Very good information. My daughter, who is now 30, was a competitive skier in high school. She suffered concussions and was diagnosed with TBI at age 25 through neuropsychological testing after years of wondering what was wrong with her brain. She had finished a bachelor's degree but noticed things getting tougher as she was completing it. When she began to study for exams for acceptance to graduate school she found she could no longer comprehend written words and do mathematical calculations she had been able to do previously. We are still struggling to get her the help she needs because even with the diagnosis of Post Concussion Disorder there is not a lot of help that insurance will cover. I am not against sports and I agree with all precautions being taken, but I wish there was more help available for those who are falling between the cracks because this possibility of brain damage from concussion was not known when the concussions occurred.
1
Looking at some of these comments amazes me. The article does not once say anything against playing soccer, nor does it recommend that additional precautions be taken to avoid concussions while playing. The information I gathered from it seems to be aimed at raising awareness that CTE can be existent not only in professional athletes but amateurs as well, both young and old in all sports. Let's also remember that the vast number of effects from having CTE can increase the likelihood of someone abusing prescription medicine and lead to many other problems in people. This article is not anti-soccer, it is pro-knowledge.
3
Great article by a great writer. The NY Times is doing this country a great service by making us aware that sports that involve head trauma hurt children's brains. CTE is a horrible disease. My heart breaks for the family. I have walked in their steps. They didn't know. Hopefully young parents read this and now know and save the precious brains of their children. Learn more about CTE at StopCTE.org.
2
I didn't read all the comments about this article http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/22/sports/an-athlete-felled-by-concussion... However, I wanted to share a bit of my personal experience with concussions: I had a serious one, I couldn't work two days in a row because I couldn't remember how to do things the second day that I knew how to do the first day, was on partial disability five years after the injury -- and that was a good as it was going to get. Then I found neurofeedback about five years after my injury, and re-trained my brain, and am healed. It breaks my heart that neurofeedback is not part of the medical conversation. Far too many young people today suffering from concussion after-effects think that their only future is a long, drawn out, brain death. It doesn't have to be that way. I'd love to see the NYTimes sports section do an article on neurofeedback. I'd love it even more if sports associations would give athletes a QEEG (Quantitative Electroencephalography) before an after the season. You can see how the concussion impacts the brain, and then you can begin to fix it. I'm happy to discuss my experience with anyone suffering from a concussion. I can also provide sources to enterprising reporters who'd like to run articles on neurofeedback to spread the word. My website is mindpath dot com.
Amy Greene
Amy Greene
Reading the story, was like reading a chapter from my son's autobiography. After 3 concussions he stopped playing.
A friend that's a Doctor shared that the #1 injury they are seeing at the local hospital are soccer related: knees, head, broken bones.
After going semi-pro for 2 months and seeing the level of contact at this level ended his career, as a 15 year old.
Not sure the current head gear is the solution.
LAX is becoming a "safer sport", with kids flocking from Baseball and soccer.
A friend that's a Doctor shared that the #1 injury they are seeing at the local hospital are soccer related: knees, head, broken bones.
After going semi-pro for 2 months and seeing the level of contact at this level ended his career, as a 15 year old.
Not sure the current head gear is the solution.
LAX is becoming a "safer sport", with kids flocking from Baseball and soccer.
The people calling for heading to be prohibited are being absurdly reactionary. As sad as this story is, hundreds of millions of kids play soccer all around the world without concussions and without the lasting effects from concussions. And yes, head safety is important and proper awareness is needed, but to say heading should be banned for all of youth soccer is absurd... you might as well ban tackling and shooting too hard as well
As a parent to a very young, athletic boy, this scares me so badly. My son is high energy, and loves playing soccer. I had always thought that it was, as the family in the article thought, the safer sport. This is so hard to navigate; how do I protect my son while encouraging him to explore his passion and gifts?
1
Ice hockey, field hockey, soccer and football are dangerous games, and will always be so. I was, luckily, never a good enough player to have my "bell rung", but I know from my participation in a few of these sports that this was considered a badge of honor, showing that you were becoming a "real man". How stupid!
If you truly love your kids, don't encourage them to play in these brutal games. Tennis, track and field, cross-country skiing and sports which offer maximum physical activity and little danger are not only better, but can be played for a lifetime.
High school sports are fleeting; a life with brain damage isn't.
If you truly love your kids, don't encourage them to play in these brutal games. Tennis, track and field, cross-country skiing and sports which offer maximum physical activity and little danger are not only better, but can be played for a lifetime.
High school sports are fleeting; a life with brain damage isn't.
The young man's death is truly sad, but it doesn't really have anything to do with soccer. He got hit in the head with a pitched baseball and a bowling ball. Heading a soccer ball rarely causes concussion. The collisions that cause head trauma can happen in many sports. Soccer ought not to be singled out.
Why, NYTimes, Why? This is the second anti-heading, anti-soccer article published in the last 18 mo (see http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/27/sports/soccer/researchers-find-brain-t.... In both articles, the victim had a confused medical history and the deaths cannot be attributed exclusively to soccer-related injuries. Why is the Times pursuing this topic in this manner? Surely, a more scholarly approach with real journalism involve might provide the public with insight about the true epidemiology of concussion in soccer and other sports. Soccer, in particular, is played by millions of children and adults around the world, yet there is no hint of an epidemic of damage from head injuries. Yes, soccer is a contact sport and accidents do happen. But why is the NYTimes so bent on emphasizing the few, rather than all the benefits the sport provides to the many?
I will also add, where were the parents in all this? Why did this child continue in a contact sport after sustaining a series of concussions? Not even pro soccer players do that anymore.
I will also add, where were the parents in all this? Why did this child continue in a contact sport after sustaining a series of concussions? Not even pro soccer players do that anymore.
This is a heartbreaking story, to be sure, but it hardly seems like the exemplar it was presented to be. The father identified three concussions in his son's soccer career, and two others, one from a baseball and another, almost inconceivably, from a bowling ball. The latter incident was mentioned in a throwaway fashion, but it sure got MY attention. Equally flip is a mention of a disc golf injury. As a middle aged disc golf enthusiast, anything other than shoulder injuries or a fall in the woods is pretty inconceivable to me. That anyone could be pinged on the head by a bee would be due to *someone's* negligence.
I'm a soccer fan of almost 40 years standing, but, by far, the two worst injuries I've seen involved head trauma, but heading of the ball had nothing to do with it. In about 2005, Petr Cech of Chelsea came out of his goal to grab a ball, and his head was inadvertently run into by the knee of Reading's Stephen Hunt. Cech's skull was fractured, and he almost died, which is why he wears a soft helmet today. In 1982, in a World Cup semifinal, West Germany's keeper Harald Schumacher viciously took out the advancing Frenchman Patrick Battiston, who had to be resuscitated, and needed hospitalization, and he, too, almost died.
