Changing someone’s mind is never easy.
Our brains are wired to tightly hold on to our beliefs, preferences, and opinions, even the stupid ones.
After all, 25 percent of Americans believe the sun revolves around the earth. Rapper B.O.B. believes the earth is flat. We call people like that a few sandwiches short of a picnic. But, try changing their minds. I mean, just try.
I used to believe that football was great (greater than baseball, even). I didn’t know that players were being permanently maimed and brain-damaged by the sport. I didn’t know that the National Football League (NFL) was complicit in this damage by covering up the dangers of their sport in an effort to pad their coffers and protect their billions at the expense of their players.
Now, I do.
Football is a violent and deadly game. The National Football League is a greedy, criminal, and negligent organization.
I have changed my mind about football. And, I haven’t watched a game since. I won’t be party to a game that sacrifices the health and welfare of their players in the name of sport.
I am, pretty much, a boycott of one.
I don’t pretend that I can change anyone’s mind about football, one of America’s most beloved pastimes. Super Bowl 50 – or Super Bowl L if the league used its traditional Roman numeral system – is Sunday and more than 100 million will watch it.
Here are 50 reasons why you shouldn’t. (Short on time? Read #1 and #20. If you haven’t been convinced by those … please read a few more. Feeling political? Don’t miss #43 and #44.) (Click the links for citations.)
- Let’s get the big one out of the way – CTE (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy), the degenerative permanent brain damage that comes from repeated brain trauma, including the concussions and minor concussions that football players at all levels of the sport are subjected to. Symptoms include memory loss, dementia, aggression, depression, tremors, erratic behavior, and suicidal tendencies. While other athletes in contact sports have been diagnosed with CTE, it is most commonly found in football players.
- In any given season, 10 percent of all college players and 20 percent of all high school players sustain brain injuries. Brain injuries result in more deaths than any other injury in sports.
- Each year, doctors treat 389,000 musculoskeletal injuries in football players aged five to 14. Studies show an “epidemic of extensive neck and head injuries,” including concussions and football-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), which can lead to, among other things, memory problems, concentration issues, speech impediments, and headaches.
- Research by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University on deceased NFL players released last September revealed that more than 95 percent of players studied – 87 out of 91 – tested positive for CTE.
- While the National Football League is the most profitable sports league in the world it donated a paltry $1 million to the researchers that carried out that cutting-edge CTE research.
- Mike Webster (1952-2002), Pittsburgh Steelers. The first NFL player to be diagnosed with CTE. To see how CTE destroyed his post-football life watch the heartbreaking Frontline piece League of Denial here.
- Dave Duerson (1960-2011), NFL Player. Suicide. CTE. Duerson shot himself in the chest to ensure that his brain could be examined by scientists.
- Junior Seau (1969-2012), NFL Player. Suicide. CTE.
- Andre Waters (1962-2006) NFL Player. Suicide. CTE. His autopsy showed that, while just 44, he had the brain of an 85-year-old.
- Adrian Robinson, Jr. (1989-2015) NFL Player. Suicide. CTE. That is not a typo. He was 25.
- Kenny Stabler (1945-2015) NFL Player. CTE. His brain’s CTE was “pretty classic,” Dr. Ann McKee, who conducted the exam, told The New York Times this week. “It may be surprising since he was a quarterback, but certainly the lesions were widespread, and they were quite severe, affecting many regions of the brain.”
- Last April, the NFL reached a $1 billion settlement with thousands of former players struggling with post-football neurological disorders and the families of those deceased players who were found to have CTE. Several players, however, are appealing the ruling arguing that it “compensates only a few neurological conditions, and not the depression and mood disorders [linked] to concussions and CTE.”
- Researchers have found that football players who had no “outward sign of head trauma” still showed “worrisome changes in brain structure and cognitive performance,” following a season of games. According to a Los Angeles Times report: “The findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that a season-long succession of small hits — none hard enough to cause evident disorientation or draw medical attention — may prompt changes in the brain that cause problems with memory, mood or mental performance years down the road.”
