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OT: Finebaum slams UNC Coach Fedora over CTE comments (says he wouldn't send his kid there)

I only saw parts of his comments so not sure of context but he’s kinda right. There is a lot of jumping to conclusions and bad information out there. Youth football is quickly dying
 
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My daughter is friends with Tommy Hatton. He had to quit football due to concussions. I bet his parents are not too happy with Fedora’s comments right now.
 
There is a definite trendy hysteria about it. In all honesty most of the people I find who say they would never let their kid play are people who look completely unathletic and uncoordinated as it is.

NFL guys it’s a bit different because they have so much mileage on their bodies. But I think there is much more that goes into it aside from football = CTE.
 
RUskoolie said:
There is a definite trendy hysteria about it. In all honesty most of the people I find who say they would never let their kid play are people who look completely unathletic and uncoordinated as it is.

NFL guys it’s a bit different because they have so much mileage on their bodies. But I think there is much more that goes into it aside from football = CTE.
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Agree. Need study a bunch of non football brains the same way.
Also, I’ll take pee wee football over getting hit in the head with a lacrosse ball at 30 MPH or heading a soccer ball that’s been punted 35 yds
 
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There's a link between repeated head impacts and CTE. There are more repeated head impacts on average in football (especially at certain positions) than in other sports.

Making players (and parents) aware of the risks is not a bad thing, and isn't hysteria.

And yes, there has been a link drawn between repeated heading of soccer balls, too, and CTE found in some former soccer players - and efforts to reduce heading of the ball.
 
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Just saw a story that girl soccer players get more concussions than boy football players. Forget where I saw it
 
CTE really is about the repeated hits, not the intensity of any single impact. Intensity of impact leads to concussions (which are their own, separate problem) - but repetitive hits are not immediately noticeable, and we're learning that they add up over time.

When people talk about football players being at risk for CTE, it's not punters and placekickers they're worried about - not all positions are at equal risk.
 
The studies coming out definitely require attention. It's not hysteria, but it is cause to put money into researching helmet technology.

And yes, there already have been studies about heading soccer balls, so football apologists need not get so defensive about it. Safety is paramount if we are to have future kids playing football.

I've seen -- and written about -- very young kids eagerly signing up to play football and trying on equipment to determine their proper size. And the youth football coach was very well-versed in proper fitting to help reduce the chance of injury, and not just to the head. Education and research is important if the sport is to not just survive, but thrive. Burying your head in the sand and pointing to kids heading soccer balls is not a responsible response.
 
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BoroKnight said:
The studies coming out definitely require attention. It's not hysteria, but it is cause to put money into researching helmet technology.

And yes, there already have been studies about heading soccer balls, so football apologists need not get so defensive about it. Safety is paramount if we are to have future kids playing football.

I've seen -- and written about -- very young kids eagerly signing up to play football and trying on equipment to determine their proper size. And the youth football coach was very well-versed in proper fitting to help reduce the chance of injury, and not just to the head. Education and research is important if the sport is to not just survive, but thrive. Burying your head in the sand and pointing to kids heading soccer balls is not a responsible response.
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Agree wholeheartedly. Soccer heading may be more dangerous than football from what I’ve read. I’m glad hockey has finally begun to take this science stuff seriously.
 
RUskoolie said:
In all honesty most of the people I find who say they would never let their kid play are people who look completely unathletic and uncoordinated as it is.
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Really....how most of the parents look, huh? That argument surely is convincing. Or maybe they're just concerned about the future welfare of their child(ren) to steer them toward a variety of other demanding athletic endeavors that aren't nearly as risky (not even soccer necessarily) whereby just as much can be learned through competition, teamwork, etc.

Many former football players at all levels (athletic-looking or otherwise) wouldn't let their own kids play football, knowing what they do about the potential risks, even with having enjoyed a rewarding experience themselves.
 
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RUnTeX said:
Really....how most of the parents look, huh? That argument surely is convincing. Or maybe they're just concerned about the future welfare of their child(ren) to steer them toward a variety of other demanding athletic endeavors that aren't nearly as risky (not even soccer necessarily) whereby just as much can be learned through competition, teamwork, etc.

Many former football players at all levels (athletic-looking or otherwise) wouldn't let their own kids play football, knowing what they do about the potential risks, even with having enjoyed a rewarding experience themselves.
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The issue is NFL, NCAA, and youth football aren’t doing a good job getting information out to parents. I’m heavily involved in my towns youth program and am always recruiting. Parents think their kids brains are going to turn to mush if they play 4th grade football. When asked why they think this they say “I saw it in the news or my pediatrician told me so”. They don’t have any real data or understanding about the risks. Also, it doesn’t help that most doctors and nurses don’t know squat about concussions. They Dx them like it’s the common cold.
 
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vkj91 said:
The issue is NFL, NCAA, and youth football aren’t doing a good job getting information out to parents. I’m heavily involved in my towns youth program and am always recruiting. Parents think their kids brains are going to turn to mush if they play 4th grade football. When asked why they think this they say “I saw it in the news or my pediatrician told me so”. They don’t have any real data or understanding about the risks. Also, it doesn’t help that most doctors and nurses don’t know squat about concussions. They Dx them like it’s the common cold.
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And I don't disagree with this. Youth football has a lower risk because the physical abilities of most youths in delivering jarring hits is relatively limited. At the same time, I can understand why those otherwise uneducated about the issue easily default to simply not taking a chance with their kid.
 
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RUnTeX said:
And I don't disagree with this. Youth football has a lower risk because the physical abilities of most youths in delivering jarring hits is relatively limited. At the same time, I can understand why those otherwise uneducated about the issue easily default to simply not taking a chance with their kid.
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My son played many years of football starting in 3rd grade and a couple of years in college. From what he says, there was a more hitting (helmet to helmet) in Pop Warner practice that at the high school or college level. I believe that has changed and there is much more caution now in youth football.
 
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Scarlet1984 said:
My son played many years of football starting in 3rd grade and a couple of years in college. From what he says, there was a more hitting (helmet to helmet) in Pop Warner practice that at the high school or college level. I believe that has changed and there is much more caution now in youth football.
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Very little contact in college practices.
Most your coaches now get certified by heads up football. They emphasize rugby style tackling and “taking the head out of the game”. You can teach a lot of football without much contact.
 
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My helmet in HS (early 60's)was just a solid piece of hard plastic with a leather liner that had turned into a "brick" with years of accumulated sweat.
Most of the hits I remember were more glancing than dead on. Good thing with the level of protection I had. :eek:
 
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