End College Football Completely
Northwestern football players’ fight for unionization heats up ruthless debate about whether student-athletes should be paid or not, but should they even be playing the sport in the first place? The boiling debate only serves as a distraction from a far darker side of college football, one in which players are suffering day in and day out from serious brain trauma for the benefit of the big monster behind the curtain, the NCAA. Players’ compensation is a serious issue, but the bigger issue at hand is whether the sport should be played at all. Malcolm Gladwell and Buzz Bissinger make two compelling arguments for banning college football because of the neurological consequences and the utterly misguided priorities involved with the sport.
When the Industrial Revolution hit the United States in the 19th century, coal mining was becoming one of the most prominent occupations, and perhaps the most dangerous. The working conditions in the mines were horrendous. Work began as early as five-thirty in the morning. Miners descended into a deep void stripped of light. Rats crawled all over the place. The cribbing holding up the wood on top of the mines creak under the constant weight of rocks and stones directly above. In addition to the terrible working environment the miners had to work in, workers also had to suffer through hours upon hours of breathing in coal dust. In a mine, coal dust flies around everywhere. Numerous miners would wake up to a coughing fit, often coughing up black inky spittle. But in the late 19th and early 20th century, the nation was in absolute discord over the merit of actual health risks involved with the breathing in of this coal dust. For years, the medical community and coal mining companies asserted that coal dust had no real threats to the health of coal miners, even going as far as to say coal dust was helping coal miners by protecting them against far worse diseases like tuberculosis. In 1918, Frederick L. Hoffman, a prominent statistician at the Prudential Life Insurance Company and one of the first people to note a link between cancer and smoking, performed a study on the respiratory diseases related to the dusty industries for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hoffman claimed that almost everything the medical community and coal mining companies believed were wrong. He pointed to the autopsies of coalminer’s and non-coalminer’s lungs, noting that a third of the typical coalminer’s lung is filled with coal dust, and when these lungs were tested in water, the coal miner’s lung will sink while the non coal miner’s lung will float. Next, he presented statistics that showed the lack of coal miners over the age of forty-five. Then, he examined the death rates of coal miners with asthma, concluding that coal miners with asthma died at a rate five times higher than non-coalminers. He concluded that, “all inorganic dust in industrial occupations demands the most effective safeguarding of the employees against unnecessary hazards to health and life.”[1] However, many still refused to believe the perils of coal dust because Hoffman’s study lacked any solid scientific evidence or research clearly demonstrating the relationship between coal dust and death of coalminers. So what did people do? Nothing. Coalmining companies continued on for fifty years, neglecting to take any action to make the conditions in coal mining safer. It was not until 1969 that the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act finally became a law.[2] People allowed countless more young and healthy workers to suffer through a life of harm and illness all because of an unwillingness to act in the absence of clear-cut evidence. Malcolm Gladwell, a long-time New Yorker staff writer and author of New York Times best-sellers “The Tipping Point” and “Outliers”, argues in a lecture presented at the University of Pennsylvania that this is no different from what is happening today in football, which is why it needs to be banned in colleges before more students are harmed. Gladwell claims that we know as much about the neurological harms of tackle football today, as Hoffman knew about the harms of coal dust in 1918. The brain is a big piece of soft tissue floating inside of a hard skull, and when the head is rattled around by blows taken in football, the brain is banged against the sides of the skull, resulting in bruising, blood vessel tears, and, if it happens enough times, atrophy of the brain tissue. The disease that may ultimately result through the gruesome hits endured through a football career is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE. CTE is “a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes (and others) with a history of repetitive brain trauma, including symptomatic concussions as well as asymptomatic subconcussive hits to the head…These changes in the brain can begin months, years, or even decades after the last brain trauma or end of active athletic involvement. The brain degeneration is associated with memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and, eventually, progressive dementia.”