Time Magazine Cover Story: Is Football Worth It?

In many cases, the testing of high school athletes is becoming more sophisticated. The local high schools around me all have training for their medical staff and coaches and ImPACT testing to help gauge the recovery from head injuries.

The overall point is a good one. Athletes at the lower levels do not have access to the same level of care as professionals. But the care they do get is improving.

 

Is hunting worth it? Are motorcycles worth it? Is playground equipment worth it? Is swimming in a lake with no lifeguards worth it?

Shit -- is NASCAR worth it?

 

Is McDonalds worth it?

 

Not to mention other forms of motorsports.

 

Is this a trick question?

 

Direct result of Carl Mays' beaning.

 

Youth baseball coach dies pitching batting practice:

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/09/21/police-long-island-youth-baseball-coach-dies-after-being-hit-by-ball/

 

Masterton died at the hospital a day later, actually. Hockey players who have died during or in the immediate aftermath of game include Sergei Zholtok and Alexei Cherepanov, both of preexisting heart issues, and Jaxon Logan, a college player who had that scary "heart stops when you get hit in the chest" thing.

In my old stomping grounds, we had two deaths in baseball. The first was the well-covered death on the field of the first-base coach of the Tulsa Drillers who had one of the arteries in his neck crushed by a line drive. The second was a high school player who has hit in the back of the neck by a pitch (he reportedly turned away from a pretty slow pitch and ducked his chin so it caught him just right beneath the helmet) - he died a few days later at the hospital, but he was essentially dead from the moment the pitch struck from a brainstem-crush type injury.

On the whole, I'd say heart conditions are the most common thing that kills an active athlete followed by (depending on the sport) heat-related conditions and then traumatic injury. DocTalk would know for sure. And the issue with heart things is that a.) depending on the underlying condition, it may very well be undetectable even with good baseline testing and b.) you can be at a similar risk in everyday life as you are on the playing field.

 

Youth football players close lined by parents:

http://deadsp.in/1DvYqtu

 

Joel Sherman ‏@Joelsherman1 2m

Heard #yankees '13 1st pick Eric Jagielo was hit in face by 87 mph fastball at Instructional Lge.down long time, ambulance coming

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBicoCe6y48

Where is Napoleon McCullum laying on top of Ken Norton Jr.?