"A Son of Football Calls His Mother"

[BenM3]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/27/s...risha-a-son-of-football-calls-his-mother.html

"This fraught conversation with her son had started as a quarrel over his scatterbrain ways. A Dartmouth graduate, a decade out of college, should be able to balance his checkbook."

 

[WebSpinner]

again???? why not take this to a "i hate football" site? maybe even, our country is being ruined, not by drugs and thugs, but football, website?

 

[iSpider]

I read the article very early this morning before it was posted on this site. Very sad, indeed. Sounds to me like the damage started in high school. Wonder what would have happened if they had stopped his career when he walked off the field and could not remember the last two touchdowns he had scored.

I would hope that with our higher awareness of this type of problem this would not happen today. That said, I do believe that in isolated instances we will continue to see this sort of thing until more advances are made.

I love football and hope we can make more advances for the players' safety. We have taken some baby steps in the past few years, but we need to continue to make a lot more progress.

 

[WebSpinner]

you think? it is happening, it is an evolution not a light switch, type of thing. no matter what they do, there will continue to be head probs, in all sports and activities. the parents and the kids need to make decisions on whether they want the exposure or not. my grand kids play sports now, really young, decisions are coming up and texas is crazy about football and dad played it and if they show an inclination, they will play also. the high school they feed into has won 7 state championships and have several hundred kids in the pipeline among sub-varsity and varsity. would i rather they run track and play baseball, yep but am not butting in on the decision making, unless asked.

 

[72Spider]

My oldest grandson plays JV soccer. Been to all of his games. The only soccer I have ever seen in my life live. The "heading" in soccer is equally bad yet it is an integral part of the game since can't use your hands (unless goalie). Can see the day soon where the issue of brain trauma can gain traction in this sport as it has in football. Some of the headers in soccer, even at this level, are incredible.

 

[BenM3]

My oldest grandson plays JV soccer. Been to all of his games. The only soccer I have ever seen in my life live. The "heading" in soccer is equally bad yet it is an integral part of the game since can't use your hands (unless goalie). Can see the day soon where the issue of brain trauma can gain traction in this sport as it has in football. Some of the headers in soccer, even at this level, are incredible.

I agree that something has to be done to make soccer safer too:

http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-comme...inal-emily-oliver-richmond-spiders-becca-wann

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/10/s...-cant-be-ignored-by-soccer-any-more.html?_r=0

 

[32counter]

ACL injuries are at a higher risk in Women than in Men for basketball and soccer.

http://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/muscles-joints-bones/knee/acl-injuries-in-female-athletes

This is something BenM3 should be analyzing since we are looking at different sports.

 

[32counter]

Cycling can cause testicular cancer.BenM3 should get with all the bike companies for a complete review.Football does NOT cause testicular cancer.

Men who take up cycling could be harming their health if they don‘t choose the right bicycle. They should be wary of problems ranging from genital numbness, erection problems and soreness to skin irritation in the groin area.

Men who cycle frequently can also experience changes to their sperm function because of the excessive heat generated in the pelvic area. Male infertility is recognized as a possible side effect of cycling. Regular cyclists also run a higher risk of testicular damage and impaired testicular function.

Mountain bikers run a particular risk. Studies have shown that they exhibit higher levels of scrotal abnormalities than on-road cyclists.

What should men look for in a bicycle? The proper fit, including the correct level of pedal resistance and saddle height. A properly padded saddle, along with bike shorts, can also help to reduce sexual problems among male cyclists.

• Cycling can be a great way to spend some time in nature, get exercise and serves as a useful mode of transportation, so it’s no wonder that its popularity is increasing. Between 2006 and 2007, the National Sporting Goods Association reported a 5 percent increase in U.S. cyclists and with gas pushing $5 a gallon that is sure to increase.
  
  But men really do need to be careful when taking up this activity, especially if they want to have children.
  
  Is Cycling Safe for Men?
  
  The bicycle seat puts pressure on the nerves and blood vessels at the back of your scrotum. This can impact a man’s ability to get an erection, and it can cause numbness, soreness and other irritations.
  
  Mountain biking in particular can cause severe problems because of the rough terrain. One study in The Lancet even found that 96 percent of male mountain bikers had scrotal abnormalities such as:
  • Calcium deposits
  • Spermatoceles (sperm-containing cysts)
  • Twisted veins
  Another study, this one by Dr. Ferdinand Frauscher, a urology-radiology specialist at University Hospital in Innsbruck, Austria, found that the impact of cycling on the groin could lead to small scars within the scrotum and ultimately lower sperm production.
  
  Among those who were avid mountain bikers (riding more than two hours a day, six days a week) 90 percent had low sperm counts and scrotal abnormalities.
  
  The other problem, aside from the contact with the bicycle seat itself, is the heat generated in the groin area. This can also impact sperm function.
  
  If you are a man who loves biking, take the precautions to protect yourself by having a specialist help you find a properly fitting bike. Padded bike shorts are another must.
  
  Generally, most men don’t ride enough miles to cause major problems, but if you do cycle often be sure to take periods of rest during longer rides.
  
  A new study needs to be created with BenM3 as Chairperson.

 

[32counter]

"A Daughter of football calls her father"

And asks quite succinctly,"should I continue my involvement with Lingerie football or get my Masters degree at Northwestern?"

