the end of football?

After I made the post recently about the Duerson family lawsuit against the NFL, Graeme Wood steered me to THIS PIECE in Grantland about the possible end of football.

It’s not imminent, but we may start moving in that direction soon. The number of apparent brain damage cases from American football is on the rise, and increasingly measured with scientific evidence. At this point, if I had kids I might not let them play the sport.

The known cases are alarming: Dave Duerson goes from respected businessman and Notre Dame trustee (and potential 2004 Senate candidate against the then-unknown Barack Obama) to a bizarre loose cannon who throws his wife against a wall and nearly attacks a 75-year-old in the U.S. Congress. Mike Webster degenerates into a near-stupor, living out of his car. Jim McMahon can no longer remember why he entered rooms.

I’ve had a couple of very mild concussions in my life, and they really messed with my mood and thinking capabilities for a couple of days afterward. I can only imagine what repeated severe concussions would be like.