Dr. Bennet Omalu: CTE obsession obscuring the truth.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

What about all the chemicals ingested by factory workers in that era? That cement Billy Shaw mixed was probably destroying his brain too. Guys in the early era of football aren't the only people with diminished health as a result of their career. A great deal of health hazards weren't known until recently.

....certainly correct.....mine workers,.asbestos exposure, etc were all unknowns OR ignored....but you cannot deny the prevalence of CTE among football players nor could you deny PTSD among military.....the patterns contradict a thesis of rejection or repudiation ..hardly Al Gore's global warming assumption based hypothesis here IMO................

[transient]

What about all the chemicals ingested by factory workers in that era? That cement Billy Shaw mixed was probably destroying his brain too. Guys in the early era of football aren't the only people with diminished health as a result of their career. A great deal of health hazards weren't known until recently.

I come from a family of farmers. My grandfather worked until the day he died. The number of joint replacements, hernia surgeries, spine surgeries, etc among my family would rival any NFL player's woes. And, you'll never hear a complaint about it from any one of them because of their pride in themselves and what they do.

 

They don't get accolades and yet what they, and people like them, do provides so much more value to society than the outcome of a game played as a distraction. IMO, anyone who cries to the media about what the game has taken from them after it gave them so much can **** a fat ****.

Edited August 5, 2017 by transient

[boyst]

There is a great irony in these guys complaining about their health concerns to the media. They are basically saying that football ruined their lives. The same lives that the media wouldn't care if they didn't play football.

Yes. It's a sad irony. There is a Great much Wrong in this country. Men choosing to work a job with obvious health issues is obvious

[Guest NeckBeard]

 

....certainly correct.....mine workers,.asbestos exposure, etc were all unknowns OR ignored....but you cannot deny the prevalence of CTE among football players nor could you deny PTSD among military.....the patterns contradict a thesis of rejection or repudiation ..hardly Al Gore's global warming assumption based hypothesis here IMO................

 

You are aware that climate change has been monitored since the 1800s, there has an a notable uptick since the early 1900s, and climate change was only really politicized under Ronald Reagan, right? This alone is a screaming reason to keep politics out of the CTE discussion, and to let the NFL to the right thing with its former players, who clearly had no knowledge back then, and its current players who do. I will eat my shorts if a politician runs on a CTE platform in 2018. Mark this down next to your list, and make sure to double underline NeckBeard for this, will you?

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

Yes. It's a sad irony. There is a Great much Wrong in this country. Men choosing to work a job with obvious health issues is obvious

 

....doesn't OSHA exist to (loosely at best)ensure workplace safety?......ever heard of ANY OSHA evaluation of NFL workplace safety?.....hmmmmmm.....how come?.......smell some politics here?...not a chance.....Feds hired 16,000+ new OSHA inspectors to clamp down and made fines leveied virtually non-negotiable in a major cash grab...yet ZERO NFL recordables.........

Edited August 5, 2017 by OldTimeAFLGuy

[DriveFor1Outta5]

....certainly correct.....mine workers,.asbestos exposure, etc were all unknowns OR ignored....but you cannot deny the prevalence of CTE among football players nor could you deny PTSD among military.....the patterns contradict a thesis of rejection or repudiation ..hardly Al Gore's global warming assumption based hypothesis here IMO................

I will never question the existence of CTE. I do question how it's possible to quantify the impact on players lives. There is too much sensationalist journalism involving CTE. We see too many reports linking CTE to spousal abuse, drug abuse, criminal sprees etc. The real impact of CTE cannot be measured. It's unfair to conclude that each time a football player has mental problems it should be linked to CTE.

[dubs]

 

 

 

You are aware that climate change has been monitored since the 1800s, there has an a notable uptick since the early 1900s, and climate change was only really politicized under Ronald Reagan, right? This alone is a screaming reason to keep politics out of the CTE discussion, and to let the NFL to the right thing with its former players, who clearly had no knowledge back then, and its current players who do. I will eat my shorts if a politician runs on a CTE platform in 2018. Mark this down next to your list, and make sure to double underline NeckBeard for this, will you?

