Ed Cunningham Abruptly Resigns From ESPN

dvdcrr said:
Basically you are anti-football then.  It is your business what you do with your son, but keep in mind holding him out of football could actually do more harm than good.  What other sport will you put him in then which will build as much strength, cardiovascular health, bone density, balance, agility, mental toughness, and provide enjoyment for his life?

 Someday if he is drafted into the armed services, or decides to become an officer of the peace, what other sport will have provided useful background in physical contact, posture, and agility to help save his life?
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What about rugby, hockey or lacrosse? All physical sports to varying degrees and would cover most of the things you mentioned.

Second, the dangers behind CTE and brain trauma are real and quantifiable. I don't think we should be shaming parents for their decision to keep kids out of the sport, especially in the small chance they join the military or some other law enforcement. Perhaps that's not your intent but it certainly seems like it.

 
dvdcrr said:
Basically you are anti-football then.  It is your business what you do with your son, but keep in mind holding him out of football could actually do more harm than good.  What other sport will you put him in then which will build as much strength, cardiovascular health, bone density, balance, agility, mental toughness, and provide enjoyment for his life?

 Someday if he is drafted into the armed services, or decides to become an officer of the peace, what other sport will have provided useful background in physical contact, posture, and agility to help save his life?
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That's easy, he'll put him into wrestling.  Greatest sport that's out there.

 
dvdcrr said:
Basically you are anti-football then.  It is your business what you do with your son, but keep in mind holding him out of football could actually do more harm than good.  What other sport will you put him in then which will build as much strength, cardiovascular health, bone density, balance, agility, mental toughness, and provide enjoyment for his life?

 Someday if he is drafted into the armed services, or decides to become an officer of the peace, what other sport will have provided useful background in physical contact, posture, and agility to help save his life?
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It's kind of ridiculous to claim that playing football is the only activity that will do that for a kid.

 
The major difference with football, is that head impact is a normal and expected part of every (contact) practice and game.  If you hit your head in volleyball, cycling, and most other activities, it's accidental.  Critical difference.

There are many activities I wouldn't choose to perform and would prefer my kids to avoid.  I don't think that necessarily makes a person a hypocrite.

While this is a football board, and therefore contains a strong bias towards the game, the idea that the positives of football can't be achieved in other sports (with less long term damage risk) is completely absurd.

 
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dvdcrr said:
Basically you are anti-football then.  It is your business what you do with your son, but keep in mind holding him out of football could actually do more harm than good.  What other sport will you put him in then which will build as much strength, cardiovascular health, bone density, balance, agility, mental toughness, and provide enjoyment for his life?

 Someday if he is drafted into the armed services, or decides to become an officer of the peace, what other sport will have provided useful background in physical contact, posture, and agility to help save his life?
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Bit of a strawman here; there are plenty of things that aren't football that can prepare a young man for life. 

 
Crusader Husker said:
I believe it is a mistake to not allow you children to play football because the CTE data.  I would have been really ticked not to be allowed to play a sport that I am gifted to play.  I played all the way through college.  Again, with new protocols, new equipment, and new rules, the game is as safe as it has been.  I ask people not to be so short sided with their own kids.  If you think football is too dangerous, please don't let them do any sports, it can happen in almost any sport.  Even our VB girls have gotten them.  Also please don't let them Ice Skate, Roller Skate, skate board, ride a horse or even get in a car.  These are also activities I have seen our kids get concussions.  Please don't be so short sided.  If you don't allow your kid to play football, then please stop watching the game altogether.  It makes you a hypocrite.  
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This. My sister had worse concussions playing volleyball than I did playing football. 

 
dvdcrr said:
Ed was (and still is) way off base on this.   I remain convinced that football is simply not that dangerous.  Yes it is a violent sport in some cases.  But given that it is violent, still a very large majority of players will live their whole lives with no ill effects of whatever mild brain injury they may or may not have incurred.   One cannot help but draw some conclusions from their own experiences even though anecdotal evidence is the worst kind. But since Ed brought up his friend as an anecdotal story, I will talk about me and my family.   I played organized football for two years in Jr. High, lettered all four years in High School and played one season of college NCAA Div. II football.  I also played Rugby and was involved in a major car crash.  Now I can tell you for sure that I have had two moderate to severe concussions.  One was a knee to the head in Rugby.  The other was when I was a passenger in a car that lost control going over 100 mph, and rolled multiple times.  However, not one time in football did I ever receive a blow to the head severe enough to cause an injury.  I was a two way starter who made all conference and played running back as well. 
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This is all fine and ogod, but let's be clear about the things we're talking about.

