Term_the_Schmuck
Most Interesting Man on FAF
SPORTS THREAD, though dealing specifically with sports medicine, health, and the human body.
This current week in the NFL saw a large amount of key injuries to star players. Guys like Jay Cutler, Reggie Wayne, Sam Bradford, and most notably Jermichael Finley who suffered a serious injury to his spinal cord in his neck which resulted in him being held in the ICU. They are simply the latest in what is an epidemic this year with injuries; a year which saw the most players ever suffering season-ending injuries in the pre-season.
Immediately when looking at those facts one may be tempted to simply dismiss this as a "bigger, stronger, faster" argument, in that never before have athletes been in better shape with which to deal significant punishment to the opposing players. This has been a constant platform with which many injuries appear to be kept underneath, a throwaway line in order to explain that the NFL and the Player's Union are doing everything they can in order to protect these athletes.
To an extent that's true. Unlike in years past athletes today are expected to train year-round. The notion of a simply 25-week season including pre- and post-season is a fallacy considering all the work these guys put into staying in shape and in some cases rehabing injuries from a previous season. However, there's a deeper issue that I feel is ignored in favor of this mentality that has come at the price of the greater awareness of certain injuries such as concussions.
Concussions have been a plague for football players. A cause of deteriorating mental health which had been left undiagnosed or untreated for decades. Recently, the NFL settled a class-action lawsuit brought on by former players who felt that they were not properly warned or given information about concussions which the NFL admittedly knew was a large issue with player health but hid the results of internal studies from players and tried to sweep the issue under the rug. Today, many studies on the brains of former NFL players have found links to the head trauma sustained during their careers with behavioral and cognitive issues later in life, and may have led to depression, dementia and Alzheimer's in these players.
So needless to say, the NFL was forced to address these issues. New rules were put in place which have made any inkling that a defensive player was attacking an opponent's head or neck to be a 15-yard penalty in-game combined with significant monetary fines and suspensions outside of the game. Helmet-to-Helmet contact was banned. The kickoff to start each half and to resume play after scoring plays was moved from the 30-yard-line to the 35-yard-line which has led to less and less kick returns, with the ball sailing out-of-bounds and play resuming on the opponent's 20-yard-line. Two-a-day practices during the preseason have been banned. Teams only have a limited number of practices during the preseason in which they are allowed to have full contact, with some teams opting to have no full contact practices at all this year. Further restrictions were made towards how Organized Team Activities (OTAs) were to be handled during the off-season to reduce physical contact which could lead to injuries.
One would assume these measures would have increased player safety and allowed for fewer injuries, specifically to the head. What we've seen instead however is the rise of the ACL tear, a ligament in the knee, which spells the end of a season for a player since the recovery time from surgery and rehab to repair the tear takes roughly 6-8 months. Many, including myself, have speculated that the main reason why this is happening is because of the focus the NFL is placing on hits to the head which has forced players to tackle lower, and lower on the body. Cut-blocks have remained a staple of NFL offensive-line play, and specifically with running-backs who are pass-protecting, which for those unaware, is when a player dives at another player's legs to trip them up and force them to the ground.
From talking with older players, many have expressed that before the late 90s, it was an unwritten-rule amongst players that they would never attack another player's legs. This was specifically because the legs of an athlete are gold. Their careers hang on the ability for them to be able to stand, run, and jump. Many have expressed that if they had the choice of being given a concussion or an injury to their legs, they'd take the concussion, hands-down. Today, because of the rules, players have no other choice but to aim below the waist in order to effectively do their jobs without risking the chance of a penalty or fine against them.
And even with these measures to curb concussions, they still happen on a regular basis. Nick Foles, quarterback for the Eagles, recently suffered one this past week not from contact with another player, but contact with the ground. Jay Cutler had suffered a similar injury several years ago when he was tackled and his head made contact with the ground. Other concussions have been sustained from incidental contact with other players.
Another theory which has risen given the increased number of injuries on seemingly innocuous plays has been due to the fact that players aren't being introduced to hitting earlier on during the preseason. Muscles are built through adaptation, namely that when working out or engaging in intensive activity, micro-tears are created in the muscle fibers of the human body which are repaired through nutrient intake by not only rebuilding the lost tissue but also adding further layers of tissue on-top to help prevent future tearing. This in-turn builds stronger, more resistant muscles. This concept is being directed towards the kinds of injuries we're seeing today. Because players aren't hitting each other as often and their physical activity is being limited more and more every year, the chances of injury are actually being increased rather than decreasing. Awareness of injuries therefore, have become a detriment to the overall health of a player as opposed to helping us devise solutions in order to make the game safer.
But what do you think FAF? Is there any way that the NFL can help improve player safety? Do you believe that the limiting of physical activity and contact has actually created a less safe environment for players to play the game? Has the league perhaps gone too far with its emphasis on safety or not far enough?
tl:dr, despite their best efforts, the NFL is seeing a record number of serious, season-ending injuries this year. Are they to blame for focusing too much on safety that they've made the game more dangerous in the process?