Make no mistake, soccer is a contact sport, but trying to draw a CTE parallel with American football with this example is a stretch.
I'm a soccer fan of almost 40 years standing, but, by far, the two worst injuries I've seen involved head trauma, but heading of the ball had nothing to do with it. In about 2005, Petr Cech of Chelsea came out of his goal to grab a ball, and his head was inadvertently run into by the knee of Reading's Stephen Hunt. Cech's skull was fractured, and he almost died, which is why he wears a soft helmet today. In 1982, in a World Cup semifinal, West Germany's keeper Harald Schumacher viciously took out the advancing Frenchman Patrick Battiston, who had to be resuscitated, and needed hospitalization, and he, too, almost died.
Make no mistake, soccer is a contact sport, but trying to draw a CTE parallel with American football with this example is a stretch.
8
Hunt's knee action was not inadvertent.
Then you are CLUELESS & it's dangerous for you to denigrate FACTUAL information while providing nothing in return.
There is a clear link between head trauma and CTE. Athletes in many sports are exposed to potential head trauma.
Ironically, the worst cases come from families where the parents think the way you talk.
I wonder why that is?
There is a clear link between head trauma and CTE. Athletes in many sports are exposed to potential head trauma.
Ironically, the worst cases come from families where the parents think the way you talk.
I wonder why that is?
What's the factual information I'm denigrating. That some chucklehead knocked him out with a bowling ball? That there's some U examined "disc golf injury" in his medical history? This is hardly the cut and dried indictment of soccer that was presented.
For your information, I coached both of my daughters in soccer from K-12th grade. It was rec league, and we did work on heading the ball, but not all that much. Both did head the ball in competition, though rarely. And both graduated college Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Playing the game is not some automatic ticket to CTE.
That said, it has the potential to be a collision sport, with all the dangers attendant to that. One of the biggest problems is that at the high school varsity level, the coaches often know next to nothing about the sport and how it is, or should be, played. At the high school level, I'd say that incidental clashes of heads are far more dangerous than actually heading the ball, that even fully inflated, has give, which opposing crania do not. Getting kicked in the head in the course of a tackle or a goalie sliding to claim a ball (the Cech incident) is also more likely to result in a concussion than routine heading of the ball. And on corner kicks, there is always the danger of running into goal posts.
By the way, when I did heading drills with my players (starting around 5th grade), I did drills with the ball slightly deflated.
I'm not sure I understand your rage response. Feel free to elaborate.
For your information, I coached both of my daughters in soccer from K-12th grade. It was rec league, and we did work on heading the ball, but not all that much. Both did head the ball in competition, though rarely. And both graduated college Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Playing the game is not some automatic ticket to CTE.
That said, it has the potential to be a collision sport, with all the dangers attendant to that. One of the biggest problems is that at the high school varsity level, the coaches often know next to nothing about the sport and how it is, or should be, played. At the high school level, I'd say that incidental clashes of heads are far more dangerous than actually heading the ball, that even fully inflated, has give, which opposing crania do not. Getting kicked in the head in the course of a tackle or a goalie sliding to claim a ball (the Cech incident) is also more likely to result in a concussion than routine heading of the ball. And on corner kicks, there is always the danger of running into goal posts.
By the way, when I did heading drills with my players (starting around 5th grade), I did drills with the ball slightly deflated.
I'm not sure I understand your rage response. Feel free to elaborate.
3
I am so very sorry for their loss.
It took tremendous bravery to participate in this article.
It took tremendous bravery to participate in this article.
1
While no study can prove this, I do believe that the concussions Curtis Baushke suffered while playing soccer, made his brain more susceptible to developing bipolar disorder and addiction to drugs. My deepest condolences to the Baushke family, who are trying to save others' sons and daughters from treading the path that Curtis walked.
1
Head trauma can cause behavioral changes but there is no scientific evidence that it can result in bipolar disorder or drug addiction and believe me researchers have long sought identifiable underlying causes for mental disorders.
Eliminate heading from soccer! The game can be just as much fun without it.
According to studies, most soccer concussions occur when two players attempt to "head" the ball, and collide. Furthermore, a study by Albert Einstein Medical College indicates that even repeated subconcussive soccer heading causes brain damage
More than half of soccer concussions could be instantly eliminated with the simple stroke of a pen. How long shall we let these injuries continue, when we could prevent so many of them so easily?
My kid plays soccer, and I'm very supportive, but I forbid him to head the ball, no matter what his coach or teammates say. His brain is more important than scoring a goal in a youth soccer game.
According to studies, most soccer concussions occur when two players attempt to "head" the ball, and collide. Furthermore, a study by Albert Einstein Medical College indicates that even repeated subconcussive soccer heading causes brain damage
More than half of soccer concussions could be instantly eliminated with the simple stroke of a pen. How long shall we let these injuries continue, when we could prevent so many of them so easily?
My kid plays soccer, and I'm very supportive, but I forbid him to head the ball, no matter what his coach or teammates say. His brain is more important than scoring a goal in a youth soccer game.
5
What happened to this young man is indeed tragic, and my heart goes to his family. However, articles like this do not contribute to our understanding of late brain dysfunction related to sport activities (although they do attract attention, which is good, I guess). What we have now are mostly anecdotal data such as this article. What we really need are good prospective longitudinal studies to be able to quantify the risk and answer other questions. There are plenty of retired soccer players in the world and they don't walk around like zombies, despite what one commenter said. Thus it appears that majority of people can play soccer safely, and we need to identify what makes it different for those who suffer late effects. NIH or similar organization should step in and fund research.
3
Condolensces to the Baushke family. This is not a very good article though. Unfortunately many young men suffer from depression, drug abuse, and suicidal tendencies. This article provided very scant evidence that Curtis' problems could be directly, or even indirectly, attributed to soccer. It is unlikely that getting three concussions over the course of 14 years caused all of his problems.
2
The takeaway is that the kid knew something was wrong. His own parents and the medical community couldn't help him.
They opened his brai after death and found CTE.
You think Mom & Dad want a do-over now?
They opened his brai after death and found CTE.
You think Mom & Dad want a do-over now?
1
Holy smokes, soccer lovers. All this article does is point out the potential for serious injury. I don't see anything calling to end the sport. What I DO see is a plea to pay attention when there are head injuries; don't return players to the game until the problem clears up.
Good grief. Too many of you sound like those soccer-playing men--the ones who dive to the ground when touched, writhing around like he's in agony, making a sad spectacle of himself. You know the ones; time-wasters and embarrassments. But, I digress.
Suck it up! Quit your whining. I love soccer; I don't think anyone is going to let it disapper.
