Super Bowl Sunday

"Passionately addicted to brutalizing amusements."

     Today the National Football League (NFL) plays their athletic contest called the Super Bowl. I watched the first forty-five or so of these events, but not any in the last several years. It dawned on me a while ago that these men were harming themselves for my amusement. Now I say, "No Thanks!" You can put on this savage form of entertainment and people around the world can have parties while they watch it, but they'll do it without me.

     Mental health professionals will readily tell you that on Super Bowl Sunday there is a marked increase in violence, mostly men beating up women. There is also a tremendous amount of money bet on every aspect and play of the game, including the coin toss. This all is made easier in New Jersey by the recent introduction of sports betting via smart phone apps. As if there weren't enough ways already to lose money.

     The game of football itself I have no problem with, it's the tackling and blows to the skull which make me queasy. That we allow children as young as ten years old to play the game in pads and helmets speaks volumes about our lack of concern for head trauma. Here is information I received while doing a search on "concussions in football players."

     "Researchers: 96% of ex-NFL players had brain disease"

     (CNN)Here's some background information about concussions in the National Football League. A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a blow to the head.

Reports show an increasing number of retired NFL players who have suffered concussions have developed memory and cognitive issues such as dementia, Alzheimer's, depression and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

     Facts:
Most concussions occur without losing consciousness.

CTE is a degenerative disease of the brain and is associated with repeated head traumas like concussions.

Among the plaintiffs in concussion-related lawsuits: Art Monk, Tony Dorsett, Jim McMahon, and Jamal Anderson.