Athletes' Brains Reveal Concussion Damage

jamie found a story on research about what concussions do to athletes, with the insights coming mostly from the study of the donated brains of dead athletes. The NFL has the biggest profile in the piece, but other sports make an appearance too. Turns out that repeated concussions can result in depression, insomnia, and the beginnings of something that looks a lot like Alzheimer's. "The idea that you can whack your head hundreds of times in your life and knock yourself out and get up and be fine is gone," said [retired wrestler] Nowinski. "We know we can't do that anymore. This causes long-term damage."

Comments

Fear Mongering

[Mephistophocles]

Not to create massive waves of controversy or anything, but this is a non-story. Of course it causes problems. Everyone knew this already - including the athletes. All you're doing by spreading this kind of panicky attitude is asking for silly legislation which outlaws a perceived danger. Eventually we must understand that we can't protect people from everything, and we can't escape from danger. Sometimes it really is ok to live dangerously. It's funny, but once upon a time mankind understood this, and while he may not have lived as long, his life was far more interesting, and I would argue that he was a better human being for it.