8 years old. When that kid has had 10,000 reps of blocking/tackling vs. the kid who can dunk but has only had 500 reps, it's not hard to see why the more seasoned kid does better.
 
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RCTrooper said:
New study came out today and it is shocking:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/front...-nfl-players-test-positive-for-brain-disease/

You wonder who will be playing this sport in 10 years. My son is in the 3rd grade and is in the last year of flag football. Next year starts tackle in his rec league. I don't think that I'll let him play. Seems too risky.

Will this sport might be left, more and more, to economically disadvantaged kids who view it as the means to get to college?
Click to expand...
I say this as a father - with folks who think like you? Yes.

I'm not saying it doesnt happen but we are talking about people who do this everyday for 15-20 years. Let him play the game.
 
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RUskoolie said:
I don't agree and here's why. I watch a lot of HS programs. I see a lot of city teams and when the team warms up you cannot believe the athleticism/size/speed they display. Then I see a suburban team that isn't nearly as big or athletic and they thump the city teams. I have learned that the suburban teams have great pee-wee programs and the kids have been playing since they were 8 years old. When that kid has had 10,000 reps of blocking/tackling vs. the kid who can dunk but has only had 500 reps, it's not hard to see why the more seasoned kid does better.
Click to expand...
I think more and more the economically advantaged kids are going to move to other sport because their parents are more informed and have more means for getting kids into college. That's why I see this sport being played more and more by inner city/poor kids.
 
Although this is clearly a cause for concern, the subject of this thread is actually extremely inaccurate.

A different article that popped up on sportacular app for me made mention of the fact that many of the brains donated to this study were of people who were specifically believed to be suffering from the brain disease while they were alive. So this test was not done randomly and you cannot assume that 96% of ex NFL players have brain disease.
 
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I love football, just love it. But, especially after seeing EL taken off the field, reading articles on the seriousness of concussions and pieces such as the above, etc., I've come to seriously question whether the detrimental consequences of the sport simply outweigh the benefit to spectators, such as myself. In many ways, the athletes would be better served if the game could be reinvented (which, of course, it can't) by simply taking-off the helmets and pads and going back to (scarlet) turbans. Probably more minor injuries, but fewer tragedies and serious long-term conditions.
 
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We're all going to die of something.

My kid is playing (if he comes to me and asks. And no, the wife has no say. She knew who she married).
 
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There is deliberate attempt to create concussion hysteria. Some want to make money testing all kids in schools. Others want to make money suing everyone. Others still have political motives and resent A) central role in American culture B) the masculine nature of football (often called "male hegemony" ). You can see that many of the people (Obama) who portray football as dangerous for "our sons" also want to put women in combat . Its crazy.

Keep in mind drug and alcohol abuse, diabetes etc also cause the same symptoms, proteins etc being blamed on football.


http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-03-link-years-football-cognitive-function.html

A new study presented today at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found no link between neurocognitive function and years of football play in adolescent athletes.

No Evidence for a Cumulative Impact Effect on Concussion Injury Threshold

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4346375/


"There was no significant relationship between a history of soccer-related concussion and either neurocognitive performance or scholastic aptitude. Neither participation in soccer nor a history of soccer-related concussions was associated with impaired performance of neurocognitive function in high-level United States soccer players.

http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/30/2/157.short

"There currently are no carefully controlled data, however, to indicate a definitive association between sport-related concussion and increased risk for late-life cognitive and neuropsychiatric impairment of any form."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131202152036.htm
 
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I doesn't take a genius to figure out that repeatedly banging your head, day after day, year after year wouldn't cause some type of damage. Kind of like smoking. All those puffs add up.
 
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Given the choice, these guys would still play football. It affords many a life they never would have sniffed otherwise.

Those findings aren't as clear cut as they are trying to make one believe.
 
I think the Rutgers players may be able to use this as a defense to stay out of jail. With all the hits you take on your head, you don't know the difference between right and wrong.
 
I'm sure playing football for many years causes some brain injury but the sample size in this study is not large enough and this study misses many important issue.

You would need to first have a population of people that never played to determine what percentage of the average population has some type of brain issues. With an equal number of people from different age groups. What % of the general population over 65 yr. has this issue?

Next have an arm of the study that just has former NFL players. Determine what positions they played, how long did they play for , etc, etc

Cant just have 100 guys that think they have a brain injury from football in the study.
Need to total redo this the correct way.
 
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Can someone tell me why we don't have soft shell helmets? There is no good answer out there. Soft shells will provide additional deceleration... much like crumple zone in cars.
 
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I realize they offer disclaimers in the article, but the fact that they even presented a percentage based on that data is incredibly misleading. The doctor clearly has an opinion he has already formed that he is looking to put forth before any true scientific study has been completed.
 
Is this the same doctor , Andrew Wakefield , that did the Vaccine study in England a few years ago ?
 
theRU said:
Can someone tell me why we don't have soft shell helmets? There is no good answer out there. Soft shells will provide additional deceleration... much like crumple zone in cars.
Click to expand...
The hard shell is designed to prevent crushing your skull. The whole interior of the helmet is already soft - it's not like the helmets of the '50's that were just a shell with minimal cushioning.
 
