So, Keith Primeau is out for the year in Philadelphia, joining the long list of athletes who have had their season and/or career cut short because of concussion. THe NHL nas a MANDATORY concussion testing program in which each player is tested pre-season and then post-concussion to determine the effects of the concussion. The NFL has a similar program which is not mandatory but I believe all but 4 teams participate.
What they do not do is market the importance of testing kids who play contact sports. The literature is quite clear on the potentially long-term and harmful effects of concussion on high school and youth athletes, but do parents or pediatricians know this? Not likely.
We know that Ray Lewis reads books to sick kids and that Mario Lemeuix arranges a fundraiser for cause X but where are the public service announcements telling parents that their kids are participating in a dangerous sport and they should be tested just like the pros? Fucking elite asshole players controlling their player’s unions and not allowing the word to get out.
So I was noticing that that many teams in the NFL are well and happily integrated, yet society still seems to suffer from racism to some extent. Why isn’t the NFL doing something about this???
The players, within the voting power of the player’s association, have voted to not allow the data to be shared for publication, other than a series of biomechanical studies in the Journal Neurosurgery. As well, not one has ever mentioned that testing was helpful for them, or urged parents to get their kids tested.
And, from my experience (as a neuropsychologist who studies concussion), peditricians and emergency room workers know very little if anything about the topic.
If you are a parent and your kid plays football/soccer/lacrosse/ice hockey/(insert contact sport here) do you know anything about how concussions are identified/treated/managed? All the knowledge starts with the Pros and has been trickling down to NCAA and only just recently to high school and youth leagues. The Pros could do a better job protecting the kids who play the sports they promote.
