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*PLEASE REMEMBER*
1) The VAST majority of brain injuries are UNRECOGNIZED. 2) Subconcussive injuries contribute to neurodegeneration. 
IF DOUBT
WERE THE THRESHOLD FOR PULLING ATHLETES OUT, TACKLE FOOTBALL WOULD NO LONGER BE A PART OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. |
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Schools Are
Addicted to Collision $ports |
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AN ARRAY OF CONSEQUENCES |
HOW WE JUSTIFY THE RISKS Dr Kathleen Bachynski "The problem is that multiple hits can interrupt the brain’s repair processes. Over time, the brain’s 'clean-up crew' may not be able to keep pace with the recurring hits inherent to any sport that involves constant collisions, such as boxing, tackle football, or professional ice hockey."
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HEALTH IS A SOCIAL PROBLEM
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Hello, OSHA? |
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“We present a quantitative risk assessment
showing the risk of CTE… would permit OSHA to intervene.…" Finkel & Bieniek |
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Washington Post
Editorial Board 9/8/18 “Parents and schools are right to reassess the wisdom of tackle football for children whose young brains are still developing.” |
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The Full Argument (2018) Randall Curren & J.C. Blokhuis |
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"US public schools' sponsorship of tackle football is ethically indefensible and inconsistent with their educational aims.” |
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"This article suggests that there are at least two forms of ADHD. One that is an expression of a risk inherited within families and the other which develops after traumatic brain injury." John Krystal, MD, Editor of Biological Psychiatry. |
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The Cultural Consequences |
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“Through a project that began five years ago, researchers have screened 4,100 people
in jail, on probation or assigned to drug courts in Denver and five other counties to find out how many have traumatic brain injury — an impairment that could impact the likelihood of their return to the criminal justice system. The results were stark: 54% had a history of serious brain injury, compared with 8% of the general population." |
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“These three things-- a young athlete’s death, ...rule changes designed to damage fewer brains, &... ignoring repeated abuse... are not of equal importance. Not even close. This should go without saying, but you never know, so I’m saying it just in case: They are connected. Each case is part of a football ecosystem in which the game itself is propped up as bigger and more important than anything that stands in its way.” |
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Largest Dataset Yet Confirms Increased Dementia Risk New York Times 4/11/18 |
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Myelin
“Imaging shows changes in the myelin content in the brain following mild traumatic brain injury. Myelin changes are apparent at the time of injury and 3 months afterward.” Chronic Differences
“Different diffusion tensor imaging methods have revealed changes in white matter orientation up to 6 months after concussion.”
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The Damage:
Functional, Structural, & Metabolic medicalxpress.com 10/18/18 “Perhaps the concussion triggers a cascade that increases abnormal protein buildup in the brain.... The concussion might cause inflammation or vascular changes…. The injury could make the brain more vulnerable overall, what the researchers call a loss of brain reserve.” |
The Fight
medicalxpress.com 4/11/18 “The brain continues to put up a fight even as neurodegenerative diseases damage certain areas and functions. In fact, recent findings... suggest that one method the brain uses to counter these diseases is the reassigning of tasks to different regions…. Previous studies have shown that this preservation tactic is used after brain damage, such as traumatic brain injury or stroke, but this is one of the first studies to demonstrate the phenomenon in a neurodegenerative disease.” |
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INDUSTRIAL DISEASE |
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"Jeff Parker, who died last year at age 53, will be seen as another link between hockey head hits and C.T.E.; the league has denied that such a link exists." New York Times 5/3/18 |
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"Within 10 minutes after each game, the researchers had the children repeat the earlier cognitive tests. Those who headed the ball at least once tended to have lower scores." |
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The Repetitive Hits In Lacrosse |
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Sports Biomechanics Journal
(Taylor & Francis Online) "It appears subconcussive impacts may result in tandem stance balance deficits. Repetitive head impacts may negatively affect sway velocity, even in the absence of a diagnosed concussion." |
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Why Should Schools Sponsor Brain Damage? |
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"High schools should be
public institutions of education, training grounds for critical thinking, civic participation & career-building. They should not be tied at the waist to the brain damaging, cultural equivalent of teenage gladiators. The coliseums under today's Friday night lights are filled with parents who may not realize that even if their team wins, their child is likely to lose." |
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"As a people, we have
long supported public education, knowing it's the only way to keep democracy alive. Colleges and universities are in the business of creating informed citizens.... I suspect future generations will look back on football with horror and disbelief." Professor Rachel Toor 10/20/17 |
"Colleges and universities
are places where students go to learn and grow, and sports that have been demonstrated to adversely affect the neurological development of young adults have no place in the halls of higher education." Patrick C. Barham 2/8/18 |
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"The corrosive culture of money
in big time collegiate sports -- more than $8 billion a year... was painfully obvious recently with the indictments of college coaches and an Adidas executive.... It was left to federal prosecutors to issue a statment condemning the 'criminal influence of money on coaches and student-athletes.'" Mike Mcintire 12/28/17 |
"Most schools can hide behind a NCAA concussion-settlement that doesn't cover medical care. They can duck paying worker's comp to injured players thanks to the made-up, quasi-legal term student-athlete." Patrick Hruby 12/8/17 |
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Your brain is fragile.
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Conclusions If the primary purpose of education is to inform and enable, ethical schools should reject any activity where recurring brain trauma is unavoidable. 
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