How about Bob Costas?

[FastMJ]

It is impossible to fix the problem with improved helmet technology. The issue is not impact to the head, rather it is repeated rapid deceleration of the skull due to high speed collisions which causes the brain to collide with the inside of the skull cavity.

So unless someone figures how to pad the brain inside the skull it is not going to help

 

[LukeRU90]

Football offensive and defensive linemen and fullbacks bang helmets with opposing players on many plays. I don't know about ice hockey, but there is nothing comparable happening in soccer or LAX.

True football has no match when it comes to head contact, but there are scientific studies that heading the ball in soccer is not brain-neutral.

 

[GeorgeStreet]

Interest in boxing, where inflicting a concussion is a primary goal, has dwindled. Is football too popular for head injury backlash? We will see.

 

[letterman_rivals28119]

The evidence in the medical literature supports what Costas said. football is a dangerous sport to be played at your own risk. much like boxing, it will eventually be played by the underprivileged, mostly minority kids. well heeled families will not allow their kids to play. the pool of players will dwindle and the game will suffer.

 

[Knightmoves]

The evidence in the medical literature supports what Costas said. football is a dangerous sport to be played at your own risk. much like boxing, it will eventually be played by the underprivileged, mostly minority kids. well heeled families will not allow their kids to play. the pool of players will dwindle and the game will suffer.

Aren’t we almost there today ? I believe that we are.

Some parents won’t let their children play soccer for the same reasons. The trend among parents is to avoid sports for their children where head injuries can happen.

 

[BOGDANOVICH]

in the 1950s, Russian media described the game of American football as Americans learning how to kill each other.

 

[LotusAggressor_rivals]

Interest in boxing, where inflicting a concussion is a primary goal, has dwindled. Is football too popular for head injury backlash? We will see.

Interest in boxing has dwindled because Don King and other alphabet soup boxing organizations ruined the sport with their pay-per-view ripoff freak shows.

 

[topdecktiger]

I think if the NFL and NCAA really changed the rules and equipment to reduce head impacts.. people would still watch. Call it pussification or some other macho insult.. but ti probably needs to be done and the game will survive. The helmet is used like a weapon... the equipment elicits a false feeling of invulnerability and players launch themselves like missiles. I'd love to see them try a game with no pads save for those bike-helmets and eye protection.

The rules changes are the problem, at least as far as why people get so upset. The problem is that for several decades, the rules in general have changed to benefit the offense, and all the safety restrictions are on the defense. The reason people get so mad about the safety rules is that it makes it damn near impossible to play defense, especially in the NFL. If they REALLY want to put their money where their mouth is, they would change some of the rules that benefit the offense, to offset the safety restrictions on the defense.

 

[matty666]

WHY?

He’s made money off of SUnday night football. If one believes the sport really is harmful and bad for the players how can he be involved. IMO he’s making football sound like dog fighting. An earlier post mentioned other things that are linked to CTE.

Also we don’t know if there are some genetic link for some people to be more succeptable to CTE. So not only are there a lot of thing we don’t know but his pontificating while working for NBC related to football is pretty hypocritical.

Diabetes is a horrible disease. Think of all the ex linemen who pack on weight to play. Eating badly certainly contributes to type 2 diabetes. And obesity itself is very harmful. Why isn’t he worried about that? This is a sexy subject. Football is harmful and will die. Meanwhile he will make some
Cash talking about it.

 

[Rutgers'02]

Yes - and there is no proof that football even causes CTE in any large way - at any level. The much maligned "tau protein" that's used to diagnose CTE can be linked to all kinds of things - including alcohol, drugs, diabetes etc.

Unfortunately Americans have grown HIGHLY suggestible to media mentions of "studies" without even seeing if they are junk studies or not. Lots of people from lawyers to academics to politicians have made football (and the toxic males who play it) a mark. Its the "global warming" of sports.

Study of high school players find no link between years of play and decline in neurocognitive function

As more parents consider whether it's safe for adolescents to play football, a new Tulane University study of high school players found no link between years of play and any decline in neurocognitive function.

The results, which were presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) in New Orleans on March 14, suggest risks of sport-related brain injuries are relatively low, said lead author Dr. Gregory Stewart, associate professor of orthopaedics at Tulane University School of Medicine.

https://www.news-medical.net/news/2...y-and-decline-in-neurocognitive-function.aspx

You realize that what you posted was a study of LIVING high school athletes (meaning none had biopsies to demonstrate CTE) and relates to various cognitive testing that was performed, such as digital symbol substitution. This is not predictive of biopsy proven CTE.

Also, I would think of the formation of tau protein is an end point of many diseases. The fact that so many professional football players have been found to have extremely advanced disease well beyond their years suggests that football is playing some role. The recent Hernandez biopsy should be of great concern, because it demonstrates that severe disease can happen at a very young age and lead to poor decisions, jail and death.

Maybe there is a genetic component. Maybe some things are dietary, alcohol, drug related, tobacco, etc. However, in the end, it looks like repetitive head trauma is gonna be part of the problem.

 

[tico brown]

How about making the rule that you must form tackle and will get a penalty for a forearm/shoulder blow? I know the game is too fast for this to be properly enforced or even done by players most of the time. But proper rugby/form tackles instead of getting in some kill shots may help a little.

Also, he may be getting flack for wearing them but Seattle Seahawks Michael Bennett may have the answer in wearing those smaller shoulder pads. Big enough to help out with proper tackling and small enough to deter away from those shoulder/forearm killshots.

 

[tico brown]

Interest in boxing has dwindled because Don King and other alphabet soup boxing organizations ruined the sport with their pay-per-view ripoff freak shows.

And the constant corrupt judging and favoritism in the sport.