Good grief. Too many of you sound like those soccer-playing men--the ones who dive to the ground when touched, writhing around like he's in agony, making a sad spectacle of himself. You know the ones; time-wasters and embarrassments. But, I digress.
Suck it up! Quit your whining. I love soccer; I don't think anyone is going to let it disapper.
3
I'd like to read more about the incident with the bowling ball. He was attacked and took a blow to the head which rendered him unconscious. How old was he when that happened? Were there any lingering effects from the injury?
It seems like the bowling ball attack had at least as much to do with the CTE as his years playing soccer, and yet there was just a passing reference to it.
It seems like the bowling ball attack had at least as much to do with the CTE as his years playing soccer, and yet there was just a passing reference to it.
7
Life is dangerous. It ends in death. Would you people please stop hyperventilating over injuries that are a part of life! You are destroying the fabric of America with your constant whining in pursuit of a risk free society. Be prudent, but be involved, not panicked, over all the terrible things that could, might, happen.
2
To begin, my sympathies to the family of Curtis Baushke. I was very touched and saddened by this tragic story. I can't imagine your pain.
As a youth soccer coach and Father of two young boys who love playing the sport, I find this story concerning. I do not find the need to encourage players to head the ball at the level I coach (U10). However, in the heat of the game the players sometimes use their heads in various situations. I don't believe they incur any injury in these rare occurrences but I'm torn between teaching and avoiding this skill (heading).
I am certainly more sensitive and aware of concussions than I was in previous years.
Also, as a long time NYTIMES reader, I find this article lacking in journalistic quality. It seems, over recent years, that NYTIMES articles amount to essays or opinions which use, sometimes extreme, outlier anecdotal evidence to pursued a reader. In this article, I find it very interesting how the writer glosses over other head injuries suffered by Curtis Baushke.
As a youth soccer coach and Father of two young boys who love playing the sport, I find this story concerning. I do not find the need to encourage players to head the ball at the level I coach (U10). However, in the heat of the game the players sometimes use their heads in various situations. I don't believe they incur any injury in these rare occurrences but I'm torn between teaching and avoiding this skill (heading).
I am certainly more sensitive and aware of concussions than I was in previous years.
Also, as a long time NYTIMES reader, I find this article lacking in journalistic quality. It seems, over recent years, that NYTIMES articles amount to essays or opinions which use, sometimes extreme, outlier anecdotal evidence to pursued a reader. In this article, I find it very interesting how the writer glosses over other head injuries suffered by Curtis Baushke.
4
"I don't believe they incur any injury in these rare occurrences..."
Yeah? You a Dr.? You tested the kids after heading? Of course you took a baseline measure first, right? You know how to administer head trauma testing and getting a baseline, right?
Hector, if you're going to coach kids, don't coach outside your well of knowledge.
Yeah? You a Dr.? You tested the kids after heading? Of course you took a baseline measure first, right? You know how to administer head trauma testing and getting a baseline, right?
Hector, if you're going to coach kids, don't coach outside your well of knowledge.
Guys, soccer is here to stay and will swallow American Football and Baseball whole....despite this anti soccer articles...comparing the risk for concussions vs football is silly...keep trying NYT...
4
Very disappointed in the reporting. While this is an important issue and head injuries need to be taken very seriously in all sports, I couldn't believe that they buried his most severe concussive incident deep in the article. It had nothing at all to do with soccer - someone knocked him out with a bowling ball!
4
As a father, my deepest condolences to the family of this young man.
10
While it sounds like Curtis's head trauma came from a multitude of sources (baseball bats, a bowling ball, and soccer), there is no doubt at this point that concussions in soccer (typically from two players trying to head for the ball) is causing brain trauma. There is also more and more evidence that frequent heading, even if not amounting to concussions, cause long term brain trauma.
I love the sport, as does my 10 year old daughter, who plays competitive soccer, but she knows that the day she tries to head a ball, I will take her off the team.
AYSO and other youth sport organizations need to ban heading in youth soccer NOW!
Helmets are not the answer, they only make players more aggressive in using their heads, thus injuring other players (and themselves) as the helmet development in other sports have shown.
I love the sport, as does my 10 year old daughter, who plays competitive soccer, but she knows that the day she tries to head a ball, I will take her off the team.
AYSO and other youth sport organizations need to ban heading in youth soccer NOW!
Helmets are not the answer, they only make players more aggressive in using their heads, thus injuring other players (and themselves) as the helmet development in other sports have shown.
35
Coudl you please provide a link to any support for your statement that headers cause brain trauma? The reports being put out by US Soccer reveal that headers are NOT the problem. Rather, heads colliding when attempting headers is a problem.
Further, it seems that there is no direct causal relationship between any one concussion or head trauma and Curtis' condition. I feel it inappropriate to jump to such extreme concusions or call for radical changes just on these facts.
Further, it seems that there is no direct causal relationship between any one concussion or head trauma and Curtis' condition. I feel it inappropriate to jump to such extreme concusions or call for radical changes just on these facts.
Reading the comments, I can't believe the denial. Soccer is safe! We all know that. Please don't tell us anything that we don't want to hear.
6
Why the denial. Why not just remove heading from soccer just as you cannot use your hands. Insecure about their masculinity soccer players are afraid to be seen as less manly than other athletes.
1
This article is rather thin. Journalists look to find the best "example" of a phenomena that is happening to showcase the event. In this case with soccer and heading the reporter presents a complicated case with multiple causes for this young man's diagnosis. Is it possible that heading and colliding with another player--not heading the ball--may have resulted in damage? Yes. But so too the baseball blow, the bowling ball blow, and other blows. CTE is an important story because in football the purpose of the game is to hit someone and the head is used to do this despite the protective helmet or because of it. This is not true for soccer. A study or an example that is clearer would help this reporter's cause in which a kid just playing the game and not colliding and heading the ball reports dysfunction. No doubt the reporter searched for this example and couldn't find one. The editors should have told him to look harder. That said, unlike football, soccer is a game where you could ban heading until after high school without a problem and still maintain the essence of the game. You cannot do this with football. The purpose of football is to score of touchdown but the method used is to knock someone out. That's the safety difference.
4
Oh please. People get concussions in car accidents, work accidents, falling down stairs in their own homes. Maybe athletic young men should be kept at home -- with helmets on, just in case.
Interesting fact: in the decade 2003-2012, an average of 40.5 people in the United States died (and hundreds injured) while skiing or snowboarding, making these sports by far the most dangerous. Yet, the Times and others are consumed with the supposed dangers of letting your kid play football (and now soccer).
In sharp contrast to the annual carnage on the slopes, in the entire history of the National Football League, a grand total of four players have died due to playing. Nearly as many (3) died of drug overdoses, and six times as many (24!) were killed in car wrecks. The data considered, pro football players need driving lessons a lot more than stricter contact rules.