- A 2009 NFL study found that former professional football players are 19 times more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or similar memory-related diseases compared to other American men.
- Studies have found that one in three retired NFL players will develop neurological problems and those problems will appear at “notably younger ages” than is normal.
- According to the National Trainers’ Association, while professional, college, and high school football organizations have established rules against head-first hits, “enforcement of these rules regrettably is uneven and infrequent.”
- Case Keenum, Rams quarterback, sustained a concussion following a sack during a game on November 22. He wobbled and could hardly stand. But, he stayed in the game. Watch it here and see for yourself. You can have all the rules in the world to protect players, but if you don’t enforce the rules, they’re worthless.
- “For years, the NFL knew its players were suffering head injuries that would bring serious long-term damage, yet it denied that, stonewalled the players seeking help and spent millions to muddy the truth.” Los Angeles Times
- The average professional football player lasts 3.5 years in the game. The majority of players last only a season or two and, because of their short tenure, are only eligible for very small pensions when they reach age 55. The NFL’s pension program is a pittance compared to that provided by Major League Baseball (MLB) And, it’s a long wait to age 55, because, according to Sports Illustrated, “By the time they have been retired for two years, 78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of joblessness or divorce.”
- They’ll get that pension, that is, if they actually make it to 55. While the life expectancy of the average American is nearly 79 years, the average NFL player’s life expectancy is the mid-50s, according to Harvard researchers. The average NFL player’s life is 20 years shorter than the rest of us. Quite honestly, you’re better off taking your chances with ebola in Liberia, famine in Senegal, or the civil war in Syria – based on average life expectancy, you’ll outlive a football player.
- And, how about those professional athletes and others who have publicly said that they believe the sport is so dangerous they would be concerned about letting their sons play today? Like, Brett Favre.
- Terry Bradshaw (Steelers quarterback, NFL Hall of Fame)
- Troy Aikman (Cowboys quarterback, NFL Hall of Fame)
- Mike Ditka (player, coach, NFL Hall of Fame)
- Harry Carson (NY Giants linebacker, NFL Hall of Fame): “Do you value your children? If you don’t value your child, then go ahead and let him play.”
- Tom Brady, Sr., father of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
- NBA superstar LeBron James
- Former linebacker Gary Plummer estimates that he sustained five Grade I concussions in every game he played. Every game. One thousand concussions over the course of his career.
- After sustaining a concussion in the NFC Championship game vs the 49ers in 1994, Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman couldn’t remember the game, couldn’t remember what team he played for, and thought he was still playing for his high school team.
- Since retiring in 2010, quarterback Brett Favre has been plagued by troubling memory lapses, including having no memory of his daughter playing in a soccer league one summer.
- Sean Morey, who played 10 seasons in the NFL, today struggles with the neurological effects of football-related concussions. “You cannot feel that kind of pain and have it not be related to brain damage,” he told National Public Radio in 2014. “The dysfunction, the pain, the misery, the confusion, the desperation, the depression. … There were instances in my life that would never have existed had I not damaged my brain. It is completely unraveling.”
- Dr. Bennett Omalu, the first to identify CTE in the brains of deceased football players, told People magazine last month that he would “bet my medical license” that O.J. Simpson has CTE. CTE symptoms can include mood swings, violent tendencies, domestic violence, criminality, and exaggerated emotional reactions to everyday stresses. “Given his profile,” Omalu said, “I think it’s not an irresponsible conclusion to suspect he has CTE.”
- Last year, 49er Chris Borland, one of the NFL’s most promising rookies, retired at age 24 because of the dangers of the game. “I mean, if it could potentially kill you – I know that’s a drastic way to put it, but it is a possibility – that really puts it in perspective to me,” Borland told ESPN. “I’ve had close friends who have said, ‘Well, why don’t you just play one more year, it’s a lot more money, you probably won’t get hurt.’ I just don’t want to get in a situation where I’m negotiating my health for money. Who knows how many hits is too many?”
