Effect of Head Injuries/Blows in Sport

[The X]

Saw a pretty interesting article at Grantland about the effect of head injuries/blows in sports (e.g. NFL, boxing, NHL). As a parent, would you really want your kid playing contact sports like American football, boxing or rugby?

Either way, if nothing else it's an interesting read on why many former NFL players go downhill so quickly after their careers are over.

Link for story is here.

If you want to skip some fluff, you can skip straight to page 2.

Interested to see what everyone's thoughts are.

[Dc311]

I have not read the article yet but I have no problem with them playing sports like american football.As a matter of fact,my godson is starting his new season in football and he want's to actually do it.I really did not think that he liked it much at first because of all of the contact but I think he saw it as a challenge.I saw it as him being acive.Not all being at home just playing video game all day.If he ever want's to not play football again then I would support him 100% of the way.

As for professional and college football players,they know what they are getting themselves into.I do not think that there is much that the NFL can do to lower the standards of tackling the the other player and lowering the quality of the game.Technology is becoming better so that means equipment will become better for their safety.But then that might also give a certain player or players the attitude of pushing the hitting level even more.





A little fun fact about me.I went from 7th grade to junior varsity(10th grade) as a "power" fullback/half back and some times small tightend.Only once did I ever get knocked the fuck out by a hit.I blame myself for it.I saw the guy from the other team running straight for me and I thought I could take him down with a good shoulder to his chest but....it turns out this dude was a pretty good leaper and got me with his shoulder.He actually got his coach to call up my school to ask for me to see if I was okay and to apologize.

[The X]

I played all the available contact sports (i.e rugby union, rugby league & Australian rules football) when I was a kid from 7 through 12. I think I had one mild concussion when I was 12. Once I hit high school though I got more interested in basketball, which coincided with when the other winter sports were played, so that ended that.

[Kenny]

Each case needs to be treated differently. I wasn't allowed to play contact sports because I was too skinny growing up. I ended up playing cricket during 6 years of school and I had stints playing tennis and badminton. The last season I played cricket, I did it without a helmet, which was absolutely insane looking back at it. I was pretty lucky not to get hit in the head by the cricket ball; it would have hurt a lot and I could have lost some teeth. Worst injuries I got were just bumps and bruises from being hit by the ball.

Assuming my future children would have a similar build to me growing up (tall and lanky) I probably wouldn't let them play contact sport, otherwise, I might be a little more lenient.

[formx]

I didn't read a whole lot of the article, but a part of the concussion problem, is with equipment. Like with the video below explaining it, the NHL players used to wear different equipment that was safer than what they wear now.

phpBB [video]

Watch until 3:59

[Dc311]

That video does not prove a thing.It is just a video about a persons opinion.

[Oznogrd]

all the engineering in the world wont matter if the athletes dont wear the helmets tight enough. in 1 quarter of the preseason game i watched the other night i saw 3 helmets fly off. These things are supposed to be strapped on. Obviously athletes dont think so or its too uncomfortable.

At training camp Jordan Gross was running in a hat no helmet (pads..just no helmet, it was odd)

[formx]

That video does not prove a thing.It is just a video about a persons opinion.

The man is one of the most well respected men in hockey. Anyways, he does have a point. Equipment like he showed that had sponge, is less likely to hurt someone than the plastic equipment that players wear now.

[Dc311]

all the engineering in the world wont matter if the athletes dont wear the helmets tight enough

I remember Troy Aikman bringing that up in a game about 2 or 3 seasons ago.If you ever see a Peyton Manning interview after a game or even during a game,then you will notice the cushion marks on his forehead.That is what every player should have.

The man is one of the most well respected men in hockey.

What does that matter?

Anyways, he does have a point. Equipment like he showed that had sponge, is less likely to hurt someone than the plastic equipment that players wear now.

What I got from the video was an old timer telling the newer hockey players that they are a bunch of pussies because they have to wear all of this equipment nowadays compared to back then.

And once again,that video does not prove a thing.I watch several several hours of porn each week but that does not make me Ron Jeremy.

[Andrew]

Temped to go with "I didn't realise there was any sport but basketball, which is what they'll be playing. It's a mute point as far as I'm concerned." but in all honesty, I'd have to "I'll try to steer them away from it, but if that's what they really want then so be it."

Well, I'd probably approach it a little more diplomatically than that, depending on my hypothetical kid. Sports like that obviously demand that participants have a certain physique and even in the under 15s, you see kids that look like they could be in the pros. If I had genuine concerns that my hypothetical kid wouldn't be able to withstand the physicality of the sport, I'd have to be the bad guy and a wet blanket, and try to dissuade them from participating. If there was a medical condition or some other circumstances that pushed the risk even higher, definitely no go. Let's find something else for you to do.

