OT: A Challenging Read About Our Cognitive Dissonance and "Super" Sunday

[ptourkin]

http://www.salon.com/2015/01/28/we_are_all_amoral_football_hypocrites_brain_injuri es_billionaire_tax_breaks_and_our_indefensible_sup er_bowl_parties/


"All of which makes Ditka’s recent comments on HBO’s Real Sports that much more astonishing. Ditka expressed concern about his former charges, whose bodies and minds have been ravaged by the game, including the late Dave Duerson, who took his own life in 2011, leaving behind a brain deformed by chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Ditka then went a step further. He admitted that he wouldn’t let his own sons play football. “That’s sad. I wouldn’t. And my whole life was football,” he told host Bryant Gumbel. “I think the risk is worse than the reward.”

In issuing this confession, Ditka became a kind of poster boy for the mind-set that now governs NFL fans: perpetual cognitive dissonance."

[Ken Robb]

I don't understand this rant. Ditka seems to have always spoken his mind. He practiced what he and the rest of the football establishment believed in the past. Now that we have learned about the brain damage caused by repeated hits both large and small he has a new perception and talks about it. Is it wrong to change one's mind in the face of new evidence?

My dad grew up in Scotland and played professional soccer there and in the USA until he was 40 years old. He died of dementia at 80 years of age. At the time we thought it was Alzheimers. Now we wonder about the damage done by all those years heading wet, heavy, leather balls.

[ptourkin]

I don't understand this rant. Ditka seems to have always spoken his mind. He practiced what he and the rest of the football establishment believed in the past. Now that we have learned about the brain damage caused by repeated hits both large and small he has a new perception and talks about it. Is it wrong to change one's mind in the face of new evidence?

My dad grew up in Scotland and played professional soccer there and in the USA until he was 40 years old. He died of dementia at 80 years of age. At the time we thought it was Alzheimers. Now we wonder about the damage done by all those years heading wet, heavy, leather balls.

Ken, I think the point of the Ditka quote is to illustrate that our knowledge of the situation is changing based on science, as you have pointed out, yet we have cognitive dissonance that allows us to continue to watch and make money off this tragedy. Ditka wouldn't let his sons play, but presumably he is still making a living from the sport. Attitudes are changing - maybe he will become a conscientious objector.

[FlashUNC]

Between reading Nate Jackson's recent memoir, and the league's remarkably terrible handling of the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson cases, football and I "went on a break."

Can't say I miss it. Skipping the Super Bowl on Sunday too.

[Dead Man]

Our bodies are compatible with combat, but we usually only have to do it a few times (never, for the vast majority of western civilization)

Someone should crack open the brains of mountain goats and rams and take a looksee.

http://therearenoroads.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Rams-fighting.jpg

I never could head the ball when I played soccer as a kid. Just hurt way too bad- I'd have a nauseating headache for the rest of the day, doing it just once.

[peanutgallery]

All the head injury stuff makes you wonder if the NFL will have a lifespan as an "industry". Right now its the be all to end all, I think the Pro Bowl may have had a better rating than the State of the Union Address. The NFL is definitely on top of the marketing heap and dripping with cash at the moment, but at what cost and for how long.

Will the brain damage thing limit participation and then result in a huge market loss over 10-20 years? Teams, $ and the like. Will lack of participation make a dent in the college level over a shorter period of time?

Not that it matters, but I played thru jr high and high school and enjoyed the whole experience. Unlike Al Bundy, I was not fortunate enough not to score 4 TD's in one game. When my soon was in the 4th grade he begged me to sign him up for midgets and I happily did. After watching for a few weeks I cringed a little at the contact, especially when he had to practice with the next age level. At his age there were also a few kids that were more savvy (and effective) about hitting, that was a little scary, too. When it came time to sign up the next year, he was like no way - didn't like the hitting. Smart kid, he's going places

[Bradford]

All the head injury stuff makes you wonder if the NFL will have a lifespan as an "industry"...

I think the NFL today is at the same place as boxing was in the 70's. Back then, a heavy weight fight was like the Super Bowl. Now, I don't know anyone who follows boxing.

Was it what happened to Ali? Mike Tyson? Biting ears? I don't know, but it just got to the point that the brutality didn't play well anymore. I'm moving that way with football now, watching less and less NFL, and there is no way my kids are every playing that game.

[thwart]

Someone should crack open the brains of mountain goats and rams and take a looksee.