- The concussion problem is increasing. The NFL announced last month that players sustained 271 concussions through this past season – an increase of nearly 32 percent over 2014. And, that’s just the concussions that the NFL identified.
- Permanent brain damage not convincing enough? Try some of these reasons: A 2013 lawsuit filed against the NFL by 1,300 former players alleges that the league illegally provided prescription painkillers to players as way to keep them playing and “intentionally, recklessly, and negligently created and maintained a culture of drug misuse, substituting players’ health for profit.” This negligence, the lawsuit alleges, resulted in players developing permanent nerve damage and other chronic illnesses and, in some cases, becoming addicted to pain medications.
- There are other football injuries that can – and do – significantly compromise a player’s quality of life. As the Boston Globe noted in a 2013 report on a landmark Harvard study of player injuries: “Countless former players struggle with searing and debilitating joint pain and rely heavily on anti-inflammatory medications and painkillers, say union officials. Many others grapple with heart disorders linked to extreme strength training common in the NFL.”
- Raiders Center Jim Otto, who played 14 seasons, endured 74 surgeries for football injuries throughout his body, including the amputation of one leg.
- That team from Washington with the vulgar, racist, insensitive, abhorrent name.
- In 2012, the New Orleans Saints were discovered to have paid bonuses or “bounties” to their players for injuring opponents. Some 22 to 27 players were part of pool that paid $1,500 if an opposing player was knocked out, or $1,000 if he had to be carted off the field.“Bountygate” led to one of the most severe penalties for team misconduct. But, the Saints were just doing what “everyone does.” New York Jet Trevor Pryce told The New York Times, “It’s pretty much standard operating procedure. … I know dudes who doubled their salary from it. Trust me, it happens in some form in any locker room. It’s like a democracy, the inmates governing themselves.”
- The NFL likes to spotlight its “generous” charitable activities. But, in many cases it’s the NFL, not the charity, that profits. The NFL promises that a “portion” of the proceeds of the pink merchandise sold through its Crucial Catch program goes to breast cancer research. That “portion” to charity is no more than 10 percent of the money raised from fans and some experts estimate that just three percent actually goes to cancer research .
- Speaking of charitable outreach, the NFL loves to tell the world how much they support the troops through their military appreciation days and other patriotic game-day activities. Come to find out, they only support the troops if the Defense Department pays them to do it. The government has paid 14 NFL teams more than $5 million over the past four years for these patriotic support-the-troops events.
- Because football is this,
… not this.
Embed from Getty Images
- Dear Republicans, You, of all people, should be disgusted by football. The NFL, a multi-billion-dollar organization, gets billions in government tax breaks and subsidies, government-funded, sweetheart stadium deals, and loads of other taxpayer-funded perks. Of the NFL’s 31 stadiums, 29 have received public funds for construction or renovation. “[B]eneath all of the glitz and glamour, these venues are nothing more than monuments to corporate welfare and taxpayer handouts,” David Williams, president of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, said.
- Dear Democrats, You, of all people, should be disgusted with football. The NFL’s stranglehold over players and their union has resulted in a sport that makes huge profits for owners at the expense of players. The NFL is constantly in conflict with the players union over pay and players health. But, unlike other sports, including major league baseball, owners almost always beat the union. Football players work under a salary cap that favors owners and, unlike baseball, there are no guaranteed contracts for players.
- The NFL made $9 billion in revenue in 2013. While players have a salary cap that limits their compensation, owners don’t. They enjoy the bounty. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he hopes to increase revenue to $25 billion by 2027, which is great news. If you’re an owner.
- Or, Roger Goodell. He made $35 million in salary in 2013, more than twice Peyton Manning’s $15 million salary. More than any player’s salary.
- The violent nature of football appears to breed fan violence and misbehavior as well. Sure, there are plenty of ugly fans in many sports – especially when beer is involved – but, football is often singled out for bad behavior, during tailgates and at games. “When I came into the league in 2003, I was warned by veteran teammates to tell all of my family and friends to wear neutral colors to road games in order to deflect unnecessary attention that might cause them to be harassed,” former NFL defensive end Akbar Gbajabiamila wrote in 2012.
