It’s not just a problem for NFL players; it is also a problem for youngsters:
which refers to:
And the actual study:
Is that controlled for cause of death? What numbers do you see for youths whose cause of death was definitely unrelated to CTE sports participation?
Another sad case of a college football player who after 15 years of worsening behavior died of kraton overdoes homeless. His brain was diagnosed a year later with CTE. Perhaps someone can provide a gift link:
The man who killed a NYPD officer and others yesterday had a suicide note that stated he had CTE. No proof that’s true at this point. He apparently shot himself in the chest so they should be able to tell if they do the proper test. It looks like he played high school football.
[Moderating]
I took the liberty of fixing that typo, because it was guaranteed to be a distraction if I didn’t.
I checked out what you changed. Yikes. That’s a hell of a typo. I appreciate the help.
But see, now everyone is going to be distracted by trying to figure out what the typo was!
Looking back at the OP, it made a lot of sense at the time, but eight years on, I see no particular sign that football’s popularity is decreasing, even as the science on CTE gets better established.
The word before “himself” was spelled with an “i” instead of an “o”.
[channeling Emily Litella]
Oh, that’s very different! That’s very, VERY different! Never mind.
Though I’ve also seen more mentions of flag football nationally and locally than I have since middle school, which is a sign to me that reality is slowly trickling in.
Banning helmets and pads will go a long way to reducing head trauma in football. The game as we know it may not survive, though. People do love their gladiators.
I am not sure about that. Flag football may be the NFL working to expand the popularity of football, more than offering an alternative to tackle football. Growing markets and all that, with “gateway” activities leading to more interest in the traditional football product.
That’s true. My tween plays in one of the several recreational flag football leagues available for kids his age. I have no idea if these existed ten or twenty years ago, but now they are, at least, much more widely advertised than tackle leagues for that age group.
I played rec league flag football back in the 80s.
While I wouldn’t say a decline is inevitable, if it does happen at all it’s going to take a while before we notice any changes. Between professional, college, high school, middle school, and even peewee leagues, there’s a huge industry based around the sport. Any decline is likely to take place over decades and might take a while before we notice.
There is proof now:
Gunman Who Attacked Midtown Office Building Had C.T.E.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/us/cte-football-tamura-gunman.html
Lowered popularity doesn’t mean less people watching, it means less kids playing. Which is happening. Apparently most of the drop is among white liberals.
I mentioned this in the Mass Killings 2021 thread:
The New York Times has a nice followup thread today on family reactions and the fact that he did in fact have CTE. Anyone have a gift link?
A Stranger Shattered Their Lives. At First, They Didn’t Know Why. A family reckons with the devastation left behind after a former N.F.L. player showed up on their property.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/28/us/phillip-adams-cte.html