Interesting fact: in the decade 2003-2012, an average of 40.5 people in the United States died (and hundreds injured) while skiing or snowboarding, making these sports by far the most dangerous. Yet, the Times and others are consumed with the supposed dangers of letting your kid play football (and now soccer).
In sharp contrast to the annual carnage on the slopes, in the entire history of the National Football League, a grand total of four players have died due to playing. Nearly as many (3) died of drug overdoses, and six times as many (24!) were killed in car wrecks. The data considered, pro football players need driving lessons a lot more than stricter contact rules.
4
It's not the deaths, it's the horribly blighted lives.
17
It's obvious football is a death defying sport. If not on impact, then many years later after the players' lives spiral down as their brains rot into an organ that resembles mushy Swiss cheese. Not much cognition coming from this condition.
2
While, given the baseball and the bowling ball to the head, this article proves nothing about heading in soccer, if there's any evidence that heading leads to concussions which lead to brain damage, it should be banned. Soccer would still be a fine sport without it.
9
I would have found a chronology of injuries to be helpful. The baseball to the head? Hit by a bowling ball? Did he have 3 concussions that knocked him out or was his "bell rung" as his father says, "many times," in the reporter's words. Might the bipolar condition have been related to some of the aggressive play that endeared him to coaches? It also would have confused the interpretation of depression and mood swings.
It must have been a horror for him sensing himself deteriorate; and it is a horror for the parents. Years ago, I would have shared their sense that soccer was a safe sport, as compared to football. Now that we know at least a little about the precursors of CTE, it's up to parents to demand safety for the most vulnerable part of the body. In time, I think that there will be regulations that will help, but in the interim it's the parents who have to act.
It must have been a horror for him sensing himself deteriorate; and it is a horror for the parents. Years ago, I would have shared their sense that soccer was a safe sport, as compared to football. Now that we know at least a little about the precursors of CTE, it's up to parents to demand safety for the most vulnerable part of the body. In time, I think that there will be regulations that will help, but in the interim it's the parents who have to act.
5
I cannot understand why heading the ball is part of soccer. The brain is in fluid. EVERY time your head slams against something the brain will move and likely hit the skull. I have always discouraged my children from heading the ball, however the coaches, players and parents feel it is an important part of the game. People believe there is a safe way to do it. The anatomy says differently. Did I feel vindicated when my son's neurologist confirmed what I have always believed? Not really- because we were there after he suffered a concussion from heading the ball in HS soccer! He believed he would lose his position if he didn't do this. He was 100% correct. As soon as the neurologist explained to him why he could never do it, he informed his coach who immediately moved his position and standing on the team. Please keep coverage like this up NYT- everyone needs to be educated so there can be some change. Soccer can be just as great without heading the ball.
25
I don't understand why it's always the children who are expected to "play" in sports. Why are the parents always spectators/coaches? Why don't they "play" too? If there were a closer coordination between adult performance and children's performance perhaps there would be a greater general knowledge of what's at stake in "contact" sports.
6
I am in my 50's, have played soccer for over 40 years since 7th grade, and continue to play in an old-man's Sunday league. I've played every position but goalie, and have probably hurt every part of my body EXCEPT my head. Once though, in high-school, going for a header -- the other guy headed me in the nose. Not broken, but close. Headers done properly don't hurt. Even the ones returned from sky-high goal-kicks. Collisions, yes those hurt. Am I lucky to have never had a concussion -- sure. But most players I know have not gotten one either. Even my neurologist team-mate!
Before we ban things, we need to understand them.
Before we ban things, we need to understand them.
1
Job security for emergency clinics?
Before we relate irrelevant, stand alone, anecdotal meaninglessness, perhaps we should educate ourselves on the science.
This is a very poor piece of journalism, if it can be called that - it's more in the league of a rant. . It's as if the author had a bias against sports and went around trying to find a story that he could fit in here. This person was bipolar, hit by baseballs (which come in sometimes at 90 mph), hit with a bowling ball, used drugs - and you're blaming it on soccer? Played by more millions of people around the world than you can count? Now, if this was about football (NFL type) or boxing, that would be a different story.
7
There is way too much potential for head injury in soccer these days. It can be limited with a few rule changes: 1) Ban heading the ball when punted from a goalie. It's such a useless header anyway - rarely does someone head it, intentionally, to a teammate. 2) Ban heading for children who aren't yet in high school. I'd even be in favor of banning all heading, though this may see resistance. But the younger kids are, the less of a of a role heading plays, so banning it for younger kids is a good place to start. They are probably more vulnerable then anyway. 3) Severely restrict all contact. There is way too much contact in soccer right now, especially in the US. College soccer in the US is hard to watch with the constant, harsh contact. This is unnecessary. When the NFL reduced contact on wide receivers, the passing game exploded and led to more scoring. Doing the same in soccer would put the emphasis back on skill instead of aggression. Whether or not it lead to more scoring, the game would be more entertaining.
8
He was bi-polar, addicted to drugs and had been smacked in the head with a bowling ball. But yeah it was soccer's fault.
13
Denial.
11
all sport is rooted in combat and combative activities. this includes the most mundane, like track & field.
this tie is most closely seen in lacrosse where — in its original american indian/first nations form — the death of two or three participants in the contest between two peoples was expected.
whatever has been glommed on a sport since its inception (fame, wealth, a leadership learning laboratory) it remains a form of combat.
we're mindful to remember that.
this tie is most closely seen in lacrosse where — in its original american indian/first nations form — the death of two or three participants in the contest between two peoples was expected.
whatever has been glommed on a sport since its inception (fame, wealth, a leadership learning laboratory) it remains a form of combat.
we're mindful to remember that.
2
In soccer, effectiveness at heading the ball is critical. You get better at heading the ball by ... heading the ball. Again and again, in practice. Thud-thud-thud. It's not very different than the repetitive thud-thud-thud many boxers undergo while sparring in the gym. It's just not covered as much in the media. No individual thud, on its own, is bothersome. But the cumulative effect, we don't know. Some European studies I've read about directly link the cumulative effects of heading to brain issues later.
5
Here is the latest data I have seen on high school sports and concussions: http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/what-we-know-about-kids-sports-and-co...
Male soccer players have 25% as many reported concussions as male football players. Female soccer players, however, as more than twice as likely to report concussions as male soccer players. This may be because girls have thinner, weaker necks than boys, and suffer more from whiplash when struck.
Male soccer players have 25% as many reported concussions as male football players. Female soccer players, however, as more than twice as likely to report concussions as male soccer players. This may be because girls have thinner, weaker necks than boys, and suffer more from whiplash when struck.
4
I was forced to play soccer for PE in high school. The one time I headed a ball, it hurt, so I never did it again.
