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Tyler Sash found to have CTE

There is a very successful HS program in eastern Iowa whose kids were/are known to share Oxy and Hydro with each other during the week to get through practices to be able to play on Fridays. Not saying the coaches know about it, but one of those deals where it would almost take a purposeful blind-eye not to.
I can't imagine popping oxy before playing football, I'd think you'd end up noticing that.

So sad. I am afraid the game is in danger.
With UFC and boxing...I don't understand why everyone focuses on fball...is fball really more dangerous than the other 2 :confused:
 
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I can't imagine popping oxy before playing football, I'd think you'd end up noticing that.


With UFC and boxing...I don't understand why everyone focuses on fball...is fball really more dangerous than the other 2 :confused:

Not to be a Richard, but I've heard that argument before and the most common response to that (I've never used it, but I see the 'logic' behind it) is that "there aren't hundreds of thousands of kids boxing every night for 15 weeks a year" (practice and games) or something similar to that.
 
Not to be a Richard, but I've heard that argument before and the most common response to that (I've never used it, but I see the 'logic' behind it) is that "there aren't hundreds of thousands of kids boxing every night for 15 weeks a year" (practice and games) or something similar to that.

I think this debate is about values.

TRUE Freedom is about more risk. The freedom to play a risky sport. The freedom to smoke a cigarette knowing the consequences. More people smoke than play football. The freedom to have sex with strangers, knowing diseases are part of the risk.

People will tell you, "I'm a better person than you because I care about your safety. All I ask of you is that you voluntarily hand over your freedom so I can make you safer."

It's a question of what individuals prioritize. The founders could've said, "Ben, George, John, Thomas, we'd be safer if we didn't pick a fight with the number one superpower on earth." They chose the ultimate risk in the name of more personal choice and freedom. Too many people resent freedom of choice because they equate it with needless suffering. Tell that to the people in North Korea.

If football disappears because people CHOOSE not to play. Fine. But to have it imposed externally is a hateful notion. As far as I'm concerned, men who played football in the 20s,30s,40s,50s,60s,70s,80s,90s, etc. understood there was risk involved. They weighed the risks and made their choice. As long as they are not imposing themselves on me, it's not for me to tell others what choices they should make. And for those who bring up the societal cost. Simple reply: NO MORE FREE ****! If you make a choice in life and it turns out bad, guess what, you get to live with the consequences. This whole notion of creating a world without consequences is what you get when you add historial-ignorance with reality-detachment. Maybe that explains most people, which is why freedom has always been the exception rather than the rule.

vvvv this is what freedom looks like vvvvv take note of the unsafe (but super-fun) elements

 
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I can't imagine popping oxy before playing football, I'd think you'd end up noticing that.


With UFC and boxing...I don't understand why everyone focuses on fball...is fball really more dangerous than the other 2 :confused:

UFC and Boxing are fringe sports that don't have high participation rates or following. The brutality of those events are the draw. Its the Roman Coliseum of our day.

Football is mainstream, and supposedly a game that transcends sheer violence. Additionally, the answer may very well be yes. The amount of head hits for a football player is likely significantly greater than a UFC participant. Every padded practice, every blocking drill, every tackling drill,and every play in every game, may result in sub-concussive blows. Those blows may add up over time.

I don't think anyone thinks football would ever go away. It's whether it would be marginalized by the mainstream.
 
You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that playing a game that requires you to wear a helmet may lead to head injuries. If they really want to do something about this then maybe get rid of tackle football that starts in 2nd grade. There is no reason kids need to be in pads before the 7th grade. Coaches don't teach correct ways to tackle. if they do these kids don't listen. They see the big hits on TV and they want to do that. My little brother is in 4th grade and he has already played more organized full contact football games than I did from 7th - 12th grade with about half the practices.
 
Yes people have the choice to play football, but you also have the right to know all the dangers.

You have the right to kill yourself, but that action is actually illegal. You have the right to jump out of a hotel window, but they now don't let those things open.
 
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The use of pain killers not just for sports but in our society is being overlooked. We want to point at one thing as the source of all issues but it's probably not that simple. The 60 minutes piece this past Sunday talked about how many affluent kids and adults had become addicted to heroine with a number dying of an overdose. The root of many of those addictions was pain killers.

But Sash wasn't taking the painkillers for pleasure -- he was taking them because of severe shoulder injuries suffered playing football. So even the drug overdose was a football related issue, especially when combined with forgetfulness and confusion symptoms from CTE (how well he could manage dosage on his own without overdosing).
 
You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that playing a game that requires you to wear a helmet may lead to head injuries. If they really want to do something about this then maybe get rid of tackle football that starts in 2nd grade. There is no reason kids need to be in pads before the 7th grade. Coaches don't teach correct ways to tackle. if they do these kids don't listen. They see the big hits on TV and they want to do that. My little brother is in 4th grade and he has already played more organized full contact football games than I did from 7th - 12th grade with about half the practices.

totally agree about the "right way to tackle" part but nowadays it's all about the Sports Center Top 10 hit clips and how bad you can lay a guy out. They don't seem to have the "stay low, attack, wrap up, and drive through the tackle" top 10 on Sunday nights. Heck I know I've said it to nobody in particular watching a Hawk game "wrap up" when one of the guys tries to make a tackle by simply 'shouldering' a ball carrier...and I would say our coaches are very strong teachers of fundamentals.
 
You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that playing a game that requires you to wear a helmet may lead to head injuries. If they really want to do something about this then maybe get rid of tackle football that starts in 2nd grade. There is no reason kids need to be in pads before the 7th grade. Coaches don't teach correct ways to tackle. if they do these kids don't listen. They see the big hits on TV and they want to do that. My little brother is in 4th grade and he has already played more organized full contact football games than I did from 7th - 12th grade with about half the practices.

The first part I agree with.

But it's a logical fallacy post after that IMO.

Goes like this: Get rid of (insert level of football) and that will fix the problem.

It's simple: If someone jars and bangs their head for long enough BAD THINGS HAPPEN. Doesn't matter when you started putting your cranium at risk.

I don't think anyone is saying football doesn't cause injuries. Brain injuries - bad back - bad knees - bad shoulders - etc.

Tavian Banks spent 2 years in surgery and rehab after college. Did he wish he never played the sport? I doubt it.

Tim Dwight had a collapsed lung, still kept playing though. Why????? Because that's who these guys are. Most of them are tough guys. Bob Sanders beat the hell out of his smaller-than-typical body. Why?? Again, they love the competition. They luv the physical nature of the sport.

I played football, but didn't pursue it beyond high school. 2 reasons, I wasn't good enough, and I didn't want to beat the hell out of myself anymore. Bob and Tim and Tavian wanted the glory, the competition and the money. There was a trade-off and I'm sure all 3 were aware of it. No one needed to protect them from their own choices.

Getting rid of lower level football may make people feel good. But it won't fix the problem. All you can do is educate people about the risks and let them make their choice.
 
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I lived in the IC area for a couple of years after graduation. Dated a gal who was an athletic trainer. She had some stories to tell about the punishment these guys take. It was eye-opening. This was in the old astroturf days...that shit just destroyed the dermis. Infections, permanent scars, you name it.

I'm reminded of a survey done years ago among olympic athletes in the late 20th century. They asked them if you could take a drug that would guarantee you'd win the Gold Medal but it would kill you in 20 years would you take it? I don't recall the exact % that said yes, but it was well over 50%.
 
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