CTE and the idea of brain disease coming from football has nothing to do with these huge, concussive knockout hits. It's the accumulation of thousands, and thousands, and thousands of minor collisions and slighting glances on the brain that is deadly.

dvdcrr said:
Ed was (and still is) way off base on this.   I remain convinced that football is simply not that dangerous.  Yes it is a violent sport in some cases.  But given that it is violent, still a very large majority of players will live their whole lives with no ill effects of whatever mild brain injury they may or may not have incurred.   One cannot help but draw some conclusions from their own experiences even though anecdotal evidence is the worst kind. But since Ed brought up his friend as an anecdotal story, I will talk about me and my family.   I played organized football for two years in Jr. High, lettered all four years in High School and played one season of college NCAA Div. II football.  I also played Rugby and was involved in a major car crash.  Now I can tell you for sure that I have had two moderate to severe concussions.  One was a knee to the head in Rugby.  The other was when I was a passenger in a car that lost control going over 100 mph, and rolled multiple times.  However, not one time in football did I ever receive a blow to the head severe enough to cause an injury.  I was a two way starter who made all conference and played running back as well. 
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This is all fine and ogod, but let's be clear about the things we're talking about.

CTE and the idea of brain disease coming from football has nothing to do with these huge, concussive knockout hits. It's the accumulation of thousands, and thousands, and thousands of minor collisions and slighting glances on the brain that is deadly.

 
A lot of focus is on CTE, and for good reason, however I think Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction from anesthesia as well as the painkillers prescribed to players should be looked at as well.

Lots of these dudes have dozens of surgeries. One could surmise how head trauma mixed with excessive exposure to anesthesia and painkillers would be like gas on a fire. 

 
Cdog923 said:
Causation =/= correlation. 

This study is from 2015: wrestling had the highest concussion rate per capita, but football had by far the most overall: http://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/News/2015/10/7/ConcussionNCAA/
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And to this point, I think @Landlord's argument also carries a lot of weight: CTE and all the concerns surrounding it are not necessarily the result of just getting concussions. It's more about the routine, physical smashing of heads thousands upon thousands of times.

I remember listening to Mark Schlereth once talk about some of his NFL days. He remembers several instances, sometimes game to game, of temporarily blacking out on plays. He didn't think they were necessarily concussions (though he admitted he probably had more than what an official record might show) but more the sheer trauma of having his head hit so many times over and over and over.

 
No technology is going to fix that either. The most space age helmet in the world can't stop the brain from rattling around inside the skull.

 
Enhance said:
And to this point, I think @Landlord's argument also carries a lot of weight: CTE and all the concerns surrounding it are not necessarily the result of just getting concussions. It's more about the routine, physical smashing of heads thousands upon thousands of times.

I remember listening to Mark Schlereth once talk about some of his NFL days. He remembers several instances, sometimes game to game, of temporarily blacking out on plays. He didn't think they were necessarily concussions (though he admitted he probably had more than what an official record might show) but more the sheer trauma of having his head hit so many times over and over and over.
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Well put. 

 
dvdcrr said:
Basically you are anti-football then.  It is your business what you do with your son, but keep in mind holding him out of football could actually do more harm than good.  What other sport will you put him in then which will build as much strength, cardiovascular health, bone density, balance, agility, mental toughness, and provide enjoyment for his life?

 Someday if he is drafted into the armed services, or decides to become an officer of the peace, what other sport will have provided useful background in physical contact, posture, and agility to help save his life?
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I'm going to guess there are some kick a$$ members of the armed services and police departments who didn't play football. And there are plenty of sports that enhance physical endurance, agility and discipline without the more grueling demands and risks of football.

I don't know what happens next. But when you're at the point where Brett Favre and Mike Ditka come out publicly to say they wouldn't let their own kids play football, knowing what they know, then it's not simply overprotective mothers and a wussified America driving the issue.

My 14 year old son is too small to play football. So he skateboards. He takes his helmet with him so we feel better about it, but at the skatepark no self-respecting skateboarder over 6 years old wears a helmet.

It's tough being a parent.

 
Not to be a smart a$$, but military members also are in leaders in CTE.  Armed Forces Vets are also on the list.  So I guess military is out too, but I don't think I saw police on the list?

 
I also think people need to realize High school football and lower is much different than the Division 1 and up football we see on Saturdays and Sundays.  The hardest hitting guy I have seen in a long long time in HS, walked on at Nebraska and never sniffed the playing field.

I know there are dangers documented with HS kids playing football.  But, I am a firm believer that HS football is getting a bad wrap because moms and dads are seeing what happens on Saturdays and Sundays.

 
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