The NFL will not bow to your "science"

My parents bought a football helmet for me when I was a kid. It was an awesome, San Francisco 49ers helmet. I was so stoked that I didn't even care that I had to cut out the ear pads so the helmet could fit my enormous head. I wanted to hit someone every time I put it on ... hard. I was a kid, so I knew nothing about concussions or brain injuries. In fact, I was convinced that the players were cyborgs. Now I kind of wish they were. As much as I enjoy a good, hard hitting football game, I can't help but wonder about the punishment these guys put their brains through.

Here's something you might not know: You're brain doesn't enjoy being knocked up against your skull. It does things to it that, you know, make it not work right. Case in point, doctors at Boston University's School of Medicine last month found a sixth case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy out of six players who were tested for the conditions, according to an article in the New York Times. CTE is a condition that usually manifests itself in a number of debilitating ways, including demetia, decreased cognitive and motor skills, mood changes, and a number of other problems. Scientists say: "Holy Crap!" The NFL says: "Meh."

“I think that there are many questions that still are out there as to whether there is a kind of traumatic encephalopathy associated with football. I think we don’t know. I think that there is not enough scientific evidence to say that there is.” -- Dr. Ira Casson, co-chairman of an NFL panel that studies concussions.

So doctors are opening up former NFL players skulls, and finding that 50 year old guys have 80 year old brains and that doesn't concern you Dr. Casson?

OK. Let's just take a look at the statistics for a minute. Certainly six is not a very large sample size given the population of retired NFL players. Psychologist rarely look at entire populations, rather they select a psuedo-random number of indivuals from the population. This is called a sample. The article specifically mentions NFL veterans age 36-50. So let's say that the population of NFL veterans age 36-50 is 100 former players, and researchers decided to take a sample of six players or 6 percent of the sample population. After analysis they find that ALL six players are found to have the condition. Meaning that this disorder occured in 100 PERCENT of the sample group. This is what the BU doctors found. That is just r-i-d-ridiculous. I would say, and correct me if I'm wrong, that most researchers strive for the 5-10 percent range, depending on the statistical test.

Just the drive the point home a little more ...
Imagine that the CDC comes to your neighborhood of about 100 people. They randomly test 10 percent of the population for a fatal illness, and the ENTIRE sample size has this illness. That is cause for alarm. Yet the NFL takes the position that these findings are not significant enough to warrant any action on their part, i.e. amending the information they give players regarding head injuries to include warnings about long-term, possibly life-threatening brain damage. The league currently informs players that repeated brain trauma does not cause long-term damage if treated immediately and properly.

Honestly, I'm not sure that NFL players would even take this into consideration. So many former players talk passionately about the game, saying they would take every hit again. I guess there isn't a whole lot the league can do about that attitude. Still, that's no excuse not to fully educate players on the risks they take every time they step on the field.

New Sign of Brain Damage in the N.F.L. -The New York Times