A Neurosurgeon recommends something radical to youth sports

[GannonFan]

But the Penn player had played youth sports for as long as someone could play them before getting to college. There was no implication that the damage to the guy's brain only happened once he played college football - quite the opposite, actually, the implication from the article was that it was a lifetime accumulation of trauma to his brain that led to his death.

Implications aren't facts. The neurologist was talking about youth sports, you respond with an article about a college player. Apples and oranges.

I am not aware of a higher suicide rate among Pop Warner players.

What are you talking about? You sound like you're arguing just to argue now. The neurologist was talking about youth sports and the impact they have, in terms of accumulative damage to the brain. In the case of this kid, the article clearly said...

Because of this, several doctors said, his C.T.E. — whose only known cause is repetitive brain trauma — must have developed from concussions he dismissed or from the thousands of subconcussive collisions he withstood in his dozen years of football, most of them while his brain was developing.

Now, I'm assuming you read the article rather than just shooting from the hip and seeing the words "college" and dismissing it. Otherwise, how do you jibe your comment with that in the article?

As for facts, again, nice glib comment, especially since there aren't enough "facts" at any level to make a direct connection between concussions and suicides, often much later in life after their playing days are long done. However, that's clearly the intention of the neurologolist's initial statement that started this thread and the article I referenced on the Penn player. If we follow your line of reasoning, the NFL shouldn't be concerned about this at all since all the players currently who have committed suicide have been ex-players and into their retirement. Obviously, the NFL does not share your interpretation.

[BlueHen86]

I did read the whole article. I'll even quote part of it for you:

Doctors in the Boston University group and outside it cautioned that Thomas’s suicide should not be attributed solely or even primarily to the damage in his brain, given the prevalence of suicide among college students in general.

Go back and read my first post on this thread. I didn't dismiss the neurosurgeon, I just said we need more study. The article that you posted, which is about a college student, doesn't change my position.

[JayJ79]

Nobody gets out of life alive, and there is inherent risk in everything.

[GannonFan]

I did read the whole article. I'll even quote part of it for you:

Doctors in the Boston University group and outside it cautioned that Thomas’s suicide should not be attributed solely or even primarily to the damage in his brain, given the prevalence of suicide among college students in general.

Go back and read my first post on this thread. I didn't dismiss the neurosurgeon, I just said we need more study. The article that you posted, which is about a college student, doesn't change my position.

Then again, I don't know what you're arguing. No one here, or even in the literature, is saying that we don't need more study. I think even the neurologolist's reference that was made to start this thread was a suggestion as clearly there are potential risks that are being uncovered/better understood now, but clearly there is no definitive answer one way or the other, and frankly, since everyone is different, what may be dangerous to one person may not be dangerous to another.

[BlueHen86]

Nobody gets out of life alive, and there is inherent risk in everything.

True. But it is important to define what exactly the risks are. If playing football means there is a risk of brain injury for 14 year olds then parents should be aware of that.

[BlueHen86]

I did read the whole article. I'll even quote part of it for you:

Doctors in the Boston University group and outside it cautioned that Thomas’s suicide should not be attributed solely or even primarily to the damage in his brain, given the prevalence of suicide among college students in general.

Go back and read my first post on this thread. I didn't dismiss the neurosurgeon, I just said we need more study. The article that you posted, which is about a college student, doesn't change my position.

Then again, I don't know what you're arguing. No one here, or even in the literature, is saying that we don't need more study. I think even the neurologolist's reference that was made to start this thread was a suggestion as clearly there are potential risks that are being uncovered/better understood now, but clearly there is no definitive answer one way or the other, and frankly, since everyone is different, what may be dangerous to one person may not be dangerous to another.

I'm arguing that your article about a college player doesn't make the case that the neurosurgeon is making about youth sports. Apples and oranges.

Big difference between youth football and college football. You can play a lot of football after youth and before college. He may have sustained the injuries during high school.

[GannonFan]

Then again, I don't know what you're arguing. No one here, or even in the literature, is saying that we don't need more study. I think even the neurologolist's reference that was made to start this thread was a suggestion as clearly there are potential risks that are being uncovered/better understood now, but clearly there is no definitive answer one way or the other, and frankly, since everyone is different, what may be dangerous to one person may not be dangerous to another.

I'm arguing that your article about a college player doesn't make the case that the neurosurgeon is making about youth sports. Apples and oranges.

Big difference between youth football and college football. You can play a lot of football after youth and before college. He may have sustained the injuries during high school.

All the article said was that he had played 12 years of football - 3 of which were in college, I can assume 4 of which were in high school, so that would mean 5 years were in youth football. As he was never diagnosed with a single concussion over 12 years, it's impossible to tell when the brain trauma happened. What is clear is that there was significant brain trauma and it's unlikely that such extensive trauma could be over a small time-frame or just a handful of instances. What constitutes a small time frame is up for discussion, but considering that heretofore the discussion had been around injuries from playing professional football, a case like this does open itself up to discussion of what happens in the levels of football below that - college, high school, youth football - especially while the brain is still growing and perhaps even more susceptible to injury (therefore negating the idea that younger kids don't hit very hard).