The Controversial Topic of Concussion in Sport

[Rob]

Poor people suffer disproportionately in almost every way. I wouldn’t say my town is affluent but it’s pretty well off. Median household income $122,500 according to google (I’m a mailman so I bring it down). Football, baseball, swimming and lacrosse are staples here (plus cheerleading - my oldest is on the cheer team and they went to nationals in FL last December). No one is saying there’s no risk and no one is saying it’s ok to have multiple concussions.

[Mickey]

CTE is not only caused by concussions but by repeated low-grade trauma--lineman, for example, are especially prone to it despite rarely being involved in big, head-spinning hits. So while it's obviously true that high school football is significantly less risky than being a professional concussion-getter, it's a bit ignorant to say that it's exactly the same risk as cheerleading. Any sport or hobby where there's a risk of falling has a risk of concussion--only football and hockey (and I guess boxing, of course) make low-grade brain trauma an integral part of the game experience.

For reference--a study in JAMA where 21% of the high school players examined had CTE (compared to 91% in college and 99% in the pros).
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/f ... le/2645104

[Mickey]

I think if you're an American football viewer you should probably face up to the fact that you're watching people destroy their brains each week. Personally this is why I prefer hockey, since it's mostly white people who are getting dementia at 45.

[Ello Sailor]

Mickey's on fire in this thread. That final comment.

[BurtReynolds]

I take solace in the fact they are mostly assholes who get paid millions and have huge amounts of fans, so it evens out.

[warehouse]

this is why all kids should wrestle

[Ello Sailor]

It's also why jiu-jitsu has exploded in popularity in recent years. Might fuck your joints up, but at least you'll still be able to file your own taxes.

[tree_]

I take solace in the fact they are mostly assholes who get paid millions and have huge amounts of fans, so it evens out.

You think people in general are assholes

[BurtReynolds]

I take solace in the fact they are mostly assholes who get paid millions and have huge amounts of fans, so it evens out.

You think people in general are assholes

Lies

[B]

this is why all kids should wrestle

My kid's a wrestler and had to go through his school's concussion protocol after a brutal slam to the mat.

[warehouse]

this is why all kids should wrestle

My kid's a wrestler and had to go through his school's concussion protocol after a brutal slam to the mat.

i hope he's ok. tell him to hook his legs around the other kids leg next time

how many other wrestlers had to go through concussion protocols for a brutal slam on the mat?

[B]

this is why all kids should wrestle

My kid's a wrestler and had to go through his school's concussion protocol after a brutal slam to the mat.

i hope he's ok. tell him to hook his legs around the other kids leg next time

how many other wrestlers had to go through concussion protocols for a brutal slam on the mat?

I don't know. I'm not the most involved wrestling dad. And yeah, kid is OK. No concussion.

[Rob]

I think if you're an American football viewer you should probably face up to the fact that you're watching people destroy their brains each week. Personally this is why I prefer hockey, since it's mostly white people who are getting dementia at 45.

I don’t feel strongly enough to keep at this debate, but the CTE issue was discovered a while ago, we all know, and yet we all watch. The risk is much lower at the junior level, a little higher at the high school level and then… well after that they’re adults. I am in favor of medical professionals giving their opinions and the leagues enhancing safety measures, but football is dangerous. We’ve always known it was. Little by little it’s created new rules to try to minimize the danger, but there will always be some.

Not really sure what the hockey comment means, other than pointing out that you’re a white liberal who has an issue with his own race, which has always seemed weird to me .

[warehouse]

hockey might actually be worse than football, it's just less studied. the NHL has almost completely gotten rid of fighting after that year a bunch of fighters OD'd or killed themselves.

[Mickey]

The hockey comment was what some might call "a joke."

[Rob]

The hockey comment was what some might call "a joke."

I know. I was being a dick.