NFL Priorities
by Bob Schwartz
Which of these three NFL issues deserves the deepest continuous attention by the league, by fans, by the media, and by the public?
1. Frequent on-field concussions that demonstrably lead to players having permanent brain damage, diminished quality of life, and premature death.
2. Frequent off-field antisocial and possibly criminal behavior by celebrated players.
3. A possibly deflated football.
Note: It is possible that more scientists have been covered talking about the football that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady may have had deflated than about the concussions in the NFL.
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11 verified, deflated balls. it’s in the same category as the criminal behavior. the integrity of the game should always be questioned. whatever the catalyst is that brings some morality back to the game is a win. as far as the concussions and injuries, not seeing it on ESPN doesnt mean a lot of work isnt happening behind the scenes, and it is. one example is the Dr Jim Kelly, who treated NHL player, Pat LaFontaine’s injuries back in the late nineties. This work has led into work on military and sports concussions. the league is consistently working to develop better helmets and other gear to prevent injuries. we’ve also recently taken to task doctors that are drugging players. All of it speaks to the bigger issue of how football is putting money before players. whether or not the public cares enough is a crapshoot.
The current issue of the Economist includes a story called The End Zone. It makes the case that with all of its survivable problems, the NFL will ultimately be undone by fans turning away from a sport that so broadly inflicts brain damage on so many for entertainment and the league’s enrichment.
People are suckers for distraction. The NFL will keep its audience, or change the game to something else equally ridiculous. The gladiator games will live on.
If it wants to change popular myth, it should talk more about what it IS doing regardless of what is has not done in the past. It’s been slow to the game, but it’s now a major player in athletic safety, with collegiate organizations right next to it.
As a matter of fact, here at ASU we have a leading group of scientists and doctors combining research in genetics and concussive injuries into ways to help victims of domestic violence, and of course the military.
They’ve also linked with the efforts in Boston to gain momentum. There is still a long way to go, but work is being done on many levels in many different places.
Here’s a recent article about what ASU is up to. It’s just a local rag that mainly deals with the social scene, but its articles are well researched; their writers do their homework.
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2015/01/cover_story_01_29-15.php
As far as the public, it will remain as ignorant and fickle as it is in politics.