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.”
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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A Flawed System Medical Express 9/6/18 “The fundamental question... is how can athletes make informed choices when they're never told what the actual risks are?” 
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— Melanie George (@Melanie__George) August 10, 2018 |
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"Some people with frontal lobe injuries seem completely normal... but they actually have great difficulty with everyday tasks.... This is called the frontal lobe paradox because, even though these people seem unimpaired... they have significant difficulties in everyday life." |
"[A]voiding death
isn't the only aim; traumatic brain and spinal injuries, exertion injuries and other physical consequences don't need to kill to be devastating.” 
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Syracuse University Policy "[T]here is a human obligation to provide safety for all persons of all ages who participate in its programs. All members of the University community are stewards of these relationships and must recognize the differences of power that often exist in them. As members of the community, we all have the responsibility to protect those who are in a position of vulnerability." |
Who Is Responsible?
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"While athletes should know
signs and symptoms and report if they can, asking a kid who is brain injured to self report is like asking a drunk if they are okay to drive." Kimberly Archie |
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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 that are inherent to any sport that involves constant collisions, such as boxing, tackle football, or professional ice hockey." |
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The Ethical
Educator's Dilemma Education Week 9/11/18 "Is sponsoring an activity that causes disabling brain injury compatible with educators' responsibilities to students? Are there compensating educational benefits of playing tackle football that justify the risks? Does the putative consent of players or their parents relieve educators and administrators of their duty to protect students from harm? The answers to these questions are clearly no, no, and no." |
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“Youth sports-related injuries represent a major public health challenge, and overuse injuries, which result from repetitive microtrauma and insufficient rest, are a particular and growing concern. Overuse injuries... can lead to lifelong disabilities, and are almost entirely preventable.” |
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Hello, OSHA? Adam M. Finkle & Kevin F. Bieniek “We present a quantitative risk assessment showing that… the risk of CTE… would permit the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to intervene.… CTE is a public health problem, and lawyers and physicians need to understand that this conclusion is based on standards of evidence at least as long-standing and robust as their own." |
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Myelin, Myelin, Myelin Medical Xpress 9/20/18 “Executive function and memory are particularly dependent on intact white matter tracts."
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Losing My Myelin Science Daily 9/4/18 "Detailed scans of concussed hockey players found that the protective fatty tissue surrounding brain cell fibers was loosened two weeks after the injury -- even though the athletes felt fine and were deemed ready to return to the ice." 
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The Spine
Collision Sports Cause Extensive Damage 
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Cerebral Physics 101.
"Your brain sits inside your skull floating in cerebrospinal fluid. So it’s about inertia. Every time you run and come to an abrupt stop, the brain crashes into the inside of the skull and reverberates against the other side, and no matter where you put your head or what form you use, that brain slosh is going to occur. The sport is about colliding bodies and our brain is attached to our body, so it’s about inertia." Chris Borland |
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How Does The Brain
Compensate For Damage? One method is to "reassign" work to other parts of the brain. |
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"Even as evidence mounts about the connection between head injuries and CTE, the number of colleges offering football isn’t shrinking. In fact, it’s growing." wbur.org 8/24/18 |
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Our Educational Values
The Coloradoan 9/21/18
"President of CSU… $775,000.
The CSU football coach… $1.5 million.
[T]hese salaries indicate the importance… of athletic programs,
which receive 52 percent of their budget from fees,
direct and indirect institutional support, and state money.
[O]ne wonders about how the large subsidized cost of the athletic program
fits with universities primary responsibilities: education, research, and scholarship….
361 CSU employees… make less than $30,000…
45… less than $25,000 per year....
Yet CSU's salary policy ignores their need for a living wage."
The Coloradoan 9/21/18
"President of CSU… $775,000.
The CSU football coach… $1.5 million.
[T]hese salaries indicate the importance… of athletic programs,
which receive 52 percent of their budget from fees,
direct and indirect institutional support, and state money.
[O]ne wonders about how the large subsidized cost of the athletic program
fits with universities primary responsibilities: education, research, and scholarship….
361 CSU employees… make less than $30,000…
45… less than $25,000 per year....
Yet CSU's salary policy ignores their need for a living wage."