5
Perhaps more so than other sports soccer injuries depend on the style of play. Where headers are more common concussion is much more likely. Players who preferably field the ball with other body parts are less likely to have head injuries. I wonder how such incidents differ between the US and Europe or other parts of the world. In Spain, where the "beautiful game" - first coined for the style played in Brazil, has been emphasized, soccer is played closer to earth.
1
Soccer is and can be a dangerous sport but I don't believe that CTE is as endemic in soccer as it is in, say, football, boxing and hockey where strategy includes and/or is to hit another person. Also, lets not forget here, this kid got hit in the head by baseballs and was knocked out with a bowling ball. Don't you think that might have had a serious effect as well. I personally do not like football/hockey/boxing because those sports promote violence as a part of the sport (yes, tackling in football is violence, checking in hockey is violence) but I also would not advocate these kids not playing sports at all. And like @eddiecurra below, what are we going to do? ban sports? Put kids in plastic bubble wrap? have them wear helmets all the time? and like @eddiecurra, how about those obese kids who don't play sports. How are they doing? Are they suffering from depression? How are/were their grades? I'm not sure that the alternative is better.
4
As a player of disc golf, I have to wonder -- how does one injure oneself in this sport?
3
If he had balance problems, he could have fallen. Or he could have overreached and twisted his back.
1
The article should have said how he was injured playing disc golf, but a web search for "disc golf injuries" finds numerous examples.
I'm 57, and wondered the same thing. The only injuries I've gotten from disc golf involve my creaky shoulders.
1
Any media attention paid to CTE resulting from sports injury is a great thing. Increased awareness will diminish the development of CTE in athletes moving forward. But, demonizing any sport today because of the lack of past awareness of the connection between concussions and CTE is pointless. Now that we are aware of this connection we must insist that coaches and the administrators of sports take head injuries seriously -- take players out, give adequate recovery time, etc -- and as parents we must rationally weigh the risks of allowing our kids to participate in any sport before or after any head injury.
4
It was sad what happened to the young man, but it was not soccer that did it. Heading a soccer ball rarely causes a concussion. Getting hit in the head with a pitched baseball or by a bowling ball surely does. A collision with another player in a game (regardless of the sport) or falling and hitting one's head on the ground does. Nothing unique to soccer causes these injuries. All athletes playing contact sports -- maybe all athletes in general -- should strengthen their necks and learn how to fall. That will reduce the number of sports concussions overall.
5
There is a whole lot of clashing of heads with various body parts (including other heads) in soccer, it isn't just the ball. Perhaps contested headers should be treated as yellow-worthy dangerous play, just like a high boot near a player is.
Most head injuries in soccer occur when the player is attempting to "head" the ball. Even without causing a concussion, there is also significant evidence that repeated heading in itself causes micro-trauma to the brain.
My kid plays soccer, and I'm very supportive, but I forbid him to head the ball, no matter what his coach or his teammates say. Fortunately, his coach has been understanding, and some of his other teammates are similarly prohibited by their parents to head the ball, so he is in good company.
Soccer safety can be improved by the stroke of a pen, by eliminating heading, while still retaining the fun and skill of the game. How long shall we let these injuries continue, when we could prevent so many of them so easily?
My kid plays soccer, and I'm very supportive, but I forbid him to head the ball, no matter what his coach or his teammates say. Fortunately, his coach has been understanding, and some of his other teammates are similarly prohibited by their parents to head the ball, so he is in good company.
Soccer safety can be improved by the stroke of a pen, by eliminating heading, while still retaining the fun and skill of the game. How long shall we let these injuries continue, when we could prevent so many of them so easily?
I told my son years ago to avoid heading the ball. I was afraid that rep level coaches would push him, but they accepted it and did not insist. It won't be long before they ban headers from soccer, and then everyone will feel stupid and negligent for having encouraged it for so long.
7
Maybe they should just let them catch the ball with their hands.
1
That was allowed under some of the rules in football in England in the 19th century, before the rule became codified into the Rugby and Association forms-- it's where the "fair catch" comes from in American football.
1
European male soccer players make fortunes in their twenties and thirties and then they suddenly disappear. You don't read about them any more, they are gone. Most likely many of them are severely handicapped (brain and body) and have become the elephant in the room thus bad for business. European papers or TV programs won't touch this issue with a ten foot pole so once again it is the US (this time through this NYTimes article) that has the courage to raise this very serious problem. Women better be careful playing this dangerous game.
5
"Most likely many of them are severely handicapped (brain and body) …"
Do you have any evidence to support this speculation?
Do you have any evidence to support this speculation?
7
Rudolf, News flash, Alfredo Di Stefano, winner of the first five European Cups with Real Madrid died this year at the age of 89.
Sir Bobby Charlton, who survived a deadly plane crash with Manchester United and won a World Cup in 1966 still is a fixture at United matches at Old Trafford in his late 70s.
Got any evidence to back up your claim?
Sir Bobby Charlton, who survived a deadly plane crash with Manchester United and won a World Cup in 1966 still is a fixture at United matches at Old Trafford in his late 70s.
Got any evidence to back up your claim?
1
Every physical activity and game has some risk. If you added up all the soccer playing time across the world since the game started in the 19th century, the rate of concussion is infinitesimally tiny. Even among professional players who played last century, when the balls where made of thick leather and were significantly heavier than today's lightweight balls, there are only a handful of documented cases and scientific opinion on the issue is divided. While definitive research is clearly needed, helmets are not the answer and as someone who has played the game for >50 years, believe helmets would pose considerable risk to other players and paradoxically lead to more head injuries. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-26817099
3
One link has been posted above, at fivethirtyeight. Another is located at
http://www.headcasecompany.com/concussion_info/stats_on_concussions_sports
These show a rate of concussion in soccer that is not as egregious as football, which along with hockey are the real outliers here, but that is certainly not trivial either, especially not for girls.
I agree that helmets may be counterproductive (as is often believed to be the case in the NHL). However, these numbers do call for a search into practical ways to reduce head contact. Understanding that even sub-concussion head trauma has an accumulative effect, and suspecting that effects are greater among younger players, my suggestion set would probably include simply banning headers up to a certain age group, probably 16 or 17.
http://www.headcasecompany.com/concussion_info/stats_on_concussions_sports
These show a rate of concussion in soccer that is not as egregious as football, which along with hockey are the real outliers here, but that is certainly not trivial either, especially not for girls.
I agree that helmets may be counterproductive (as is often believed to be the case in the NHL). However, these numbers do call for a search into practical ways to reduce head contact. Understanding that even sub-concussion head trauma has an accumulative effect, and suspecting that effects are greater among younger players, my suggestion set would probably include simply banning headers up to a certain age group, probably 16 or 17.
