Hey! Are You Ready For Some Fuhball! Unnhhh! Me, not so much.

10. All but 1 of 111 NFL players' brains examined had CTE

A study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that all but one of the 111 brains of deceased NFL players examined showed signs of the neurodegenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The brains were donated for scientific research, mostly by relatives who suspected the late players had exhibited symptoms of CTE — which can only be diagnosed with an autopsy — including memory loss, confusion, and depression. The players whose brains were examined spanned every position, from quarterbacks to running backs to linemen. Neuropathologist Ann McKee cautioned against making generalizations about the incidence of CTE in larger populations, but said the study made one thing clear: "It is no longer debatable whether or not there is a problem in football — there is a problem." Source: JAMA, The New York Times

Having (possibly) offended the 5-10% who have been or are cheerleaders, let’s go for the 50+% who are fans of football (percentages may be higher in locales where the sport is also the state religion, like Texas and Ohio, for example).

The NFL is asking for stories about “Why do you love football?” I’m pretty sure what follows won’t win me those tickets to the Super Bowl. I’m also sure I don’t care, unless they show the commercials on the stadium screen. I could sell my tickets, of course, but if you continue to read this, it’s obviously a moot point.

I used to watch football, a little, but was never a huge fan. Maybe that was a combined result of going to a high school without a football team, or to a small college where hockey was the primary sport (we did have football), followed by an urban university with no team, and a career at a high school without a team. My allegiance, tepid as it is, to football teams is more about city or state loyalty than caring about the sport.

Maybe that’s why, but I don’t think so. I know my view is a minority one, but, to me, football is a thuggish, brutish sport that glorifies violence and hurting your opponent. That’s not all it is, of course, but that’s my take on its bottom line. I’ve been conducting a completely unscientific survey. It has one question: “Would/Will you let your son play football?” Most answers to this point are immediate and negative.

A study out of Virginia and North Carolina showed that 19 boys, aged 7 & 8, had taken over 3000 hits to the head in practice and games. Players aged 9-12 had averaged 240 hits to the head per player, with more force than people might expect. Over 25,000 football players aged 8 to 19 are treated in emergency rooms for concussions each year.¹ A basic knowledge of anatomy makes the risks manifest. Helmets, no matter how well designed, cannot do the job of protecting kids’ brains, to say nothing of neck whiplashes from these blows; helmets do even less for that. 

The evidence seems clear to me that the physical dangers of the game to the players clearly outweigh any possible entertainment value. Multiple concussions leading to long-term mental health problems, arthritis resulting from joint damage, frequent surgeries, sprains and broken bones, and for what? So that half-naked drunks in body paint can scream out their own aggressions and frustrations? So that frustrated fathers can live vicariously through their children? My kid’s tougher than yours, so that makes me better. When was the last time you watched a football game (at any level) without an injury of some kind, without some player limping, wobbling, staggering, or (even worse) being carried from the field? I clearly don’t get it.

I’m less clear about the mental aspects, where I will concede the valuable lessons of teamwork, sportsmanship, sacrifice, etc. but still question the testosterone-poisoned atmosphere. As noted above, however, I’m an outsider and freely admit that there’s perhaps more benefit than I can possibly know. I would suggest, however, that those admittedly worthwhile lessons could be learned in a less violent venue. Do we really want our sons, nephews, grandsons, etc. growing up to be the stereotypical football player? Are we really willing to risk the physical, and at least occasionally long-lasting or even permanent, damage to our children? 

I concede that there are counterpoints that make this a tougher question than I’ve painted it. I’m just glad I have a daughter and granddaughter. Life is risky enough without throwing children into the middle of a violent scrum.

¹ The Week, Vol. XIII, #639, p. 20