This current week in the NFL saw a large amount of key injuries to star players. Guys like Jay Cutler, Reggie Wayne, Sam Bradford, and most notably Jermichael Finley who suffered a serious injury to his spinal cord in his neck which resulted in him being held in the ICU. They are simply the latest in what is an epidemic this year with injuries; a year which saw the most players ever suffering season-ending injuries in the pre-season.
Immediately when looking at those facts one may be tempted to simply dismiss this as a "bigger, stronger, faster" argument, in that never before have athletes been in better shape with which to deal significant punishment to the opposing players. This has been a constant platform with which many injuries appear to be kept underneath, a throwaway line in order to explain that the NFL and the Player's Union are doing everything they can in order to protect these athletes.
To an extent that's true. Unlike in years past athletes today are expected to train year-round. The notion of a simply 25-week season including pre- and post-season is a fallacy considering all the work these guys put into staying in shape and in some cases rehabing injuries from a previous season. However, there's a deeper issue that I feel is ignored in favor of this mentality that has come at the price of the greater awareness of certain injuries such as concussions.
Concussions have been a plague for football players. A cause of deteriorating mental health which had been left undiagnosed or untreated for decades. Recently, the NFL settled a class-action lawsuit brought on by former players who felt that they were not properly warned or given information about concussions which the NFL admittedly knew was a large issue with player health but hid the results of internal studies from players and tried to sweep the issue under the rug. Today, many studies on the brains of former NFL players have found links to the head trauma sustained during their careers with behavioral and cognitive issues later in life, and may have led to depression, dementia and Alzheimer's in these players.
So needless to say, the NFL was forced to address these issues. New rules were put in place which have made any inkling that a defensive player was attacking an opponent's head or neck to be a 15-yard penalty in-game combined with significant monetary fines and suspensions outside of the game. Helmet-to-Helmet contact was banned. The kickoff to start each half and to resume play after scoring plays was moved from the 30-yard-line to the 35-yard-line which has led to less and less kick returns, with the ball sailing out-of-bounds and play resuming on the opponent's 20-yard-line. Two-a-day practices during the preseason have been banned. Teams only have a limited number of practices during the preseason in which they are allowed to have full contact, with some teams opting to have no full contact practices at all this year. Further restrictions were made towards how Organized Team Activities (OTAs) were to be handled during the off-season to reduce physical contact which could lead to injuries.
One would assume these measures would have increased player safety and allowed for fewer injuries, specifically to the head. What we've seen instead however is the rise of the ACL tear, a ligament in the knee, which spells the end of a season for a player since the recovery time from surgery and rehab to repair the tear takes roughly 6-8 months. Many, including myself, have speculated that the main reason why this is happening is because of the focus the NFL is placing on hits to the head which has forced players to tackle lower, and lower on the body. Cut-blocks have remained a staple of NFL offensive-line play, and specifically with running-backs who are pass-protecting, which for those unaware, is when a player dives at another player's legs to trip them up and force them to the ground.
From talking with older players, many have expressed that before the late 90s, it was an unwritten-rule amongst players that they would never attack another player's legs. This was specifically because the legs of an athlete are gold. Their careers hang on the ability for them to be able to stand, run, and jump. Many have expressed that if they had the choice of being given a concussion or an injury to their legs, they'd take the concussion, hands-down. Today, because of the rules, players have no other choice but to aim below the waist in order to effectively do their jobs without risking the chance of a penalty or fine against them.
And even with these measures to curb concussions, they still happen on a regular basis. Nick Foles, quarterback for the Eagles, recently suffered one this past week not from contact with another player, but contact with the ground. Jay Cutler had suffered a similar injury several years ago when he was tackled and his head made contact with the ground. Other concussions have been sustained from incidental contact with other players.
Another theory which has risen given the increased number of injuries on seemingly innocuous plays has been due to the fact that players aren't being introduced to hitting earlier on during the preseason. Muscles are built through adaptation, namely that when working out or engaging in intensive activity, micro-tears are created in the muscle fibers of the human body which are repaired through nutrient intake by not only rebuilding the lost tissue but also adding further layers of tissue on-top to help prevent future tearing. This in-turn builds stronger, more resistant muscles. This concept is being directed towards the kinds of injuries we're seeing today. Because players aren't hitting each other as often and their physical activity is being limited more and more every year, the chances of injury are actually being increased rather than decreasing. Awareness of injuries therefore, have become a detriment to the overall health of a player as opposed to helping us devise solutions in order to make the game safer.
But what do you think FAF? Is there any way that the NFL can help improve player safety? Do you believe that the limiting of physical activity and contact has actually created a less safe environment for players to play the game? Has the league perhaps gone too far with its emphasis on safety or not far enough?
tl:dr, despite their best efforts, the NFL is seeing a record number of serious, season-ending injuries this year. Are they to blame for focusing too much on safety that they've made the game more dangerous in the process?
