An examination of the brain of an 18-year-old high school football player who collapsed and died showed degenerative brain disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The boy had suffered numerous concussions playing football.
Recent evidence suggests that most NFL players suffer brain damage during their careers. A Boston University study of six brains from players who died between ages 36 and 50 showed that five of them had it. NFL players, particularly linemen, tend to die young, both from brain damage and heart disease brought on by their 300-pound-plus bodies.
A sixth player, Tom McHale, formerly of the Bucs, Eagles, and Dolphins, and who died of a drug overdose last year at 45, also has been diagnosed with CTE.
It's an epidemic. Players even in high school are much, much bigger, faster, and meaner than they have ever been. High school football is destroying young mens' brains. Why is this permitted? Not only permitted but encouraged and lavished with spending?
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5 comments:
Oh wow, you posted something new.
Not at all on topic, but I just wanted to tell you that I finally got around to reading "Death and Life of Great American Cities" and it is fantastic. Thanks for the rec, and the basic primer in urban planning last year on Slog. I'm taking a housing class this term, and everyone else is an urban design student, so it was nice to know enough not to embarrass myself in the first class.
My parents always DIScouraged sports for this reason. Well, football anyway, but I used the excuse to never join any team in high school.
My mother would not let me play football in Jr. High and had she allowed it, I might have made friends and not become a high school drop out. Though based on a lot of the guys from our team, I might have become an asshole too.
I don't think football in high school should be banned, but they could make the rules similar to the Pro-Bowl, where there are more rules in place to avoid injury.
So… what would these kids being doing if they didn’t play football. Are they going grow up to be rocket scientists? Are these the kids that are going to find a cure for cancer? I seriously doubt it. What’s wrong with a little brain damage for a bunch of (let’s face it) not so smart kids to begin with? I say let ‘em play!
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