In 1906, Harvard University president Charles W. Eliot decried the 'monstrous evils' of college football, calling for its prohibition until a safer version could be devised. His words, spoken after a series of player deaths, echoed through the years, yet they seem almost prophetic today. On November 29, Alabama A&M linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr. succumbed to a head injury sustained in a game, just two decades old. This tragedy underscores that football remains as perilous as Eliot perceived it to be, continuing to clash with the educational mission of institutions.
The death of a player like Burnett should prompt a reevaluation of football's place in schools. This year alone, eight K-12 players died in a single month from football-related injuries, and since Burnett's passing, two more high school players have undergone brain surgery. These incidents highlight the immediate dangers, but we must also consider the long-term health impacts, particularly chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Neurologist Ann McKee has found that athletes under 30 have a significantly higher risk of CTE, a degenerative brain condition linked to head injuries. CTE can lead to a range of severe health issues, including memory loss, aggression, and progressive dementia. McKee's research at Boston University reveals that over 40% of young contact sport athletes in their brain bank have CTE, compared to less than 1% in the general population. Additionally, every 2.6 years of football doubles the risk of CTE, and the odds of developing parkinsonism are 61% higher for football players.
Ben Thiel, a former college football player, questions the cost of the sport's inherent dangers. 'Football thrives on collisions and sacrifice, but at what cost?' he asks. In our book 'The End of College Football,' we interviewed 25 former players who described head injuries as an epidemic, one that universities seem reluctant to address.
One player recounted playing with NFL colleagues who later took their own lives and were diagnosed with CTE posthumously. Another suffers from panic disorder, likely due to subconcussive blows. A third player described the terrifying reality of playing through a concussion, only to run the wrong play immediately afterward. These stories illustrate the extreme consequences of head injuries, often exacerbated by coaches focused on winning at any cost.
Players learn to cope with the fear and risk through dark humor, but this coping mechanism underscores the sport's devastating impact. The harm experienced by college football players is foreseeable and has been documented for decades. Universities must accept responsibility for these ongoing tragedies.
It is time to heed Eliot's call and recognize that 'football as now played is wholly unfit for colleges and schools.' The athletic authorities who have allowed football to become a brutal and demoralizing game cannot be trusted to reform it.
Source link: https://www.theguardian.com
