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This is only somewhat related, but I lost a lot of enthusiasm for football after stories about this kind of tech triggered an overdose on wikipedia and news art

by mrkurt 16y ago

This is only somewhat related, but I lost a lot of enthusiasm for football after stories about this kind of tech triggered an overdose on wikipedia and news articles. The historical resistance to concussion research in the NFL left me with a sour taste. Repeated minor concussions are likely to cause later dementia, and I don't really feel very good about watching football players (linemen, mostly) destroy their brains in such a way. I don't know how aware of the danger they are, but gah. It's odd, too, because I do enjoy other sporting events that can have long lasting injury problems, and I really like mixed martial arts. I don't know why exactly football makes me feel skeevy these days and the other sports don't, but there it is. It may be that I can fathom living a full and complete life with, say, blown out knees, but can't even comprehend what it's like to experience Alzheimer's. I also worry (with some incidental evidence) that improvements in helmet tech have actually amplified the problem. If my head is "safely" encased in space age materials, I'm much more likely to use it to whack on people. I suspect linemen and "dirty" defensive players would play a totally different game if the risk to their face and head was more obvious. An interesting link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/sports/football/30dementia.html http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/sports/football/30dementia...

jm4 16y ago
I also worry (with some incidental evidence) that improvements in helmet tech have actually amplified the problem. If my head is "safely" encased in space age materials, I'm much more likely to use it to whack on people. I remember reading somewhere- can't remember where, maybe the Dr. Z book- that the rate of concussions has gone up as helmets have improved. The concussion rate was pretty low back in the days of the leather caps (of course, guys got their faces smashed in on a pretty regular basis). The rate started going up as soon as they attached face masks to helmets and has continued to go up as the face masks have gotten larger. The same goes for pads. As the equipment improves, players increasingly use it as a weapon.
- nkassis 16y ago
  That might be true but it's probably due to better knowledge and detection of concussion today than in the past. Look at rugby, doesn't seem to slow them down. The rugby players I know have broken their nose multiple times and have scares to show for it.

by mrkurt 16y ago

jm4 16y ago

I also worry (with some incidental evidence) that improvements in helmet tech have actually amplified the problem. If my head is "safely" encased in space age materials, I'm much more likely to use it to whack on people. I remember reading somewhere- can't remember where, maybe the Dr. Z book- that the rate of concussions has gone up as helmets have improved. The concussion rate was pretty low back in the days of the leather caps (of course, guys got their faces smashed in on a pretty regular basis). The rate started going up as soon as they attached face masks to helmets and has continued to go up as the face masks have gotten larger. The same goes for pads. As the equipment improves, players increasingly use it as a weapon.

nkassis 16y ago
That might be true but it's probably due to better knowledge and detection of concussion today than in the past. Look at rugby, doesn't seem to slow them down. The rugby players I know have broken their nose multiple times and have scares to show for it.