PBS Frontline NFL/Brain Disease Doc

[whatthe_buck!?]

Wasn't sure where the best place to put this would be and frankly, I think this deserves its own thread:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/league-of-denial/

Just got done watching this and Im curious to know who else may have watched it and what peoples reactions were. I know one thing (and yes, i realize how frivolous as it may be for me to bring this up considering all of the other much more important issues and questions raised but I can't help myself, sorry), as a die hard Wisconsin sports fan I honestly can't help but have the thought that we had all better hope Kohl figures out a way to secure funding for a new arena because if he doesn't and we lose the Bucks and the NFL goes the way of the dinosaur in 20 years or so as many people are predicting we will be left with the Brewers and nothing else. Wisconsin winters are long and that would suck beyond words. Plus I mean small market baseball team fandom is the worst, lets be honest here...

[HurricaneKid]

I watched it and I am appalled that people fail to acknowledge what the NFL has done.

There is an accepted medical link between multiple concussions and brain damage. So if the NFL wants to pretend their product doesn't necessarily cause brain damage to its players they have to pretend that football does not cause concussions. Which is patently absurd. Of course, medical science regarding the brain is really tricky and its difficult to show evidence of damage without the brain material. But thats pretty much the only obstacle to a scientific proof of something we see regularly. Suggest that playing in the NFL doesn't drastically increase your propensity to receive concussions is borderline ridiculous, yet that is exactly the position of the NFL.

The problem is that the NFL is the leading football organization. So its not just the NFL players (who rec'd the 765MM settlement), its all the people that played pee-wee, high school, and even college football that are impacted by their ridiculous denials. If liability is extended to these groups football would be dead immediately.

Frankly, given the precipitous drop in life expectancy for the best football players (NFL)(assuming an incoming NFL player comes in at age 23 their LE goes from 75.4 to 54.9, or almost half their LE), you have to wonder not only why it is so popular but why it is allowed at all.

[Ayt]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFXpqZzFgy4[/youtube]

[MikeIsGood]

Jesus **** christ that pisses me off. That coach needs to be arrested.

[Ayt]

You could make the argument that it is child abuse to have your kids play tackle football at 8 years old.

[midranger]

If the NFL wanted to do anything about this problem, they'd instantly get a real PED testing/punishment program. Next step, peeling off the "protective" padding.

But, the NFL knows the popularity of the sport is in the gladiator like spectacle. They don't give a damn.

[ReasonablySober]

Texas.