Tolstoy Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I'm not sure how I missed this latest incident of brain trauma, but read this from CNN. Read it! It is frightening: http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/04/01/brain.concussion.dronett/index.html?hpt=C2 Here, friends, is the real reason that the NFL came down on head-shots last year. The owners are scared, very scared, that their money train is coming to an end, and they know the real cause. Of course, the latest pathetic crusade against head shots would have done nothing to save Shane, and I suspect the owners know that. They are just feeding the illusion that tackle football is a fine and healthy sport, and it is just the violent rule-breaking miscreants who make it unsafe. What I can't figure out is why the Players Association (or should I say "former" players association, since the NFLPA has disbanded, and the poor players are now simply a group of defenseless individuals being preyed upon by the greedy monopoly that is the NFL owners) are not up in arms about this. Is it perhaps that their money train would end too, and they have no other choice of profession at this point? Shane was 39 years old. Professional football as we know it will come to an end soon. The NFL will suffer massive lawsuits from former players who have dementia and brain injury, as well as their families. Parents will not enroll their children in the sport once these findings are confirmed. The NFL will try to implement various and sundry protections, but it is the very nature of the sport (the constant sub-concussory hitting) that is the problem. The outcry of the media will be incessant. Unless football goes "touch," it will end. Just wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayFinkle Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I'd bet you're a real charmer with the ladies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 The world ends next year anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Dude its football everyone knows the risks. Football will never end as long as fans keep watching it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cody Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 There needs to be special circumstances met before you can sue an employer. Even if these former players can sue, the NFL makes 9 billion dollars per year. If everyone who had major problems due to head injuries got 10 million dollars, there would still be plenty left over for the owners and players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judman Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 If you read the entire article you also find out he had a brain tumor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 The end of football is nigh! Nigh I tell you! Just read the Mayan football schedule. I wonder if Nostradubmass predicted this too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 If you read the entire article you also find out he had a brain tumor. If you read the entire article you also find out the brain tumor was benign, medical experts believe he had it his whole life and it does not explain his behavioral changes. The end of football is nigh! Nigh I tell you! Just read the Mayan football schedule. I wonder if Nostradubmass predicted this too. Nostradubmass predicted everything. I don't know of a case where people stop doing something they enjoy because it might (or even is well proven) to increase their risk of serious disease later on. It's well-known that smoking increases the risk of lung cancer COPD and emphesema, yet cigarettes continue to be sold and people continue to light up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I think you'll see a less dramatic effect. Some rule changes, and I dont doubt the 2023-2028 draft classes will be a little weak. Parents will pull youngsters away from the sport until there are new protections in place. Some of those multi sport athletes like drew brees will end up in baseball or one of the 2-3 others he had a chance to compete at a prolevel in potentially. The average fan will hardly notice, because the key to the NFL isn't that extra fraction of a second, it's the parity. As long as it effects the league and not just a single team, it'll be very hard to hurt the sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tolstoy Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 (edited) If you read the entire article you also find out the brain tumor was benign, medical experts believe he had it his whole life and it does not explain his behavioral changes. Nostradubmass predicted everything. I don't know of a case where people stop doing something they enjoy because it might (or even is well proven) to increase their risk of serious disease later on. It's well-known that smoking increases the risk of lung cancer COPD and emphesema, yet cigarettes continue to be sold and people continue to light up. Good point. I think there are differences, but even if we ignore them, note that smoking has become shamed everywhere you go, and especially by the media. You certainly won't see major corporations (other than the tobacco companies, of course) willing to become associated with smoking. So too, I suspect that once football and its violence are seen to be a severe health risk, the sponsors will begin to pull their support. Edited April 2, 2011 by Tolstoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Good point. I think there are differences, but even if we ignore them, note that smoking has become shamed everywhere you go, and especially by the media. You certainly won't see major corporations (other than the tobacco companies, of course) willing to become associated with smoking. So too, I suspect that once football and its violence are seen to be a severe health risk, the sponsors will begin to pull their support. Walk across any college campus from a SUNY to Harvard and you'll quickly see those smoking cigarettes are at little risk of becoming a social pariah. It's absolutely amazing how many kids still smoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Walk across any college campus from a SUNY to Harvard and you'll quickly see those smoking cigarettes