- Let’s cut to the chase. The Super Bowl is a waste of your night. On average, there will be just 11 minutes of actual football. Most of the night will be spent with commercials, watching players standing around, and the half time show. And, funny thing, that’s what most people want to watch anyway. A 2014 survey found that 78 percent of Americans look forward to the commercials more than the game and 12 percent say the most important part of the Super Bowl is the half-time show. Guess what? You can watch all that online on Monday.
- And, how about this? Donald Trump wants to make football great again by making it more violent and encouraging more head-on, brain-damaging tackles. As he said at a rally last month, “What I just said about a game — so I’m watching a game yesterday. What used to be considered a great tackle, a violent head-on [tackle], a violent … you used to see these tackles and it was incredible to watch, right?” The fractured syntax is Mr. Trump’s, not mine.
- This is Super Bowl 50 … or, in the roman-numeral tradition of the game … Super Bowl L. And, we all know L stands for Loser.
Maybe it will take more than this to convince you to turn off the game on Sunday. But, in the meantime, can I at least convince you that the earth is not flat? Here … watch this:
2018 Update: Not much has changed since 2016, has it? Here’s my 2018 update: The Super-est Bowl-Free Sunday Of All
The Baseball Bloggess 
A few sandwiches short of a picnic. That’s a new one on me and I love it.
Around here it’s four aces short of a full deck, a dozen bolts short of a car, or the elevator doesn’t go all the way to the penthouse.
v
How about “an olive short of a martini”? I’ve heard that one, too. :)
That’s another new one for me. We’ve also been known to us “not the brightest bulb in the chandelier” and “not the sharpest knife in the drawer.”
v
Well, I guess that does it. The knowledge has been sneaking up on me that I could no longer watch a football game with the same innocent glee that I’ve always had, and now you’ve just laid it out for us. I’m tempted to respond that the players know what they’re doing, and they get to make their choices, but that does not absolve me of the… shame, yes, of watching people do that to themselves, and enjoying it. Mind you, I’ve never been a big football fan- well, I shouldn’t say “never”; I was a ferocious Niners fan, back in the early 80’s, when Joe Montana was doing his almost supernatural thing, but my interest has faded, since, and now….
I certainly can’t watch a football game the same way, now. I guess that’s a good thing. All I’ve got to say is, thank God it’s not Baseball. I can give up football and feel only a slight sense of loss, but I couldn’t give up baseball, and I haven’t, even as the game has morphed into something (“Moneyball”) I don’t love as well as I did.
So, okay. I didn’t plan to watch the Superbowl, anyway, since we Bay Area folk have, as they say, no skin in the game- other than intense annoyance at the inconvenience being caused by the game’s weeks-long celebration in San Francisco, instead of Santa Clara, where the game is actually being played. This just seals the deal. Thanks.
Thanks, John. I was a big 49ers fan too … and the thing that shook me up the most was when I saw Steve Young on television a few years ago and he was slow, wobbly, and just didn’t look right. It was then that I really understood the permanent damage this game can do. And, that was it for me.
I hear the “these are grown men, they can decide for themselves” argument a lot. Sure, many jobs have risks, and most are not as lucrative as football. But, while many football players are well compensated for their work, that doesn’t mean they forfeit their right to a safe workplace or a healthy future.
I think the NFL has a responsibility to protect its players, reducing the risks whenever possible and compensating those players who have been permanently injured by the game. And, they haven’t done near enough on either count.
I agree, there are a lot of things the NFL “should” do, along with the player’s union and everyone else involved, but I doubt they’re going to do a thing, other than intensify their PR campaign to show that they really do care, even though they’re not going to do anything about it. In a (distant, unsympathetic) way, I feel for them. They are in the very lucrative business of providing gladiatorial contests, in which the possibility of injury, or even death, is part of the draw. Now, all of us bleeding hearts want to take away the combatant’s swords, replacing them with foam soccer-boppers? Fageddaboudit!