[3] The issue, though, is that CTE can only be determined upon autopsy. Dr. Bennet Omalu, a neurologist who works extensively on cases of CTE, explains, “The major depressive disorder may manifest as suicide attempts.”[4] And we have seen this happen countless times throughout just this last decade. Just two years ago in 2012, 10-time NFL All-Pro linebacker, Junior Seau, shot himself in the chest and when the brain was sent to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to examine, they found definitive signs of CTE.[5] Just over a year before that incident, former Chicago Bears safety and two-time Super Bowl champion, David Duerson was found dead in his home in Florida after shooting himself in the chest. Before committing suicide, Duerson sent a text message to his family requesting that his brain be used for research for football related CTE at the Boston University School of Medicine. And in May of 2011, neurologists confirmed that Duerson suffered from the neurodegenerative disease CTE.[6] In 2005, former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman, Terry Long, died from drinking antifreeze and when doctors studied his brain later, they found CTE.[7] In 2010, University of Pennsylvania football player, Owen Thomas, at the age of only 21 years, hanged himself in his off-campus apartment, and when doctors at Boston University examined Thomas’s brain tissue, they discovered CTE.[8] The list goes on, and these are just deaths in the last decade. So how can we stop CTE from harming even more young and healthy kids? Gladwell says by banning football, perhaps not in the NFL, but at least in colleges and high schools. Gladwell takes no issue with grown men, who understand the risks they are undertaking and are being compensated financially, deciding to play the game of football professionally. But, he disagrees with the idea of educational institutions exploiting young kids to play a violent game that serves no real academic purpose. Many take exception to Gladwell’s argument. Many arguments are naïve and ignorant though, such as that football is too much of a grand emblem of America to be banned. Others argue that there is no real proof that shows the dangers and correlation of football and CTE, which is true to an extent. There is no real evidence that can prove that CTE is the direct result of hits endured in football because CTE can only be determined upon autopsy. Researchers at Loyola University Medical Center argue that there is no real link between CTE and football. Christopher Randolph, a PhD from Loyola, points to statistics that show suicide rates being substantially lower among football athletes than the general population, claiming that since suicide is such a key feature of CTE, then this finding likely discredits any link between football and CTE.[9] Then finally, there are others like psychiatrist, Thomas McAllister, that argue that although football players may endure brain damage throughout a football season, the brain is capable of healing itself and bouncing “back from a season’s wear and tear”.[10] But these arguments are uncannily reminiscent of the coalminers’ story. Are we that naïve to not learn from our mistakes? Are we that mindless to allow this to happen again? To allow millions of other kids, many flawlessly healthy, to engage in a game with known neurological consequences? There are numerous other sports out there that can teach the same positive values taught in football without banging the athletes in the head. People are so reluctant to act in the absence of absolute proof that they allow their reluctance to scar the future of some of the brightest kids. Look around you. We already have all the evidence we need. It only takes some common sense to understand that playing a game where you get bashed on the head thousands of times throughout a season will eventually cause serious brain damage, damage serious enough to destroy an entire life. Why should an educational institution continue to promote a game where kids bash each other on the heads repeatedly? People are too enamored by the “great American spectacle” to realize the dark side of the show. There is no more proof needed. As Gladwell said, “Sometimes proof is just another word for letting people suffer.”[11] This leads to the next issue with college football, the greed and apathy of both the colleges and the NCAA. Buzz Bissinger, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of “Friday Night Lights”, argues that colleges have extremely misguided priorities. Bissinger claims that the amount of money coaches make is “insulting”.[12] In fact, the average annual salary for head coaches at major colleges is $1.64 million, up more than 70% since 2006, while the median annual salary of college presidents is only $420,523 and the average annual salary of college professors is $74,360.[13][14][15] In fact, the highest paid college president in 2013 was paid $3,358,723, while coaches like Nick Saban of Alabama, Mack Brown of Texas, Urban Meyer of Ohio State, or Les Miles of LSU are making well over $4 million, with Saban and Brown making over $5 million. What does it say about a university when a football coach makes more than the president? In addition, according to the NCAA, 43% of the 120 schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision lost money on their football programs.[16] But colleges don’t cut spending on the football program, instead they decide to cut other programs, demand more money in tuition fees from students, or demand more money from the state which comes out of tax payers’ money. It’s true that football teaches valuable lessons of teamwork, work ethic, perseverance, and more, many values that cannot be taught within the four walls of a classroom. But the same lessons can also be taught through other sports that don’t involve the same neurological harm, such as soccer, basketball, or track. It’s clear that playing football poses staggering damage to the brain, but this damage is not worth the callow feeling of participating in a cultivation of what is believed to be one of the grandest traditions of our American society. It is also clear that a football program serves no real benefit to the true purpose of the educational institution: academics. It is inconceivable that a coach can make more than the president of the institution. It diminishes the power of the president and the respect for the president to the point where the football coach carries more esteem and reverence. The priorities of colleges have been so polluted by this game that football is now placed ahead of academics and students. There comes a point when enough is enough, and when it comes to the game of football, colleges must put their foot down before more students suffer. No game can ever be worth more than a person's life and wellbeing. -Wesley Chan [1] Grob, Gerald N.. The deadly truth: a history of disease in America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2002. Print. [2] "History of Mine Safety and Health Legislation." United States Department of Labor. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. <http://www.msha.gov/MSHAINFO/MSHAINF2.HTM#.U2GqVK1dVnI>. [3] "What is CTE?." CTE Center RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. <http://www.bu.edu/cte/about/what-is-cte/>. [4] "Ex-Steeler Long drank antifreeze to commit suicide." ESPN.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. <http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2307003>. [5] Avila, Jim, Lauren Pearle, and Russell Goldman. "Junior Seau Diagnosed With Disease Caused by Hits to Head: Exclusive." ABC News. ABC News Network, 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. <http://abcnews.go.com/US/junior-seau-diagnosed-brain-disease-caused-hits-head/story?id=18171785&singlePage=true>. [6] Rosenthal, Gregg. "Dave Duerson’s son: “He was hoping to be a part of an answer”." NBC Sports. N.p., 22 Feb. 2011. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. <http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/02/22/dave-duersons-son-he-was-hoping-to-be-a-part-of-an-answer%E2%80%9D/>. [7] "Ex-Steeler Long drank antifreeze to commit suicide." ESPN.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. <http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2307003>. [8] Schwarz, Alan. "In College Player's Suicide, Signs of Disease That Haunts N.F.L.." The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 Sept. 2010. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/sports/14football.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>. [9] Katzowitz, Josh. "Researchers find limited evidence to link playing football with CTE." CBSSports.com. N.p., 4 Dec. 2013. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24336739/researchers-find-limited-evidence-to-link-playing-football-with-cte>. [10] Healy, Melissa. "Head injuries in one football season cause measurable brain damage." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-brain-injuries-in-sports-without-concussions-20131211,0,5700967.story>. [11] Gladwell, Malcolm. "Malcolm Gladwell at University of Pennsylvania 2/14/2013." YouTube. YouTube, 15 Feb. 2013. Web. 2 May 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWaPXzTDEDw>. [12] Bissinger, Buzz, Malcolm Gladwell, Tim Green, and Jason Whitlock. "Ban College Football." IQ2 Debates. N.p., 6 May 2012. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://intelligencesquaredus.org/iq2-tv/item/697-ban-college-football>. [13] Brady, Erik, Steve Berkowitz, and Jodi Upton. "NCAA football coaches' average salary at $1.64 million."USA Today. Gannett, 20 Nov. 2012. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2012/11/19/college-football-coaches-contracts-analysis-pay-increase/1715435/>. [14] Kingkade, Tyler. "42 Private College Presidents Make More Than $1M, And Harvard's Isn't One Of Them."The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 15 Dec. 2013. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/15/private-college-presidents-salary-harvard_n_4433229.html>. [15] Suttle, Rick. "The Average Yearly Income for College Professors." Everyday Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/average-yearly-income-college-professors-5582.html>. [16] Bissinger, Buzz. "Why College Football Should Be Banned." The Wall Street Journal. N.p., 8 May 2012. Web. 1 May 2014. <http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304743704577382292376194220>. |
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