When 'designed' for vigorous head-to-head contact 'tis a bit different than when that's not part of the design process… assuming your tongue wasn't firmly implanted in your cheek.

Just spoke with a friend who's currently going thru college visits with her son, who's being recruited for D3 football. She really wants him to go to the school with the helmet impact sensors.

[David Kirk]

It's an interesting situation.

If I were a parent there's no way I would let my kid start in the sport knowing what we know now. I can't be the only one that feels this way. If that's correct then there will be fewer kids entering the sport at a young age and moving up through school, college and into the pro ranks and that will no doubt hurt the sports viability in the long run.

But frankly as long as the money is there it will go on. The money brings celebrity and status and the kids will want that and since they are too young to know any better and feel immortal they will not worry about their brain not working in 30-40 years.....or even next year. And as long as the parents think it's cool to have the teams best player as a son they will tell themselves that it didn't cause me any problems and kids need to toughen up.

But as with everything I think we need to follow the money. When major sponsors start bailing because they don't want to be associated with a sport that damages lives then things will change.

Some will say it's too big to die but I would site boxing as a sport that was HUGE as a mainstream sport and now it's all but gone. Ali fights were held in prime time and got huge viewerships but now it's the stuff of cable channels and no mom will let her kid get in the ring.......and with good reason.

It's going to be interesting to see how this unfolds in the long run.

dave

[FlashUNC]

Health issues aside, Mark Cuban gives them a decade simply due to over-saturation.

When you try to take it too far, people turn the other way. I'm just telling you, when you've got a good thing and you get greedy, it always, always, always, always, always turns on you. That's rule No. 1 of business.

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/10662203/dallas-mavericks-owner-mark-cuban-says-greedy-nfl-10-years-away-implosion

[fiamme red]

Ray Lucas became addicted to painkillers after severe injuries, but he said that he wouldn't object to his sons (if he had any) playing football.

http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/12/q-a-with-ray-lucas/

Q.
How did you become addicted to painkillers, and how common is it in the N.F.L.?

A.
It was after a series of injuries playing in the N.F.L. that I was taking prescription painkillers. After having major back surgery, I tried to stop taking the painkillers, and that’s when I first experienced withdrawal. Fast-forward a few years: while waiting to have neck surgery, I started taking painkillers again to manage my pain, but this time with my increased tolerance, I needed more and more and gradually built up to taking as many as 800 pills a month. This time, I knew that I couldn’t just stop taking them and needed help.

Clearly, football is a contact sport and as players we know that we’re at risk for injury, and for many, taking painkillers is a part of managing this. But this problem isn’t limited to athletes; it could be an executive or a soccer mom. What I want people to know is that they aren’t alone and that they can talk to a physician who is experienced in managing addiction in the privacy of a doctor’s office...

Q.
You have three daughters. If you had a son, would you allow him to play football? At what age do you think it’s appropriate for a child to play tackle football?

A.
I’m an athlete, and football opened doors for me. I wouldn’t change my past for a moment and wouldn’t be where I am today without football.
Competitive sports are good for kids; there are life lessons that go far beyond the football field — or the basketball court where I spend time today coaching my girls. If I had a son, I would allow him to pursue any sport or talent that he had, and would encourage him to be the best he could be. You have to take life’s gifts and make the most of them.

[malcolm]

I'm 55 and I played football through high school

It's a different game now than it ever has been. It's always been a violent game but look at todays players. A wide receiver that just a few years ago would have arms like pipe cleaners now is bowed up like a body builder. These guys are much stronger than ever, carry more muscular weight and are faster. That's a formula for disaster in a sport that is predicated on violent contact. Lots of contact sports the contact is largely incidental and violent collisions are infrequent. Football it's every play by design.

I don't buy the football as religion and never going away. I think football over the next few decades will begin to be supplanted by other sports including soccer. You now have families where the past couple generations grew up playing soccer. Kids are born into families where mom and dad both played and they started playing as young children. I think this segment of the US is growing rapidly and will continue. Football to some degree is already becoming the game of the underprivileged looking to make it big or a way to college, not completely but a large portion. As more attention is payed to other sports these kids will start to look elsewhere. I hope this is true anyway

I would not let my kids play football. Even in high school it's a harder faster game.

[verticaldoug]

when the TV contracts stop increasing, the writing will be on the wall. Until then, the money is in broadcasting.