I can do little or nothing about that, but what I can do is stop being the kind of person who has been mindlessly enjoying the spectacle, ignoring the mounting evidence that bodies and lives are being destroyed before my eyes, as I scrape the last of the guacamole from the bottom of the bowl and kill my third beer. It’s what that makes me that I can control, and I’ll be doing that.
Thanks, again, for the wake-up call. Spring Training. Three weeks.
You’re not alone in boycotting the NFL, or football. I’m simply not a big fan, but I do appreciate all the facts you stated, and I feel even more strongly now about not watching it. I think most people just watch for the commercials, anyway!
-Mike
Thanks, Mike! I won’t watch, but I have to say I was a little surprised when I dug up reason #48 and the study that found that 78% of Americans look forward to the commercials more than the game! (Just 2 weeks until pitchers and catchers report … yay!)
Well said! That’s some troubling information about the NFL, and I would guess they give two shits about any of it. It blows my mind how they get away with treating their players so poorly. You’d think the players association would have a bit more muscle, but the contracts they get for their players are terrible compared to other sports. Once a player is past his prime, the team can seemingly wash their hands of him and get that salary off the books. Of course, some of my hate for the NFL has to do with their bullshit move of the Rams to LA from STL. I don’t much care, honestly, since I believe the Rams belong in LA, but this team moving from city to city is absurd, and another example of how little the NFL cares about what it leaves behind.
Also, I can’t believe you didn’t mention this Randal-El, since he said that if he had to do it over again, he’d have played baseball! Lol. http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/nfl-pittsburgh-steelers-news/2016/1/19/10793298/if-given-the-choice-former-steelers-wr-antwaan-randle-el-wouldnt-play
Rats! I definitely would have included that one if I had known about it. But, now that I do, the credit is all yours … and consider it reason #51. Thanks!
As I was pulling this together … I learned that football players don’t have guaranteed contracts and I was stunned. After all, that’s a huge thing that the baseball player’s union has gotten for their players. Why even have a union if the union can’t even minimally protect your income, retirement, and, most important, health?
Indeed. You would think that football, being so violent and dangerous, would guarantee contracts. But no they don’t. Baseball, and basketball (not sure about hockey) do guarantee their contracts for the most part. A football player can get cut and there goes that “contract.” Definitely doesn’t seem right. Among all the other things you mentioned.
Great points – I vote for baseball!!!
Thanks, Nancy! Go Hoos! :)
You’re not alone in your boycott, not by a long shot — and this blog should increase the number of us who no longer watch football at all. And I wonder if that rapper thinks the moon is made of green cheese🤓
It’s pretty unbelievable. But, then I’m also surprised that 25% of Americans think the sun revolves around the earth. Where did THAT come from?
Such a long list, and as you and donofalltrades figured in quick order, the list can go on. On and on. I haven’t watched a snap all season and don’t miss it a bit. The NFL must laugh and laugh at the people who keep making them wealthier. They understand the American consumer better as well as any marketer in the land.
Thanks, Bruce. It took a little while to get all the citations in order, but I had plenty more than 50 reasons and facts ready to go. Now, with those leftovers, I’ve got a head start on Super Bowl LI. Sigh.
The NFL backlog, so to speak. Always plenty to point out.
I see it this way….it is a diagrammed and “controlled” form of war….why don’t we talk about the real war heroes instead of a bunch of prima-donnas who get paid VERY WELL in order to complain about their injuries later in life. Priorities people.
Hi Gary, I know we disagree, but I appreciate your taking the time to read the post and comment. I guess I just don’t support brain damage, war, and violence as a form of entertainment. And, I don’t think player salaries absolve the NFL from being required, like pretty much every other employer in America, to provide a safe workplace. High school and college players are being injured as well … I don’t think you can call them prima-donnas and they certainly aren’t being paid.