Very poorly edited/constructed piece. Baseball to the head? Bowling ball to the head? Drug addiction? Bipolar? Are all these things possibly related to this poor young man's sad life? The sports section has been running really long cover stories lately, sometimes with gigantic photos--they fill lots of space, but do they really meet high journalistic standards?
27
I agree.
Parents who don't listen to their children are responsible for serious damage.....not just physical but emotional and mental.
3
My daughter was misdiagnosed at MGH in Boston twice, despite the obvious signs of a concussion. One neurologist in the ER said she couldn't have a concussion because she never lost consciousness. Yes, a neurologist said this to me in 2015. The medical community and ER's around the nation need to step up their game. When a child comes in and is told the following, protocol should immediately trigger the attending to think CONCUSSION:
1: child hit/fell on her head
2: excessive sleeping
3: intense headaches/migraines
4: blurry vision
5: poor balance
6: confusion
7: nausea
8: little or no appetite
9: sensitivity to light and sound
Why is this so difficult to incorporate in to ER protocol? Please, don't be told all these symptoms and discharge a child with "migraine" and then the neurologist has the gall to call and schedule a follow up to treat said child for migraine. Do your job!
1: child hit/fell on her head
2: excessive sleeping
3: intense headaches/migraines
4: blurry vision
5: poor balance
6: confusion
7: nausea
8: little or no appetite
9: sensitivity to light and sound
Why is this so difficult to incorporate in to ER protocol? Please, don't be told all these symptoms and discharge a child with "migraine" and then the neurologist has the gall to call and schedule a follow up to treat said child for migraine. Do your job!
33
It would be one thing if these symptoms are essentially continuous but with the exception of the head trauma, all the other symptoms frequently occur episodically with migraine headaches.
As others have pointed out, we need broader studies of the incidences of concussions and CTE among soccer players. But even with data indicating a serious problem, I'm not sure that much will happen; we know that football is inherently dangerous (and not just because of concussions, but also damaging to knees, hips, etc) and it is as popular as ever.
3
Heading the ball should be prohibited in youth and high school soccer except maybe on a corner kick. Watching a recent high school soccer match was a terrifying and frustrating experience as I watched players kick balls high to each other as opposing players would each go up to head the ball and nearly knock each other out. Players would use headers to pass the ball from one to the other. If heading the ball were prohibited from the game the players would learn better foot skills the game would be more interesting instead of horrifying. My son currently plays youth soccer and I am not looking forward to his playing at the high school with the dangers to his health that can completely be avoided while actually improving the quality of play.
17
He'll be really safe if you just keep him home.
How about we also ban tackling and shooting hard? Those things look really dangerous too. Also, the goal posts should be padded. And for that matter, running is pretty dangerous too I think only walking should be allowed. And really, I think the teams should be restricted to only playing within their own half to avoid any possible contact. I've also heard that it soccer gets played in a variety of different weather conditions, such as heat and cold and rain. I think it should only be played when it's 72 degrees out. And cloudy, or else they might get sunburns which lead to skin cancer
Absolutely unbelievable that there are only 3 comments on this article. The silence is deafening. No one wants to face the fact that all these super competitive sports may be hazardous to our children's health. Where is this all going to end?
There is nothing in life that is risk free. Get over it.
2
Yes, your right, we should outlaw all sports. After all my sons school says that competition is bad.
1
I know, right?!? It's unbelievable that these grieving parents, the author of this article, and so many commenters are clamoring to ban all sports! The nerve of...
Wait...where did they advocate that, exactly? Or imply that?
Wait...where did they advocate that, exactly? Or imply that?
This won't bring him back - nothing can - but would it be too much to end Federal funding for any college or university that considers participation in the concussion-causing contact sports as a factor for general admission? (As opposed to 'athletic scholarships', which are a farce anyway, but that's another story.) As long as students feel a need to prove to those in charge of college admissions that they're 'macho' enough to ignore pain and the risk of permanent injury, these horror stories will just go on, and on, ad nauseum.
'But', counter the fitness and competition freaks, 'Don't those sports build bodies?' Indeed they do. Over time, mounds of them.
'But', counter the fitness and competition freaks, 'Don't those sports build bodies?' Indeed they do. Over time, mounds of them.
It remains a mystery why humans enjoy watching other humans being repeatedly clobbered and smashed and severely injured.
The violence against the human body can be horrific, and yet is somehow justified.
The violence against the human body can be horrific, and yet is somehow justified.
Nobody forces anyone to watch and nobody forces anyone to participate. You don't want to. Others do want to. Let people live their own lives as they see fit.
1
Headers are cool, but ban them anyway. CTE is a great revelation and requires all sporting leagues to take action. Can American football survive in its current form? I highly doubt it. But as this article so importantly points out, plays which are legal but which may lead to concussions should be banned.
Also world football is woefully behind in medical treatment in game. This is partly owing to the fact that medical treatment is a part of gaming the referees and winning phantom fouls, etc. and its part of the sheer incompetence of most football medical crews, who act as though they are carrying healing waters from Jesus in their water bottles rather than just plain water when they simply address any major injury with a spritz of water.
Also world football is woefully behind in medical treatment in game. This is partly owing to the fact that medical treatment is a part of gaming the referees and winning phantom fouls, etc. and its part of the sheer incompetence of most football medical crews, who act as though they are carrying healing waters from Jesus in their water bottles rather than just plain water when they simply address any major injury with a spritz of water.
1
Smart people have recognized by now that shaking up the brain, concussion, specially in adolescents is a very risky proposition. Caveat Emptor
Promoters of "contact-sports" are probably the sole beneficiaries of the exciting collisions between the soft brain tissue and hard skull bones.
Promoters of "contact-sports" are probably the sole beneficiaries of the exciting collisions between the soft brain tissue and hard skull bones.
1
Am I reading this article right? These parents knew their kid - maybe because of his style of play, or whatever - was getting "clocked" badly and repeatedly - and they did nothing about it?
Paul, I have seen pretty convincing arguments that Rugby is safer than football because the helmets in football give a false sense of invincibility in regards to concussions. Rugby players tend not to have the head to head trauma that elicits a concussion. Professional soccer players certainly run a risk of concussions, just by heading a ball so many times. Hockey has numerous opportunities for serious injury, but the sport is only about 1/10th as popular as football (at least in the US). I have often wondered how soon football will fade away, if only for the concussion & liability concerns starting at the high school level. Football, as a sport, is probably one of the best spectator sports, but seems inevitable that the rule changes will profoundly change the character of the sport to the point where it doesn't resemble what would be considered true "football". As for boxing, that sport has basically disappeared from sports in the US, though you could argue MMA still has a foothold in certain markets. Basketball probably will stay relatively popular, though a lot of the female basketball players have ACL injuries - which can be quite devastating for long term athletic competition.