The last 100 years or so is a drop of water in the ocean of total climate history. It's a beyond complex issue and the models used to make measurements and draw conclusions are based on tons of assumptions. Throw into the issue the fact that politicians use the fear of climate change to throw around billions of dollars and curry favor and in turn receive cash at least in the form of campaign contributions and yeah, I think a healthy dose of skepticism is pretty logical.

 

Very little is actually known and understood about how the brain works, yet more is known about that than the climate.

Edited August 5, 2017 by dubs

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

I have a different issue with the direction that CTE "research" is taking. This study is of 202 brains of football players at any level, with 111 being of NFL players (I don't have the article in front of me, so the numbers may be off). So, we know they're all dead. We also know that they likely had some signs or symptoms that led them to donate their brains in the first place. The likelihood of finding CTE is therefore already very high. No research is being reported, to the best of my knowledge, that actually looks at the incidence of this in other settings. There is no comparison to a control in these studies. They are all descriptive studies, and yet they are using these studies to ascribe risk. I'm not so naïve as to think hitting your head doesn't cause damage, so I'm sure there is risk associated with playing football and other contact sports. I just think that the way the research on CTE is being reported in the media for all to draw their own conclusions is poor form. The scientists doing the research and reporting results through the media should know better, IMO.

 

....shall we say the research truths are being...."deferred"....to the benefit of the NFL and its powers?......doesn't OSHA exist (COUGH) to ensure workplace safety?....didn't the Feds hire 16,000+ new OSHA inspectors to "crack down" as well as tighten the reins on negotiating fines down in an obvious cash grab?....EVER heard of an OSHA NFL work place safety investigation?....not in my 55 years of following Bills/NFL...how come?.....hmmmmmmmmm............

Edited August 5, 2017 by OldTimeAFLGuy

[DriveFor1Outta5]

So is this a CTE post or a global warming post? Good lord, people can't ever leave politics alone.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

So is this a CTE post or a global warming post? Good lord, people can't ever leave politics alone.

 

 

...CTE....nobody gives a rat''s azz about global warming....enough of that crap in the TT for or against thread......

[Guest NeckBeard]

The last 100 years or so is a drop of water in the ocean of total climate history. It's a beyond complex issue and the models used to make measurements and draw conclusions are based on tons of assumptions. Throw into the issue the fact that politicians use the fear of climate change to throw around billions of dollars and curry favor and in turn receive cash at least in the form of campaign contributions and yeah, I think a healthy dose of skepticism is pretty logical.

 

Very little is actually known and understood about how the brain works, yet more is known about that than the climate.

 

Nah. As a conservative, I understand the value of individual responsibility, and math. In my lifetime I've lived through asbestos, Love Canal, the Grace litigation, and Ford polluting an Indian reservation, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. As I've told other people here before, if you want to opine that the earth is flat, then prove it. If you believe that <insert your gripe with modern medicine here>, then prove it. If you believe that 2+2=5, then prove it. If you want a daring friend with a pair of pliers to pull your tooth instead of a dentist, then that is your choice. Suffice it to say that many among us believe that the earth is flat, that nobody ever landed on the moon, that DNA is a ruse, that vaccination is a joke, and that treatable illnesses can be cured with prayer.

 

You have actually proven my point. As soon as global warming became a political issue, then politicians, companies, and lobbyists got in the way. There was no consensus because politics got into the conversation, which is a shame, because health and safety always start with individual responsibility.

Edited August 5, 2017 by NeckBeard

[boyst]

 

....doesn't OSHA exist to (loosely at best)ensure workplace safety?......ever heard of ANY OSHA evaluation of NFL workplace safety?.....hmmmmmm.....how come?.......smell some politics here?...not a chance.....Feds hired 16,000+ new OSHA inspectors to clamp down and made fines leveied virtually non-negotiable in a major cash grab...yet ZERO NFL recordables.........

