[BostonCard]

Article in The NY Times…

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023...tball.html

Very sad. im nor sure that I can enjoy a game that is causing this to young men in their teens and twenties, let alone those who make it to middle age.  And I can’t help but wonder if things like Stanley Wilson Jr’s erratic behavior and ultimately his death or Zach Hoffpauir’s suicide attempt and opiate use (leading to his accidental OD) can’t be traced back to trauma from football.

Sorry to be such a downer on the night before Big Game…

BC

[BostonCard]

Article in The NY Times…

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023...tball.html

Very sad. im nor sure that I can enjoy a game that is causing this to young men in their teens and twenties, let alone those who make it to middle age.  And I can’t help but wonder if things like Stanley Wilson Jr’s erratic behavior and ultimately his death or Zach Hoffpauir’s suicide attempt and opiate use (leading to his accidental OD) can’t be traced back to trauma from football.

Sorry to be such a downer on the night before Big Game…

BC

[2006alum]

Yes, I debated about sharing this. And this is why I generally can't in good faith be a football fan anymore. (He says hours before trudging off into the rain to tailgate for Big Game...)

Structurally, something has to happen. I'm almost certain my near-30-year-old family member who formerly played football for U$C is suffering from advanced CTE symptoms and will never hold down a normal job again in his life, if he's even lucky enough to live to 30. And I can't imagine all the contusions and concussions he experienced playing football aren't the reason...

[2006alum]

Yes, I debated about sharing this. And this is why I generally can't in good faith be a football fan anymore. (He says hours before trudging off into the rain to tailgate for Big Game...)

Structurally, something has to happen. I'm almost certain my near-30-year-old family member who formerly played football for U$C is suffering from advanced CTE symptoms and will never hold down a normal job again in his life, if he's even lucky enough to live to 30. And I can't imagine all the contusions and concussions he experienced playing football aren't the reason...

[OutsiderFan]

Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything that puts them in harm's way unless you are a male of fighting age in Russia.

Have you seen this?
https://apnews.com/article/soccer-headin...df01d8f9e8

Or this?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nh...323424007/

There are plenty enough people who play football, hockey, and soccer, who don't suffer brain maladies after playing. But there are definitely those who do.

Should we outlaw football, soccer, and hockey, because some people who have played in the past suffer brain damage as a result of playing?  And while we're at it, forget sports. WTF do we allow alcohol and cigarettes to be consumed? How about high fat, low fiber diets?  And how can we allow people to be sedentary? We should mandate everyone participate in exercise or they pay higher health insurance premiums.

This demonization of football, while we have so many other serious problems that cost us as a society because we allow other risky health behaviors, is a little tough to take. I'm not gonna claim someone has no right to swear off football in their life. But I am going to call out people trying to convince others they should. It's like someone posting on a message board and announcing they are gonna leave when bothered by something. Just leave. Don't announce it and try to draw attention to the fact you are saying no.

Everyone is capable of making their own decisions. I'm an atheist. I loathe religion. But I don't tell anyone they shouldn't practice their faith. If someone asks me my opinion about religion, I will give it, but I never initiate any conversation with someone saying how much death and destruction is caused based on disagreements about one religion vs. another. I think it's safe to say my argument against religion is a lot stronger than the argument against football, but I manage to keep my mouth shut about it.

Anyway, if you find you can't support football anymore, don't. It's OK. But announcing it comes off as some sort of veiled effort to get others to stop playing or watching it, and is as offensive to me as being told I should follow this or that religion. Again, there are far more significant problem behaviors in this world that cause far more destruction than contact sports that serve as great source of enjoyment, inspiration, learning and spirit for those who play and watch them.

[OutsiderFan]

Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything that puts them in harm's way unless you are a male of fighting age in Russia.

Have you seen this?
https://apnews.com/article/soccer-headin...df01d8f9e8

Or this?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nh...323424007/

There are plenty enough people who play football, hockey, and soccer, who don't suffer brain maladies after playing. But there are definitely those who do.

Should we outlaw football, soccer, and hockey, because some people who have played in the past suffer brain damage as a result of playing?  And while we're at it, forget sports. WTF do we allow alcohol and cigarettes to be consumed? How about high fat, low fiber diets?  And how can we allow people to be sedentary? We should mandate everyone participate in exercise or they pay higher health insurance premiums.

This demonization of football, while we have so many other serious problems that cost us as a society because we allow other risky health behaviors, is a little tough to take. I'm not gonna claim someone has no right to swear off football in their life. But I am going to call out people trying to convince others they should. It's like someone posting on a message board and announcing they are gonna leave when bothered by something. Just leave. Don't announce it and try to draw attention to the fact you are saying no.

Everyone is capable of making their own decisions. I'm an atheist. I loathe religion. But I don't tell anyone they shouldn't practice their faith. If someone asks me my opinion about religion, I will give it, but I never initiate any conversation with someone saying how much death and destruction is caused based on disagreements about one religion vs. another. I think it's safe to say my argument against religion is a lot stronger than the argument against football, but I manage to keep my mouth shut about it.

