Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

CryoAurora t1_j6l4zdf wrote

Reply to comment by glitter_h1ppo in New study (n = 15,764) shows repeated concussions are linked to worse brain function in later life by unswsydney

Think of the fact that for years, the NFL blocked this research by saying the links didn't exist. Now there's the studies with just that info. You're so right in your post.

Lawsuits are coming that the NFL owners and enablers can't legislate away. Millions of our youth are destroyed each year to combat and contact sports cte factories. Now everyone can sue for the covering up of it.

They wonder why all the cognitive issues for non pro athletes parallel pros later in life for minor league, collegiate, and high-school players as well? Damage was done as kids badly, and that never goes away.

Won't just be the NFL, also hockey, pro wrestling, soccer, mma, boxing, collegiate contact sports in general, they are in trouble, and pretty much any combat sport It's going to get ugly for these owners by this time next year.

87

PoopIsAlwaysSunny t1_j6ledax wrote

Next year is very optimistic. I expect they will have another half decade of heavily profiting off of continuing to brain damage our youth

31

CryoAurora t1_j6nbh6l wrote

That's the hard part.

My kids are young, and my son wants to play things I did. He's also watching me die from the long-term effects of being a pro athlete in my 20s and 30s.

It's hard to properly teach my kids that sports have consequences long after the now without squashing hopes and dreams.

I want him to play the sports he wants, but it's difficult knowing some are not safe at any level, unfortunately. There's no safe way to beat physics of the law of motion and protect your brain. We're humans, not woodpeckers, with special engineering to protect their brains.

14

bensonnd t1_j6nh7eo wrote

I only played football through high school and suffered at least 2 severe concussions by the time I graduated. One of them was so severe they had to have someone come get me off the field and take me to the hospital. It's unbelievable how dangerous it is at very young ages.

7

Liz600 t1_j6let51 wrote

Not just combat sports. Figure skating, gymnastics, competitive cheerleading… basically anything where you’re moving at higher speeds, hurling yourself or someone else into the air, across a hard surface, with zero protective gear. I got at least 3 concussions (that I know of) figure skating when I was a teenager. The first thing you learn in skating is how to fall, but that’s not always enough to protect you.

17

CryoAurora t1_j6nbsmv wrote

Yup. Any traumatic brain injury is rough.

Look at the number of Nascar drivers with cte and cte type symptoms. Earnhardt Jr. retired due to repeated traumatic brain injury.

5

Queasy-Bite-7514 t1_j6n5p3e wrote

You mean life? Driving, running, biking

−2

Liz600 t1_j6oi11c wrote

No, I mean going 20+ mph across a slick and extremely hard surface, hurtling yourself into the air while spinning backwards, aiming to land perfectly balanced on one foot, all while while wearing leather boots with steel ankle plates, 1.5 inch heels, wheels of extremely sharp spikes on your toes that are attached to concave razor blades that glide across the top of the ice, and are designed not to cut into it like hockey skates. And doing all of that in only tights and what amounts to a stretchy velvet swimsuit; no padding or helmets in sight (or allowed). For 4+ hours a day, depending on what level you compete at. Unless you’re in a competition, you’re also doing that in the same space as 3-9 other skaters at the same time.

It’s a bit more involved than running.

4

Queasy-Bite-7514 t1_j6op3yg wrote

Yes, jockeys are in a similar situation. There’s actually research on jockeys. I don’t necessarily disagree that there’s a lot of potential risk from cumulative effects of the brain bouncing around in the skull. The problem is there’s also a lot of hype about it and not enough good science. I try to stay open and skeptical as a society should be.

0

jdolbeer t1_j6lpeu9 wrote

There still needs to be a far better CTE study done. The one everybody knows about only studied football player brains. So essentially no control.

12

Proof_Device_8197 t1_j6lqagp wrote

Agreed. To be honest, we need more data across the spectrum, including non-athletes. However, CTE can only be 100% determined in an autopsy.

13

CryoAurora t1_j6ncugn wrote

Mt Siani has a great CTE team of neurologists who work with the Concussion Legacy Foundation and others doing deep research. They are studying brains from all sports and actively recruiting from more than just the nfl for studies and brain donations.

It's another fallacy. That this is only one study and not enough research. It's a massive effort now.

I'm typing this post when just a couple of years ago, I could not. So there is hope even if it's for short windows. But it's there and there is help coming. It won't be fast enough to save some of us, but we're trying.

4

jdolbeer t1_j6ngu5e wrote

I never said there was only one study. I specifically stated that the study that gets cited most is flawed. And if Sinai is only studying athlete brains, that study is flawed as well. There needs to be a control. Full stop.

1

Queasy-Bite-7514 t1_j6n5kf2 wrote

You may be right but you’re grossly overstating the evidence. Not everyone with concussions gets CTE. The science on tbi has not been stifled by the nfl. There are lots of veteran studies and athlete studies. Maybe the nfl is a different beast but let’s not get all dogmatic.

−1