[Dc311]

Haha!!!
Andrew has a hypothetical illegitimate child.

[Andrew]

How do you figure that? It's my hypothetical.

[bowdown]

Absolutely Not. It is not worth risking an injury that will permanently damage either his body or his brain functioning. I am all for sports like basketball, cricket, baseball, soccer but not American football or Rugby. My goal is to have my kid live a physically active life and stay healthy physically and mentally. High risk sports he can choose to participate when he is an adult (he mostly likely wouldnt be interested then anyway) but as long as I am responsible for his ass I am not letting his body and brain development be put in an unnecessary high risk situation like Am football.

[Oznogrd]

basketball, cricket, baseball, soccer

Because nothing bad ever happens in those sports? Come on. All sports have inherent risks. Sure some are riskier than others, but you iron fist your kid and he's giong to go behind your back and do even crazier shit.

[bowdown]

basketball, cricket, baseball, soccer

Because nothing bad ever happens in those sports? Come on. All sports have inherent risks. Sure some are riskier than others, but you iron fist your kid and he's giong to go behind your back and do even crazier shit.

I am going to explain the logic behind how his body is at risk from the sport itself and how empowered cheap mentality fuckers lurk in the game of American Football. Come on man, Ive hung out around these kids. They get a boner for trying to hit the other kid the hardest. It is really cheap. If you want to prove your physical toughness to another man, then compete in MMA, dont blind-sight the guy at high-speed and then act like you are a supreme physical force. (Ive seen a kid break another's collar bone because he was trying to tackle him hard in PE class playing something similar to football) If I wanted my kid to compete in a sport which involved manhandling your opponent I would get him into MMA.

And yeah bad things can happen in those other sports I mentioned ofcourse. Something bad can happen on the drive to playing golf as well, it doesnt matter there are always risks in life. Bottom line is that football's main goals is to run into your opponent at full speed, hit them as hard as you can. I dont want my kid's body to be exposed to that during his developing years.

Sure some are riskier than others

BTW this is actually a lot more important than you seem to make it sound. The risk factors are different by a great degree. None of the other sports I mentioned have a hard full speed collision with your opponent as one of the main goals or achievements.

[Andrew]

I don't think it's about ruling with an iron fist, it's about drawing an acceptable line, assessing the risk and making a responsible decision.

For example...a couple of years ago, my nephew (who's now 14) wanted to play rugby league but his mother was completely against it because a lot of the kids in the Under 13s were already huge. My nephew is by no means small and scrawny, but he's nowhere near as big as those other kids, who look like they could already be playing professionally. So he got into the local Australian Rules football comp instead, a contact sport that obviously still has risks, but at this point he's physically he's better suited to play it compared to rugby. It was a compromise that he's really enjoyed and he now watches AFL along with the NRL.

Not being a parent I can't speak from experience, but I would agree that being overprotective and controlling can lead to just as many problems as being neglectful and permissive. But again, I don't believe it's about that. It's about assessing the risk, providing guidance and setting boundaries for a child's well-being, because when we're kids we can't be trusted to do that. All most kids know is that they love a sport and want to play it, and who cares if they don't really have the right physique to meet the demands of the sport or a medical condition that makes it a really bad idea?

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for letting kids have freedom, trying different things and encouraging people to do what they want to do and be who they want to be. But some things are a bad idea for some kids, which means the responsible parent has to step in and say no. That doesn't mean they have to be an ogre about it of course or that alternatives and compromises can't be suggested.

[Ourumow]

Well, effects in these kinds of sports don´t differ from the effects of say, basketball or football. Accidents happen in every sport, and the degree is totally the same. You can take a huge hit in the head in MMA, or you can get a broken leg in football. In contact sports, you should always be aware of those kind of things.

[Axel The Great]

Went with the second option, but it depends on which sport we're talking about. If I had a kid, he'd most likely be interested in either soccer or basketball since those are the only two sports I've had big interest in. Similar to what badreligionau already said, if my kid had the right body form to play american football or any similar sport, and he has interest in playing, then I'd let him. Otherwise, let's just stick your skinny ass on a soccer field. In other words, to me it would all depend on their physique.

[rise]

No brain injury caused me to forget what my breakfast was. I just have a shit memory.

[koberulz]

Well, effects in these kinds of sports don´t differ from the effects of say, basketball or football.

Uh...yeah, they kinda do. That's the entire point of the thread.

Accidents happen in every sport, and the degree is totally the same. You can take a huge hit in the head in MMA, or you can get a broken leg in football.

Yeah, permanent life-ruining brain injuries are the exact same thing as a broken leg that will, at worst, leave you with a bit of a limp.