This is a tough decision for the father not knowing how his smart,beautiful daughter is leaning on the subject.He simply asks"Which do you prefer at this stage in your life?"She answers rather coyly,"I want to play Lingerie football,I love the physicality and fun of the game.I can always go to Northwestern."

 

[WebSpinner]

must admit, hope that both my granddaughters, cooper and quigley, look good enough to play lingerie football but that i would get involved in that decision.......nope........HA

 

[paward]

Life is a risk, what do you do? Stop living.

 

[SpiderRick]

Life is a risk, what do you do? Stop living.

I'll keep beating this drum. If you want to reduce injuries, then you have to institute a weight limit. Velocity x mass = force. Reduce the mass, and there will be less force and therefore injuries will lessen. And this fix cost nothing to implement.

 

[WebSpinner]

Rick, at what leve do you institute the weight limit, pop warner stuff, middle school, high school, college (think ivies have a 150lb league), nfl? at some point players have to play and if my son is only 175 but can run like the wind, don't want his potential to be limited because he is smaller than others. see what you are saying but only think ithat could work at the very lowest levels. to me the velocity in that equation if more important than the weight, speed kills.....

 

[BenM3]

"Richmond football players not fully educated on long-term effects of concussions"

http://www.thecollegianur.com/article/2015/04/concussions-at-richmond

 

[urfan1]

Ben have you ever written anything positive about athletics -- other than you think we would do very well at D-3?

 

[WebSpinner]

would only say that if our players are not aware of these older guys and their probs, they must live in a cave. certainly is a sad situation but the vast majority of former football players i know did not suffer long term probs, thank goodness it is a small %, at least it seems that way based on the numbers that are thrown around. does not make it any easier but they try and make it sound like a huge % of former players are incapacitated and it just does not seem that way.

 

[BenM3]

"Concussions Can Be More Likely In Practices Than In Games"

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/201...ly-during-practice-in-high-school-and-college

"Parents worry about a child getting a concussion in the heat of competition, but they also need to be thinking about what happens during practices, a study finds. High school and college football players are more likely to suffer a concussion during practices than in a game, according a study published May 4 in JAMA Pediatrics. Here are the numbers:

• In youth games, 54 percent of concussions happened during games.
• In high school and college, just 42 percent of concussions happened during games, with 58 percent during practices.
• Overall, college students had the highest rate of concussions during games, with 3.74 per 1,000 games compared to 2.01 for high schoolers and 2.38 for youths. High schoolers had the highest rates during practices.

The numbers are gleaned from three large injury surveillance systems that evaluated the 2012 and 2013 seasons of 118 youth football teams, 96 high school programs and 24 college programs. They were gathered by the Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention Inc., in Indianapolis. They don't reflect the number of concussions, but rather players who reported having at least one concussion during the season... Since boys start learning tackle football as young as age 5, it's vital that youth coaches teach safer techniques, Merritt says. Getting the message out can be tough, he says, because "they're not professionals for the most part; they're volunteers." The NCAA was one of the funders of the study, along with USA Football and the National Athletic Trainers Association Research and Education Foundation."

 

[32counter]

Hey,not to digress but did anyone see Rickie Fowler's OT win at TPC Sawgrass yesterday.A terrific Mom's day gift for the attending Mom and sis and a long embrace from his girlfriend after getting the $1.8m win.Nice going,Rickie.

http://nesn.com/2015/05/rickie-fowl...-randock-wins-the-day-and-the-players-videos/

http://portland.suntimes.com/nation...-model-girlfriend-alexis-randock-kiss-makeout

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/11/golf/rickie-fowler-players-sawgrass-alexis-randock/index.html

 

[WebSpinner]

kind of funny, fowler did motocross when growing up and i would let my kids skydive and play football before i allowed that. he chose golf after numerous broken bones. like we have discussed, football is probably no more dangerous than many other endeavors in which one can participate, they just have a lot of money to go after.

 

[Spiderfan1980]

USA Football survey show few youth concussions.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/usa-football-survey-shows-few-youth-concussions

 

[BenM3]

Outright concussions are dangerous as everyone knows and improvements are being made both to avoid them altogether ("Heads Up" instruction for youth) and detect them afterwards with better post-concussion safety protocols. The much bigger problem, though, are the far more frequent sub-concussive and non-concussive hits to the head -- especially for linemen -- that accumulate over time and are rarely, if ever, detected by players or coaches. This is where the real neurological and cognitive damage appears to happen. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21787201

 

[32counter]

Not to digress but am going to spend the weekend in New Haven,CT.I hear the pizza is pretty good in that part of the country with all its Italian heritage.Pepe's is rated pretty good as is Sally's.Cant decide.They call it Apizza not Pizza.

http://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/new-haven-pizza-guide-pepe-s-sally-s-modern-apizza-and-more

 

[urfan1]

Go back and read my post two or three weeks ago when I said if they made all linemen stand they would eliminate a huge portion of the injuries.

 

[BenM3]

URFan1: Great idea. Can football make this kind of change quickly (or at all)? I think ideas like this are what those in charge should be pursuing and implementing...

 

[WebSpinner]

or, to steal the thoughts of jack lambert of the steel curtain steelers back in the 70s, yes he said it back in the 70s........just make them wear skirts