A LITTLE MAN’S TAKE ON A BIG SPORTS WORLD
CTE: Let’s Use
Our Head on This
By Jim Biery
W
hen I was seven, I was a typical
kid who couldn’t wait to go
outside and play with my friends.
As I ran down the hallway and
started down the hardwood stairs, I was also
trying to save time and put on my shirt in the
process. Halfway down, I missed a step and
went head-first into the next to last step. After
the crying was done and Mom had wiped all
the tears away, I went next-door to play.
After a couple more pals showed up, we were
ready to ride bikes. But the mother of my next-
door neighbor said before he could go play he
had to pick up the mess he left in the basement.
We all joined together to help him out. Once we
got to the basement, things began to change.
When I tried to look around for the toys we
had to pick up, all I saw was black. I looked at the
light in the corner and it looked just like the sun.
No details of the lamp but just a round sphere of
color. After a few failed attempts to see anything
on the floor, I went back home and told my Mom
what was happening. She took me straight to
the family doctor, and he confirmed my first of
a handful of concussions.
So, why am I telling you about something that
happens to just about every kid in the world? (After
all, most kids will fall, run into something or get
hit in the head with an object.) It’s because, fairly
recently, we have become aware of what multiple
concussions can do to the human brain. It’s
called chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE.
Let’s start with understanding exactly what
I’m talking about.
The definition of a concussion is temporary
unconsciousness caused by a blow to the head.
The term is also used loosely of the aftereffects,
such as confusion or temporary incapacity. A
concussion is also know as as mild traumatic
brain injury (MTBI).
CTE, according to a recent Mayo Clinic report,
40 EXTOL SPORTS / NOVEMBER 2017
is “a diagnosis only made at the time of an autopsy
studying sections of the brain. CTE is a very rare
condition. … CTE is a progressive, degenerative
brain disease for which there is no treatment.”
The symptoms of CTE are difficulty thinking,
impulsive behavior, depression, short term
memory loss, and difficulty planning and carrying
out tasks.
If you ask anyone who may be over the age
of 50 (yours truly would fit into this category),
these are the same symptoms of everyday life.
So, why is football getting the lion’s share of the
blame for CTE?
There have been a growing number of parents
who have decided that football is too dangerous
to play and have kept their kids out of the sport.
Of course, parents are making these decisions
to try and protect their kids, however you might
be surprised to know what sports and activities
bring the most danger to participants.
Jennifer Graham of Descret News reported
researchers’ results in an article from April 2016.
Researchers analyzed ER visits between 2003-
2016 dealing with head trauma and concussions.
They put sports and activities into six categories:
Contact sports like football, soccer, etc.; roller
sports; skiing; equestrian; aquatic; and snow
boarding.
The number one leader with 45 percent of
ER visits was equestrian sports. Interpersonal
contact sports was second with 20 percent of the
reported visits. If we applied the same protective
logic to results like these, little Suzy would never
get that pony she has always wanted.
Listen, I’m not trying to say that riding horses or
skateboarding or even snow skiing are inherently
as dangerous as contact sports, but the only
difference is that no one – to my knowledge – is
taking actions to try and persuade people not to
participate in these activities if someone chooses
to. So why are we doing so with football?