I really wish I had time to give you a good response. I have an articulate one on tbis, actually. If Youd like,PM me and I'll use that to remember.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

 

Nah. As a conservative, I understand the value of individual responsibility, and math. In my lifetime I've lived through asbestos, Love Canal, the Grace litigation, and Ford polluting an Indian reservation, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. As I've told other people here before, if you want to opine that the earth is flat, then prove it. If you believe that <insert your gripe with modern medicine here>, then prove it. If you believe that 2+2=5, then prove it. If you want a daring friend with a pair of pliers to pull your tooth instead of a dentist, then that is your choice. Suffice it to say that many among us believe that the earth is flat, that nobody ever landed on the moon, that DNA is a ruse, that vaccination is a joke, and that treatable illnesses can be cured with prayer.

 

You have actually proven my point. As soon as global warming became a political issue, then politicians, companies, and lobbyists got in the way. There was no consensus because politics got into the conversation, which is a shame, because health and safety always start with individual responsibility.

 

...NOT in a work environment allegedly protected/governed by OSHA....you're mixing apples and oranges...shouldn't OSHA have governance over the NFL "workplace"?....or has payola steered them away??...

[Guest NeckBeard]

 

...NOT in a work environment allegedly protected/governed by OSHA....you're mixing apples and oranges...shouldn't OSHA have governance over the NFL "workplace"?....or has payola steered them away??...

 

Well, that's what I'm getting at, AFL. Once OSHA gets involved, the league hasn't been able to sort itself proactively.

[boyst]

 

...NOT in a work environment allegedly protected/governed by OSHA....you're mixing apples and oranges...shouldn't OSHA have governance over the NFL "workplace"?....or has payola steered them away??...

ppplllleaze makw sure I respond to this thoroughly and not while driving

[Beast]

Does this issue really bother anyone here or are some just being social warriors?

 

I would think if it really bothered someone they would stop watching football.

[gobillsatthebeach]

It's called life. We can't bubble wrap everyone into a narrow set of choices. People make decisions and live with the consequences.

 

The risks are known or at least suspected.

You are missing the point. Younger people often don't fully take the risks into consideration. "It will never happen to me" is a common and normal thought. "I'm 21, that won't happen for years" and "I can make how much???" Meanwhile, the best of the best are groomed to excel, in football, experience celebrity, at least on a local level in college and have the opportunity that comes once and never again. We're not in their shoes and It's more complicated than just knowing the risks.

[gobillsatthebeach]

The last 100 years or so is a drop of water in the ocean of total climate history. It's a beyond complex issue and the models used to make measurements and draw conclusions are based on tons of assumptions. Throw into the issue the fact that politicians use the fear of climate change to throw around billions of dollars and curry favor and in turn receive cash at least in the form of campaign contributions and yeah, I think a healthy dose of skepticism is pretty logical.

 

Very little is actually known and understood about how the brain works, yet more is known about that than the climate.

Actually very much is known about the climate. It has been studied for decades all over the world and that knowledge helped bring about 2 major world agreements. I'm not aware of many rich scientists who study climate change, but I am aware of deniers whose riches are based in energy sources and practices that cause climate change and are from one country. If you want the simple cliche, "Follow the money".

[boyst]

Does this issue really bother anyone here or are some just being social warriors?

 

I would think if it really bothered someone they would stop watching football.

I domt know if those who passionately support the players are worthy of the the whole sjw title. I think much of it is due to the whole attachment to these guys being our heroes growing up and the gladiators we cheered in our youths.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

I will never question the existence of CTE. I do question how it's possible to quantify the impact on players lives. There is too much sensationalist journalism involving CTE. We see too many reports linking CTE to spousal abuse, drug abuse, criminal sprees etc. The real impact of CTE cannot be measured. It's unfair to conclude that each time a football player has mental problems it should be linked to CTE.

 

...EXCELLENT point....it can become a convenient societal crutch especially in the NFL world of mega publicity...and if lawsuits are entertained for McDonalds' coffee being too hot, why not sue for CTE?.....this is a litigious society feeding the overpopulated lawyer frenzy.....