are at little risk of becoming a social pariah. It's absolutely amazing how many kids still smoke. Agreed. It's a much larger percentage than you'd ever guess. But it's much harder to play football at 14 without parental support or knowledge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tolstoy Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 Walk across any college campus from a SUNY to Harvard and you'll quickly see those smoking cigarettes are at little risk of becoming a social pariah. It's absolutely amazing how many kids still smoke. I am a college prof., and while I won't deny seeing the occasional student smoking, it is nothing like it was at one time. Quite simply, smoking has become unaffordable, and smokers are by and large meant to feel ashamed of their habit (I know, because I smoked for 24 years). The number of smokers is in decline (see, for example, this article that I happened to read this morning http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/articles/2011/04/01/fewer_women_dying_of_lung_cancer/?p1=Well_Health_links The push against smoking is just beginning. Witness that the governor of Arizona just proposed taxing smokers (and obese people) $50 each per year, to help cover the costs of Medicare for those with smoking and obesity related illnesses. So, while there are still smokers, there still might be football players. However, it won't be sanctioned by parents, the medical association, and the mainstream media. There will be no more youth (tackle) football leagues, and it will be eliminated from colleges as a supported athletic program. Maybe it will take 10 years, maybe 25. It is just a matter of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hplarrm Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 If you read the entire article you also find out the brain tumor was benign, medical experts believe he had it his whole life and it does not explain his behavioral changes. However, when you are talking about the end of pro football, we (society) is not looking for "proof" of what explains his behavioral change, but demanding proof at a sufficient level to take approaching $10 million annually from a bunch of people who will be reluctant to give it up. Even with mounting evidence there is still not going to be flat-out or sufficient "proof" of why any single person succumbed and an ample fig leaf will remain for quite a while to allow he old Golden Rule to be applied, "he who has the most gold rules". We are talking about a western culture which has its roots in the Emperor of Rome enslaving people and forcing them to fight to the death in the forum in Rome and for the oppressed masses to be entertained by it. We fortunately have progressed a bit from then, but not so far that the modern western culture though it does not engage generally in gladiator death matches, we sure revel in movies where Russell Crowe depicts that life. Today, we revel in gladiators not killing each other overtly and in the gladiators in the NFL being hugely compensated rather than enslaved. However, this difference in how we are really doing the same thing should prove sufficient for quite a while to keep the NFL going as the masses are happy to eat their cake and enjoy the spectacle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T master Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I hate it for this families loss & my heart definitely goes out to them . That being said i think we all do some thing along the same lines (as far as bad decisions) that Shane did at one point or time in our lives . Maybe not with the same ramifications to our future but bad decisions none the less . I my self now have bodily injuries (Bad back , Knees & so on) because when i was a younger person i thought i couldn't & wouldn't be hurt by my own actions . Lifting to much , lifting things wrong , but now looking back wish i would have done things differently !! Again i say that i am not saying my fate is any where even close to what this man & his family has had to endure & again i will pray for them all !! But reading the article there were a couple of things said that if Shane had known what concussions could do he may have made a different decision about staying in the game . Let's just pray that with continuing education on this subject that all will be better off for it in the future , & it may not be a bad idea for all NFL players that oppose the rule changes to read this article !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bananathumb Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 However, when you are talking about the end of pro football, we (society) is not looking for "proof" of what explains his behavioral change, but demanding proof at a sufficient level to take approaching $10 million annually from a bunch of people who will be reluctant to give it up. Even with mounting evidence there is still not going to be flat-out or sufficient "proof" of why any single person succumbed and an ample fig leaf will remain for quite a while to allow he old Golden Rule to be applied, "he who has the most gold rules". We are talking about a western culture which has its roots in the Emperor of Rome enslaving people and forcing them to fight to the death in the forum in Rome and for the oppressed masses to be entertained by it. We fortunately have progressed a bit from then, but not so far that the modern western culture though it does not engage generally in gladiator death matches, we sure revel in movies where Russell Crowe depicts that life. Today, we revel in gladiators not killing each other overtly and in the gladiators in the NFL being hugely compensated rather than enslaved. However, this difference in how we are really doing the same thing should prove sufficient for quite a while to keep the NFL going as the masses are happy to eat their cake and enjoy the spectacle. While I suspect you are correct about the masses keeping the NFL afloat, I also believe the OP is on to something. Right now anyway, with the league in limbo, I feel a strange lethargy towards football. There is a good article in the Tornnto Globe & Mail today that shows how the people of Toronto could care less about the