2
I'm not quite sure as to the point of this article. Abolish soccer? Go ahead and play tackle football because bad things can happen anyway? Looking forward to the author's next article on a child who drowns in a bucket, which happens roughly 12 times per year if memory serves.
2
Why is the bowling ball injury only mentioned in passing, without further exposition on the severity relative to the soccer ball injuries? It seems to me like there were other factors in this young man's life that may have contributed to the C.T.E. I think soccer is still far far safer than football and boxing, orders of magnitude safer. There is risk in every endeavor, even in riding a bicycle around a cul-de-sac. It is important to place it in context if you don't want to come across sounding like a hysterical alarmist.
7
Life has risks.
2
Conclusion to be drawn from this article- if your child had been hit on the head by a baseball, then knocked unconscious by a bowling ball, perhaps s/he should not play any contact sport.
5
Dan Barry....shame!
Headline essentially blaming soccer for this unfortunate boy's chronic brain injury and death. Glossed over was the fact that he stopped playing baseball because he got hit in the head. And, as others point out, was hit in the head by a bowling ball.
I've banged my head in the house, just walking around. Should I live in a tent?
Irresponsible journalism, just to get printed, is sad stuff.
Headline essentially blaming soccer for this unfortunate boy's chronic brain injury and death. Glossed over was the fact that he stopped playing baseball because he got hit in the head. And, as others point out, was hit in the head by a bowling ball.
I've banged my head in the house, just walking around. Should I live in a tent?
Irresponsible journalism, just to get printed, is sad stuff.
9
Denying a problem exists because you disagree with what he represented doesn't make you look too bright.
Doesn't sound as if CTE is the only or even the principal cause of this poor guy's troubles.
4
Full90 (http://full90.com/) and other companies now make soccer headgear that reduces the rate of concussions from head-to-head impact by 33%, according to a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (http://full90.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/BJSM-Supp-05-Headgear.pdf). While the headgear did not reduce the rate of concussions from head-to-ball impact, those are very rare regardless.
Headgear should be mandatory, like shin guards, and coaches in U13 and younger programs should focus on teaching players to play the ball at their feet, not with their heads.
Headgear should be mandatory, like shin guards, and coaches in U13 and younger programs should focus on teaching players to play the ball at their feet, not with their heads.
Ban headers, and head-to-head impact will be rare. Helmets are used for attack in football, thus increasing head-to-head occurrences and impact.
CTE KIDS I predict that sooner rather than later, schools will be sued for reckless endangerment of children because they sponsor sports that predictably result in CTE--chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Retired football pros just won a huge award because of suffering from CTE. But we won't know the details of the suits schools lose, because the entire process is sealed from public scrutiny due to the need to protect the privacy of the children involved. Yes, children! Eventually, school officials will be reported to child welfare agencies and found to have engaged in physical child abuse and medical neglect. When that happens, those who agree with sports that result in brain damage will be barred forever from working with children. Progress toward protecting children will be undetectable. But schools cannot afford the huge damage awards that will result from successful suits. Nor will educators wish to be found guilty of violating the most basic ethics of their professions by protecting the physical and mental integrity of those in their charge. Change will require reeducation. It will demand an acceptance of the fact that sports involving brain trauma injure and ultimately kill or severely impair children. Destroying young brains has nothing whatsoever to do with "manning" up. Be definition men, and women too, for that matter, are living beings. Those who die from CTE are gone forever. The facts are grim; the remedies grimmer. In loco parentis is damned hard.
1
How about putting the emphasis on academic achievement. It's amazing what they will be able to accomplish in life. Just a thought
6
He got hit in the head with a bowling ball?!
2
Yeah, that was my reaction too. I want to hear about that in detail and not just in passing. Sounds wacky...
My previous comment aside, I still love soccer, and do consider it to be safer overall than American football and ice hockey. I have a history of concussions as well, and the possibility of CTE does worry me, though thankfully I haven't any worrying symptoms (being an RN, I'm well-versed in abnormal neurological symptoms). I was a goalie is soccer, and sustained a concussion in a collision with the goal post while attempting a save, though I was not knocked out; I was also a goalie in lacrosse during high school, and despite wearing a helmet, had a concussion after a shot hit my head--which resulted in a loss of consciousness. And two years ago, I was in a minor car accident which also resulted in a concussion.
As an RN and an EMT, I can also say that no head trauma is considered minor--as evidenced by the fact that we no longer grade concussions by severity. They are all considered TBIs (traumatic brain injuries), and as a general rule, we do not allow athletes who sustain a head injury during play to return until they have been assessed and cleared for return by a physician.
As an RN and an EMT, I can also say that no head trauma is considered minor--as evidenced by the fact that we no longer grade concussions by severity. They are all considered TBIs (traumatic brain injuries), and as a general rule, we do not allow athletes who sustain a head injury during play to return until they have been assessed and cleared for return by a physician.
17
Anyone who watches soccer regularly would not call soccer a "safer" game than American football, ice hockey or baseball. Soccer is actually a reasonably violent sport...while most injuries occur to the feet, ankles and legs, any sport that promotes the use of the head to direct the ball cannot be considered low-risk.
6
As a youth soccer coach for the past six seasons, I discourage my players from using direct headers; a soft touch to control and direct the ball every now and then is okay. I was fortunate to have a team parent early on who was an ER doc and she strongly advised against them.
11
There are lots of dangers in life. Some we can hide from, others not easily - like Bauschke being hit in the head with a bowling ball by a classmate. That must have been severe. I have known a lot of people with brain injuries - sometimes from sports, often accidents in "ordinary life." It is difficult to watch your brain deteriorate and truly sad to see in a young person but what are we willing to give up for "safety" that may not be truly achievable anyway?
Not truly achievable?
Are you saying that we are incapable of coming up with a game (like soccer) and cannot play it safely? Joke, right?
Have you even read The Laws Of The Game?
Are you saying that we are incapable of coming up with a game (like soccer) and cannot play it safely? Joke, right?
Have you even read The Laws Of The Game?
I was bonked in the head once playing soccer. Never again. They should ban head hits in that sport.
1
I'm sorry for this tragic loss, but doesn't the sport of soccor seem unsafe by definition, using your bare head to hit a ball?
The role of concussions in CTE is well established. But the role of subconcussive force(s) - difficult to measure and poorly understood - is also problematic. A soccer player heading a hard soccer ball is a good example; or a football or hockey player engaged in jarring collisions. While Curtis Baushke suffered the effects of documented concussions, he also suffered from bipolar disorder, which is mentioned in an offhand way. That should not be overlooked when trying to sort out his depression, mood swings and prescription drug abuse
One other point. Perhaps the drug OD was accidental but it may have been suicide. It's worth noting that both bipolar disorder and drug abuse increase the risk of suicide. CTE is not the only cause.
