Dead athletes' brains show damage from concussions

Submitted by Matt on Tue, 2009-01-27 18:12

Article here. What price, glory? Suppose if a "woman's sport" were found to inflict this kind of damage on the brain there wouldn't be a law against it the next day? Excerpt:

'But today, using tissue from retired NFL athletes culled posthumously, the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE) is shedding light on what concussions look like in the brain. The findings are stunning. Far from innocuous, invisible injuries, concussions confer tremendous brain damage. That damage has a name: chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
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CSTE studies reveal brown tangles flecked throughout the brain tissue of former NFL players who died young -- some as early as their 30s or 40s.

McKee, who also studies Alzheimer's disease, says the tangles closely resemble what might be found in the brain of an 80-year-old with dementia.
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The NFL is planning its own independent medical study of retired NFL players on the long-term effects of concussion.

"Really my main reason even for talking about this is to help the guys who are already retired," said Johnson. "[They] are getting divorced, going bankrupt, can't work, are depressed, and don't know what's wrong with them. [It is] to give them a name for it so they can go get help."'

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Comments

This article hits home with me. I have been around many professional athletes and I see the toll that it takes on their bodies. No one seems to care. In the NBA they play like 80+ games a season. That's about a game every other day or so. The organizations are just about making money. When guys are hurt they are expected to 'man up' and play thru the pain or take a shot of cortisone. They are rushed back from injury and endure countless surgeries. These guys retire in their thirties and their bodies are shot.

Now I love sports and would hate to see less games played, but I have thought about this alot. I don't really know about other sports, but in the NBA, I think they should put more players on the team (say 20). That way we could still have as many games in a season (they have to cash in on the TV broadcasting, so no way they would cut out games). With more players guys could get more rest.

I know it will never happen and would cause a major restructure of pay scales.

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Submitted by Kris on Tue, 2009-01-27 21:57

let's all send emails and tell obama about this.
he's telling people/congress what radio station they need to listen to.

heck, telling teams how many player they should have sounds right up his alley.
very presidential, don't you know?

i see "they are getting divorced, going bankrupt, can't work, are depressed
and don't know what's wrong with them"?

gosh, let's see... getting divorced, going bankrupt...???

maybe i have some brain damage but something sounds familiar here.

like Barney always says "Nip it in the bud!"
cofusedus says: you no play, you no have to pay.

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Submitted by daveinga on Wed, 2009-01-28 04:53