Bills playing in their city. Jacksonville is almost done with the league too. Concussions are part of it, but just the tip of an iceberg that seems to be turning away from football and heading out into the Atlantic, towards Europe and perhaps world soccer. Something different anyway. Football is a lot like smokers...unhealthy and outdated. I doubt if I'll stop watching it if it ever re-emerges, but like I said, I feel little else but boredom now that baseball's here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdub Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Good point. I think there are differences, but even if we ignore them, note that smoking has become shamed everywhere you go, and especially by the media. You certainly won't see major corporations (other than the tobacco companies, of course) willing to become associated with smoking. So too, I suspect that once football and its violence are seen to be a severe health risk, the sponsors will begin to pull their support. Sponsors have little to no conscience, and most likely do not care about the health risk. The only reason they would stop supporting the NFL is if the fans decided that they don't agree with the NFL's health risk and stop watching, and that is something that will never happen. Smoking has become shamed because the populous in large has decided that it is not acceptable anymore, and only because that happened did major corporations stop associating themselves with smoking. If smoking is ever widely accepted again by the populous, then corporations will not have any problem with endorsing. Money is king. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1B4IDie Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 (edited) I'm not sure how I missed this latest incident of brain trauma, but read this from CNN. Read it! It is frightening: http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/04/01/brain.concussion.dronett/index.html?hpt=C2 Here, friends, is the real reason that the NFL came down on head-shots last year. The owners are scared, very scared, that their money train is coming to an end, and they know the real cause. Of course, the latest pathetic crusade against head shots would have done nothing to save Shane, and I suspect the owners know that. They are just feeding the illusion that tackle football is a fine and healthy sport, and it is just the violent rule-breaking miscreants who make it unsafe. What I can't figure out is why the Players Association (or should I say "former" players association, since the NFLPA has disbanded, and the poor players are now simply a group of defenseless individuals being preyed upon by the greedy monopoly that is the NFL owners) are not up in arms about this. Is it perhaps that their money train would end too, and they have no other choice of profession at this point? Shane was 39 years old. Professional football as we know it will come to an end soon. The NFL will suffer massive lawsuits from former players who have dementia and brain injury, as well as their families. Parents will not enroll their children in the sport once these findings are confirmed. The NFL will try to implement various and sundry protections, but it is the very nature of the sport (the constant sub-concussory hitting) that is the problem. The outcry of the media will be incessant. Unless football goes "touch," it will end. Just wait. The NFL is 100+ Billion dollar Monopoly protected by Congress and loved by 100s of Millions of people. It ain't going anywhere any time soon. You can't make an omelet without scrambling a few brains. Edited April 2, 2011 by Why So Serious? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UConn James Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Farming is THE most dangerous occupation in the U.S. More deaths on the job than any other. OSHA, federal/state regulations up the yin-yang. No one's proposing that farming come to an end. What about construction workers? Bomb disposal techs? You do a job, you take a risk. You sign on the dotted line. You gamble that the opportunity cost is worth the risk. Yep, there should be more resources for NFL vets who're suffering from playing-related injuries, but that's up to the new CBA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fansince88 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I'm not sure how I missed this latest incident of brain trauma, but read this from CNN. Read it! It is frightening: http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/04/01/brain.concussion.dronett/index.html?hpt=C2 Here, friends, is the real reason that the NFL came down on head-shots last year. The owners are scared, very scared, that their money train is coming to an end, and they know the real cause. Of course, the latest pathetic crusade against head shots would have done nothing to save Shane, and I suspect the owners know that. They are just feeding the illusion that tackle football is a fine and healthy sport, and it is just the violent rule-breaking miscreants who make it unsafe. What I can't figure out is why the Players Association (or should I say "former" players association, since the NFLPA has disbanded, and the poor players are now simply a group of defenseless individuals being preyed upon by the greedy monopoly that is the NFL owners) are not up in arms about this. Is it perhaps that their money train would end too, and they have no other choice of profession at this point? Shane was 39 years old. Professional football as we know it will come to an end soon. The NFL will suffer massive lawsuits from former players who have dementia and brain injury, as well as their families. Parents will not enroll their children in the sport once these findings are confirmed. The NFL will try to implement various and sundry protections, but it is the very nature of the sport (the constant sub-concussory hitting) that is the problem. The outcry of the media will be incessant. Unless football goes "touch," it will end. Just wait. Was your name chicken little at one time. Too many "if this happens" here. Although it is a great conspiracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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