As for the military, the higher profiles of the research being done on CTE and concussions is of great value to the military and many of the ongoing studies are being done in cooperation with the Department of Veteran Affairs, so I’m hopeful that the research can be helpful on many levels.
Unfortunately, we can’t stop wars or the need for soldiers. We can, however, stop the damage being done in the name of entertainment.
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Can I politely disagree about the not watching of this year’s super bowl? Our Broncos are in it again and well this town is turned upside down and it is fun to live where a team is doing well. that aside, I do 100% agree that the NFL is not protecting these players and the greed for the almighty buck seems to be a major block for betterment at that level. and I do subscribe to a thought that players have a personal choice to walk away from the game. I also think that hockey is another one of these games that has attempted to control it as baseball did with the home plate collision rule ( how does that go again?!). I also think the root of it is fan controlled – making it faster, more exciting and therefore creating a frenzy that the teams ( players, money-people etc) feed into. I don’t have an answer other than self awareness of this – which you have laid out beautifully! and not watching will affect their pocketbooks.Thank you
Hi Sharon … I know things must be crazy in Denver this year! It was very hard for me to give up football … I was a 49er fan for many years so to miss them when they played in the Super Bowl a few years back was a very difficult decision for me to make.
I know that players can make their own decisions about things, but I don’t think that should absolve the NFL from their responsibility to provide a safe work environment or to provide compensation for permanent harm that comes during a player’s employment. If any other employer provided an unsafe work space, hid the dangers from the employee and the public, and then refused to pay for health care when the work led to permanent brain damage, everyone in the country would be outraged. But, because this is “America’s sport” people seem to give the NFL a pass. I can no longer be complicit in that. But, I understand how hard it is when people really enjoy the game.
I think MLB has been much more progressive in things like the collision rule — which has worked out quite well — and working to find ways to provide more safety to pitchers on come-backers. It’s not because MLB is better than the NFL, I think it’s because the baseball player’s union is so much stronger and more effective.
I’m on year 4 or 5 of this boycott … it’s pretty lonely out here. But, spring training is coming soon!
Surprises me that baseball got left in the dust for the sport title!
And I do agree personal choice does not absolve the union or NFL in their safety duties.
And only a bit more before baseball allows us back onto the green grass and dirt fields!
Don’s post about this article on Facebook led me here, and I’m currently sick to my stomach. I’ve never been a huge sports fan in general, but my son, who just turned 15 yesterday, tried football a couple of years ago and really liked it, so I encouraged him to play for the exercise and camaraderie. Now I feel like an abusive parent after reading this.
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment (and thank you to Don for re-posting). I don’t think you should feel like an abusive parent … so much of this research is so new. But, perhaps some of this information can help begin a conversation about the short- and long-term risks involved, especially when it comes to concussions.
There was a very interesting story on NPR last night by a 17-year-old high-school Junior from Texas who grew up in a “football family” and after his brother received a concussion during a game they both decided to give up football. As he said, “Football was such a big part of my life. But if I can find the satisfaction I got from football without taking the same risks, I’m going to do that instead.”
You can find the story here: http://www.npr.org/2016/02/04/465421757/quitting-the-gridiron-when-football-runs-through-the-family
I will definitely have a discussion with my son about it, and see how he feels. I also don’t want to be a “helicopter” mom. God it’s so hard to strike a balance!
EXCELLENT and very well-researched piece, BB. I do love one thing about the Superbowl. It is the last time I have to watch, hear, see or think about that stupid game for another year – annnndddd – once the Superbowl is over – baseball season is officially ON. :)
Thanks, Maria! Snow or not … I feel baseball waking up in my bones. It’s nearly time!
Amazingly thorough and convincing points! Wow, and here I just would have said I’m not watching because it’s boring. ;)
Thank you so much for your incredibly thoughtful comment on my blogiversary post, by the way! I’m really touched by your words, and thrilled that you’re genuinely enjoying the recipes!
Thanks for stopping by, Hannah! I love your blog and always look forward to your recipes! :)
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