I'm looking for a peer-reviewed article on the study, but haven't found it yet. But it seems the study only examined former football players who suspected that they had brain injuries, so it is hardly a random sample. Also, the examination was after the former players had passed away, which means these are people who played football possibly 25 to 50 years ago. Much less was known about concussions back then, and protective gear was not as good. That's not to say that football is a safe sport today, but it may not be as dangerous today as this study would have one believe.
 
RCTrooper said:
New study came out today and it is shocking:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/front...-nfl-players-test-positive-for-brain-disease/

You wonder who will be playing this sport in 10 years. My son is in the 3rd grade and is in the last year of flag football. Next year starts tackle in his rec league. I don't think that I'll let him play. Seems too risky.

Will this sport might be left, more and more, to economically disadvantaged kids who view it as the means to get to college?
Click to expand...


What about the 3 who didn't have the disease? What positions did they play?

You might want to join the team as the 3rd string place kicker.

MO
 
saran said:
There is deliberate attempt to create concussion hysteria. Some want to make money testing all kids in schools. Others want to make money suing everyone. Others still have political motives and resent A) central role in American culture B) the masculine nature of football (often called "male hegemony" ). You can see that many of the people (Obama) who portray football as dangerous for "our sons" also want to put women in combat . Its crazy.

Keep in mind drug and alcohol abuse, diabetes etc also cause the same symptoms, proteins etc being blamed on football.


http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-03-link-years-football-cognitive-function.html

A new study presented today at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found no link between neurocognitive function and years of football play in adolescent athletes.

No Evidence for a Cumulative Impact Effect on Concussion Injury Threshold

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4346375/


"There was no significant relationship between a history of soccer-related concussion and either neurocognitive performance or scholastic aptitude. Neither participation in soccer nor a history of soccer-related concussions was associated with impaired performance of neurocognitive function in high-level United States soccer players.

http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/30/2/157.short

"There currently are no carefully controlled data, however, to indicate a definitive association between sport-related concussion and increased risk for late-life cognitive and neuropsychiatric impairment of any form."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131202152036.htm
Click to expand...

Ok, Mr. Goodell, but if you carefully look at these studies, they have one thing in common. They all say that there is no link, no significant relationship, etc between concussion, playing football and neurocognitive decline. (One study was done on soccer players for goodness sake.) However, none of these studies disproves the hypothesis that playing tackle football messes up your brain permanently. Do you honestly think that diabetes and drugs led to Andre Waters's 44 yr old brain looking like that of an 85 yr old in his autopsy? For every study that you pull to support your argument, there are many out there that can counter it. BTW, I love football and I love boxing. However, I do not want my son to play either. In the end, the decision has to be made by the individual and their parents as well.
 
ColonelRutgers said:
The hard shell is designed to prevent crushing your skull. The whole interior of the helmet is already soft - it's not like the helmets of the '50's that were just a shell with minimal cushioning.
Click to expand...
Hard shell isn't necessary..you can still have a rigid structure with soft on both sides.
 
I believe it was Purdue University a few years back, who did a study on high school football players, tested them preseason, then after the season. Their conclusion was the repeated micro trauma was just as, if not more disabling long term than the one big hit that knocks you out.
 
RCTrooper said:
I think more and more the economically advantaged kids are going to move to other sport because their parents are more informed and have more means for getting kids into college. That's why I see this sport being played more and more by inner city/poor kids.
Click to expand...

You should probably stop watching football because you are getting entertained at the expense of others if you believe this hysteria about brain injuries. I played youth and high school football and my brain and the rest of my body are doing quite well, especially when you compare it to my 50 year old peers. Also I let my son play tackle football, no concussions in 5 years of playing. Just my experience.
 
The obvious leap to make is to blame football. This study admits it is biased as they only tested those who thought they had it. It proves very little. If I tested 30 people who think they have strep throat and 76% had strep throat I can't say 76% of people have strep throat. I still think more research needs to be done. For example I think they need to look at child hood of these people. Not just blame football. These people were the kids who were always pushing the envelope in all aspects of life. They probably had many head hits prior to starting football.
 
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Scarlet4Shore said:
I believe it was Purdue University a few years back, who did a study on high school football players, tested them preseason, then after the season. Their conclusion was the repeated micro trauma was just as, if not more disabling long term than the one big hit that knocks you out.
Click to expand...

Tulane did a study of 1,289 HS players over 3 years and found they did better on tests.



"Playing American football does not harm teenagers' brains, even if they suffer concussions—so say researchers from the Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine.

Tracking 1,289 Louisiana high school football players from 1997 to 2000, they found that the more time the teenagers spent on the field, the better they did on tests of their mental abilities.

The finding contradicts earlier reports of brain damage in football players at all levels of the sport. "The concussive forces may not be quite as bad as we think," said Gregory W. Stewart, chief of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Tulane University School of Medicine."


http://www.healthline.com/health-news/football-doesnt-increase-brain-damage-risk-031414
 
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