I like the analogy of pro boxing. In the 70's and 80's Ali-Frazier, Ali-Foreman, Sugar Ray - Hearns - Duran - Hagler..... now all we have is Mayweather fighting chumps.

The long sad decline of Ali drives home the dangers of boxing. We just need to see some of our old heros like Earl Campbell hardly able to walk to drive home the dangers of football. When you think about it, the NFL made Lyle Alzado just disappear. (PEDs to bulk up) Unless Goodall turns into Don King, the NFL might manage the process better.

[unterhausen]

I am aware I am in a state of cognitive dissonance wrt football. I can watch football all day, particularly college ball. OTOH, I think colleges would be a lot better off without it, and I hope that will happen. And the fact that so many players end up with permanent brain injury makes me feel bad for enjoying the game.

When ABC gave up Monday night football, I really wondered if there wasn't a peak of interest. The NBA seems to have peaked and MLB also seems to have peaked. Wouldn't surprise me at all to see the NFL do the same.


I don't buy the football as religion and never going away. I think football over the next few decades will begin to be supplanted by other sports including soccer. I agree with this. When I was a kid, we spent late summer through December playing football in the back yard. We used to roam the neighborhood looking for a game. I haven't seen that for years, just saw some kids playing football last weekend and it was a little surprising. I am not sure my son has ever touched a football, and he's about to graduate from high school.

[gomango]

I think football over the next few decades will begin to be supplanted by other sports including soccer. You now have families where the past couple generations grew up playing soccer.

Soccer dad checking in here.

Both of our boys have played soccer since they were four. The oldest is a freshman in college. He was recruited by eight division II and III colleges to play soccer for their programs. The only injuries he ever received playing soccer were a torn hamstring and a nagging heel injury. It was/is a great game for him and helped us avoid football and hockey here in Minnesota. It's a game he can easily play for years to come and really helped shape his teen years as his team played all over the United States, as well as in Europe and Central America.

Our youngest son plays soccer for one of the top Premier/MRL teams in Minnesota. He has been injury free until last Tuesday night when he suffered a rather nasty concussion when he was rammed into a goalpost. Scary stuff and it will be 4-6 weeks till he can resume full contact soccer. He's excited to get back there though, as he also plays for a strong high school team and has aspirations to play at the college level. He has had incredible experiences playing in tournaments in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Germany. What a great way to learn about people from other cultures!

There are many things we can teach our kids to prevent these injuries. It starts with good coaching that teaches these kids proper techniques at an early, early age. They can also learn the life lesson of sportsmanship. Not to mention how to support team mates and listening to the coaches' instructions.

We are glad the boys have taken this path and they seem to be doing pretty well without playing American football the last 15 years. Let's hope the little brother bounces back from this injury and can continue this great game of soccer.

[giverdada]

i just realized the other night that this coming sunday is superbowl sunday. i used to have parties about it because no one else cared, and i wanted to see friends and eat chili dogs and watch a game i've enjoyed playing on a pick-up basis on back campus. football for me has always been a deeply american thing, and even though i never played it seriously or well, it is a big part of some beautiful memories of mine.

but i can remember. and i wonder about sports that we revere while they pay for the decline of human bodies and minds. and i'm remembering a post someone else had regarding some amazing and candid photographs of cyclists, off the bike, in some state of 'reality': it's kind of odd how we follow/support/worship a sport in which the highest level athletes look like concentration camp survivors.

i know it's all about money and what people are willing to pay for 'entertainment', but the flow leads to an interesting skew. we pay hockey players and basketball players and football players and countless others more than 5 times as much as we would pay the doctors who fix them and others. hm. we want to be able to ride like, and we follow the careers of, and glorify the feats of confessed anorexics who happen to go fast on two wheels and boast insane watts-per-kilo ratios. if any of those guys showed up in my class at work, we would have to have a serious talk about mental health and eating disorders. and that's all on that side of it. how often do i call to mind a great 'feat' of athleticism when i'm out there dragging my ass up some climb for the fifth repeat of twelve? how often do i narrate my run in ligget-esque ramble to get through the rougher patches and make any of it seem noteworthy enough to continue? we're driving an engine that we've made ourselves need (a little bit, some of us), but things are getting out of proportion and breaking down. we know more about brain injuries now and now everyone has one. no way my girls are playing football or hockey but i tell them to go out and ride their bikes or kick the ball any chance they get. :help: