http://www.salon.com/2013/09/16/pro_footballs_unsportsmanlike_conduct_partner/?source=newsletter
23Aug13
http://nyti.ms/17PIfFC
ESPN had been working with PBS on a film about head
injuries in the National Football League, whose games are shown on the sports
network and represent a cherished source of revenue.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/york-prep-football-team-cancels-season-following-game-145922121.html
ReplyDeleteA concussion related article. A prep school near Buffalo, NY had an athlete get killed from a helmet to helmet concussion in their most recent game. The school and their board of education then decided to cancel the teams 5 remaining games and any postseason play which I don't fully understand as to why. Yes the death is a serious issue for that school and community, but I don't see why the rest of the team should have to sit out and forfeit their season, especially when they could play in their fallen team mates honor. Thoughts?
I agree with the school's decision to cancel the rest of the games. As important as football is to those kids and the community, the stress and emotional burden of losing someone is something that cannot be estimated for each student. Some students, parents, and other members of the community may be able to deal with the passing of the player and move on. However, to make the assumption that all the players on the team would be able to focus on school, football, and all the other activities high school students participate in is unreasonable. It is just as unfair to those students who have more problems coping to move on "without them" and continue the season.
DeleteI don't agree with the schools decision to cancel the rest of the season because its not fair to the other players. This was an unexpected event that happen and it was out of their hands. A comparable example is in the Pro's and college. when the passing of a players comes about you will see them wear their jersey number on their sleeves or their number on the helmet or somewhere along the team gear. I can understand the emotional stress build up but do our coaches not tell us to play for a reason? who knows, maybe they win their division that year or break a record in school history anything could happen but in the end it all depends on how you handle the situation and turn that into something positive.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with brandon. Its borderline nonsense to cancel the rest of the season. 95% of the time the person who passed would never want people to stop playing football because he passed. These days schools and players do a phenomenal job of recognizing tragedy and shining light on others losses. I can speak first hand on the issue actually: My senior year i had a player on my team who dropped on the soccer field and never woke up. He had a heart disease no one was aware of, it had nothing to do with one hit. He passed away later that night and we played a game two days later in his honor and honored him in many ways. He happened to be one of my best friends and i know for a fact he wouldnt want anyone to stop playing because of this. However, i absolutely think that people who do not want to play should get the utmost respect with their choice because i do understand that people grieve differently. Those kinds of things are never easy, but it is a part of sports and people take on the risk each and everyday they step between the lines.
DeleteI also agree with matt and brandon. I honestly feel that the schools decision is unfair to the rest of the team and even the rest of the school. High school football is a game that everyone looks forward too in the community. Communities come together to support their high school football team. It could be some of those kids last time playing ever and the school just took that away from them. I understand it is extremely rough losing someone so close but that is no reason to take away the game that they love. They should be playing in memory of that person.
Deletehttp://frontrow.espn.go.com/2012/10/abc-news-woodruff-reports-on-ucla-stars-concussions-for-e60/
ReplyDeletethis is a concussion related article that has to do with a captain of a d 1 football program being forced to retire because of concussions and it is really emotional and if you dont understand what concussions do to people watch the video at this link and you will be able to understand what every long time football player goes through
http://www.aftertheinjury.org/head-injury?gclid=CLmr8cGwl7oCFfA7MgodV1oAcA
ReplyDeleteThis is a article on concusions and what exactly causes them. With playing football up through highschool, there were many of times that you would get hit or hit someone and have a headache for the rest of the game and possible into the next day. Being young you don't think much of it but now knowing how serious it can be this is an issue that needs to be watched and attended to immediately.
http://www.salon.com/2013/09/16/pro_footballs_unsportsmanlike_conduct_partner/?source=newsletter
ReplyDeleteWith ESPN pulling the plug on the FRONTLINE article about their concussion policy and how it is actually used within the league how could anyone blame them? In a society where money and fame buys power and allows us to get away with so much why would the monumental giant of ESPN allow their greatest asset to be diminished under their funding. If the common public actually saw how terrible some concussions are and the frequency of occurrence they would stand to protect their favorite players. But the real question is whether the public will actually give stand against the giant which brings them so much joy multiple times through out the week. I can only recall the old roman gladiator times where thousands of people would gather and watch people slaughter each other. Now football may not be as gruesome as this but the interior damage each of these athletes is suffering from wear on their joints and blunt trauma to their brain and body is enough to cause most to cringe. Above all I think in this day in age we should be able to protect our athletes, especially with the monumental amount of money that the business brings in every year we should be able to design a helmet that can better protect them. The damage from concussions is irreversible and if a player is concussed there is no reason they should be in a situation that urges them to keep playing and causing themselves more harm.
People have different ways of dealing with grief, some want to get up and do something to honor the memory of their teammate, while other's just need to be alone with their grief. A quote from the article is, "We are not giving up Damon's legacy. We are taking time to heal. Our players need time to grieve and have time to be together away from the lights and games for a while." If this is how team really felt then the school was right to cancel the rest of the season, to allow the team to quietly support each other in their grief. However, if the team wanted to work through their grief by dedicating the rest of the season to their fallen player then the school had no business canceling the rest of their season. In short, the continuation or canceling of the remaining season should have been the decision of the team, and not the school’s.
ReplyDeleteI find this to be really dumb. When playing football people should know what they are signing up for. If you are afraid to get hurt you shouldn't step on the field. I understand that they kid died but that is a freak accident. there are warning labels on the helmets that say serious injury and death could occur so I feel like canceling the games is totally wrong and it would give all the other members on the team a good outlet to forget about what happened.
ReplyDelete