Anyway, if you find you can't support football anymore, don't. It's OK. But announcing it comes off as some sort of veiled effort to get others to stop playing or watching it, and is as offensive to me as being told I should follow this or that religion. Again, there are far more significant problem behaviors in this world that cause far more destruction than contact sports that serve as great source of enjoyment, inspiration, learning and spirit for those who play and watch them.

[burger]

Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything that puts them in harm's way unless you are a male of fighting age in Russia.

Have you seen this?
https://apnews.com/article/soccer-headin...df01d8f9e8

Or this?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nh...323424007/

There are plenty enough people who play football, hockey, and soccer, who don't suffer brain maladies after playing. But there are definitely those who do.

Should we outlaw football, soccer, and hockey, because some people who have played in the past suffer brain damage as a result of playing?  And while we're at it, forget sports. WTF do we allow alcohol and cigarettes to be consumed? How about high fat, low fiber diets?  And how can we allow people to be sedentary? We should mandate everyone participate in exercise or they pay higher health insurance premiums.

This demonization of football, while we have so many other serious problems that cost us as a society because we allow other risky health behaviors, is a little tough to take. I'm not gonna claim someone has no right to swear off football in their life. But I am going to call out people trying to convince others they should. It's like someone posting on a message board and announcing they are gonna leave when bothered by something. Just leave. Don't announce it and try to draw attention to the fact you are saying no.

Everyone is capable of making their own decisions. I'm an atheist. I loathe religion. But I don't tell anyone they shouldn't practice their faith. If someone asks me my opinion about religion, I will give it, but I never initiate any conversation with someone saying how much death and destruction is caused based on disagreements about one religion vs. another. I think it's safe to say my argument against religion is a lot stronger than the argument against football, but I manage to keep my mouth shut about it.

Anyway, if you find you can't support football anymore, don't. It's OK. But announcing it comes off as some sort of veiled effort to get others to stop playing or watching it, and is as offensive to me as being told I should follow this or that religion. Again, there are far more significant problem behaviors in this world that cause far more destruction than contact sports that serve as great source of enjoyment, inspiration, learning and spirit for those who play and watch them.

Outsider Fan, I think you're forgetting that the article in question was about children (or brain trauma that happened as children).  You mentioned alcohol and cigarettes.  There are good reasons why we don't let kids smoke and drink.  And it's very easy to use the same logic to say maybe we shouldn't let kids play tackle football (I'll leave the age cutoff for "kids" undefined for now--hopefully science can shed more light on that soon).

Watch or don't watch football, I don't care.  But everyone who watches should be aware of how football affects young people.  If these posts (and the studies they're based on) make you feel uncomfortable, perhaps you need to do some introspection on why that is.

[burger]

Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything that puts them in harm's way unless you are a male of fighting age in Russia.

Have you seen this?
https://apnews.com/article/soccer-headin...df01d8f9e8

Or this?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nh...323424007/

There are plenty enough people who play football, hockey, and soccer, who don't suffer brain maladies after playing. But there are definitely those who do.

Should we outlaw football, soccer, and hockey, because some people who have played in the past suffer brain damage as a result of playing?  And while we're at it, forget sports. WTF do we allow alcohol and cigarettes to be consumed? How about high fat, low fiber diets?  And how can we allow people to be sedentary? We should mandate everyone participate in exercise or they pay higher health insurance premiums.

This demonization of football, while we have so many other serious problems that cost us as a society because we allow other risky health behaviors, is a little tough to take. I'm not gonna claim someone has no right to swear off football in their life. But I am going to call out people trying to convince others they should. It's like someone posting on a message board and announcing they are gonna leave when bothered by something. Just leave. Don't announce it and try to draw attention to the fact you are saying no.

Everyone is capable of making their own decisions. I'm an atheist. I loathe religion. But I don't tell anyone they shouldn't practice their faith. If someone asks me my opinion about religion, I will give it, but I never initiate any conversation with someone saying how much death and destruction is caused based on disagreements about one religion vs. another. I think it's safe to say my argument against religion is a lot stronger than the argument against football, but I manage to keep my mouth shut about it.

Anyway, if you find you can't support football anymore, don't. It's OK. But announcing it comes off as some sort of veiled effort to get others to stop playing or watching it, and is as offensive to me as being told I should follow this or that religion. Again, there are far more significant problem behaviors in this world that cause far more destruction than contact sports that serve as great source of enjoyment, inspiration, learning and spirit for those who play and watch them.

Outsider Fan, I think you're forgetting that the article in question was about children (or brain trauma that happened as children).  You mentioned alcohol and cigarettes.  There are good reasons why we don't let kids smoke and drink.  And it's very easy to use the same logic to say maybe we shouldn't let kids play tackle football (I'll leave the age cutoff for "kids" undefined for now--hopefully science can shed more light on that soon).

Watch or don't watch football, I don't care.  But everyone who watches should be aware of how football affects young people.  If these posts (and the studies they're based on) make you feel uncomfortable, perhaps you need to do some introspection on why that is.