Thank you for getting the word out . A young woman I know had 4 concussions in about 2 years from doing gymnastics. I told her mother after the 3rd one about all the news on CTE and she still let her daughter compete again...and had the 4th concussion within a week or so of returning. The issue is to take any concussion seriously.
1
@CZ: "... 4 concussions in about 2 years from doing gymnastics."
What type of gymnastics? What grade?
What type of gymnastics? What grade?
I am confused. The article states that he had bipolar disorder which can cause dramatic mood swings and depression yet it says that these symptoms were suggestive of postconcussive trauma. Is it saying his bipolar disorder was misdiagnosed?
it's also worth noting that this article notes the Curtis' illicit drug abuse. As drugs can cause brain changes, would the author comment on how it was determined the drugs had nothing to do with his brain changes. The Times articles on concussions and brain injury have consistently chosen to overlook this issue.
Finally, it is worth noting that in very few cases of migraine headaches are any underlying causes for the headaches found. Unfortunately because most people believe that all headaches must be caused by some underlying brain problem they undergo many diagnostic tests which almost always are negative. And in those cases where there are positive findings such as in brain tumors, there are virtually always other symptoms such as motor or sensory changes even before the headaches begin.
it's also worth noting that this article notes the Curtis' illicit drug abuse. As drugs can cause brain changes, would the author comment on how it was determined the drugs had nothing to do with his brain changes. The Times articles on concussions and brain injury have consistently chosen to overlook this issue.
Finally, it is worth noting that in very few cases of migraine headaches are any underlying causes for the headaches found. Unfortunately because most people believe that all headaches must be caused by some underlying brain problem they undergo many diagnostic tests which almost always are negative. And in those cases where there are positive findings such as in brain tumors, there are virtually always other symptoms such as motor or sensory changes even before the headaches begin.
2
What's not clear in any of these articles (perhaps because it's unknown) is if a person has be knocked unconscious to develop CTE.
If CTE can occur without ever having been unconscious, then athletes need to be educated to count all hits to their heads. And pediatricians need to start to talking to parents about head injuries when children are toddlers, not after a child athlete who loves a sport is knocked out and then must be dragged away from the sport.
The fact that this same young man was hit with a bowling ball (which had nothing to do with him playing a sport) made me wonder how often CTE is found in non-athletes who suffer head injuries. Is one such injury enough to cause CTE? How do we know?
If CTE can occur without ever having been unconscious, then athletes need to be educated to count all hits to their heads. And pediatricians need to start to talking to parents about head injuries when children are toddlers, not after a child athlete who loves a sport is knocked out and then must be dragged away from the sport.
The fact that this same young man was hit with a bowling ball (which had nothing to do with him playing a sport) made me wonder how often CTE is found in non-athletes who suffer head injuries. Is one such injury enough to cause CTE? How do we know?
Knocked unconscious 3 times? I played competitively through college, and can't think of anyone getting knocked unconscious ever. And I continued to play for another 10 years in rec leagues - likewise, noone knocked unconscious.
In football, the stats are incredible. In soccer, the Times digs up anecdotes that are incredible outliers and act like "see, it's just like football."
In football, the stats are incredible. In soccer, the Times digs up anecdotes that are incredible outliers and act like "see, it's just like football."
2
Anecdotes are not useful data. What is the concussion rate in soccer (and other sports)? How often to tragedies like Curtis's occur?
3
I identify with this because I have had 3 concussions (2 from high school football) and am bipolar. Around 15% of bipolar people kill themselves.
I stared having problems with anxiety and depression when I was 15, before my first concussion. In AA they say things like "don't give up before the miracle." I had an anxiety disorder that went away 30 years after it started by taking the drug Tenex. I also stopped being hospitalized shortly after Zyprexa went on the market.
I have already lost, and then found, my mind. But I acknowledge it could get worse. I may be able to deal with slight dementia, there may be new CTE drugs developed in the future, I may be relatively normal or I may kill myself, especially if my wife dies first ( I don't have kids).
Resilience is a big part of my perseverance and not everybody has the same level of resilience or tolerance for pain or resources. But anyway you look at it, this article is heartbreaking.
I stared having problems with anxiety and depression when I was 15, before my first concussion. In AA they say things like "don't give up before the miracle." I had an anxiety disorder that went away 30 years after it started by taking the drug Tenex. I also stopped being hospitalized shortly after Zyprexa went on the market.
I have already lost, and then found, my mind. But I acknowledge it could get worse. I may be able to deal with slight dementia, there may be new CTE drugs developed in the future, I may be relatively normal or I may kill myself, especially if my wife dies first ( I don't have kids).
Resilience is a big part of my perseverance and not everybody has the same level of resilience or tolerance for pain or resources. But anyway you look at it, this article is heartbreaking.
8
all things in moderation including physical activity. children can have fun playing soccer w/o every heading the ball, even once.
6
Somewhat astonished by these reports about deaths in sports, rare that they are. I would suggest the NY Times do a series on how fat kids who don't play sports are getting; or, the positive impact of high school sports on race relations; or, how people who drive actually die in traffic accidents (ban cars?). It seems this reporter in particular is cherry picking sad stories to try to make a bigger point, which is, ban sports? How about a series on people killed or badly injured while mowing their grass?
15
I think you're missing the point. The article never suggests that we should ban all sports but rather that concussion awareness has to be front and center in soccer in particular and all sports in general. The effects of concussions are cumulative. Whereas 10 or 15 years ago the tendency of a coach may have been to tell a player to shake it off and tough it out then get back in the game, now there are convenient apps for your smart phone with easy to understand checklists if you suspect a concussion and resources for what to do if there is one. It wasn't one concussion that did in this young man, it was the cumulative effects of possibly many concussions. Not all kids who play sports get concussions. The ones that do need to be closely followed.
1
How about reflecting on this article on the dangers of many sports instead of trying to deflect your thoughts on unrelated issues? We as a nation, place WAY to much emphasis on sports, especially sports that involve brutalizing injuries. Don't believe it? Just look at the number of people (men in particular) who are glued to their TV sets every weekend and Thanksgiving of all holidays watching inane sports.
1
Try re=reading the story. Nowhere does the author talking about bans of any kind.
2
Golly, sports are rough. Moms don't like that. What's new?
If the women had their way, the boys would never play sports, never ride their bikes, never build rope swings in the gulches, never build tree houses 50 feet off the ground, never shoot their BB guns, on and on.....and no Rugby, or anything like that!
Reminds me also of the hair-netting lunch ladies in elementary school: you boys! Only one cookie! Stay in line! Stop that noise! Sheesh; nothing new under the sun, except they get into the NYTimes now.
If the women had their way, the boys would never play sports, never ride their bikes, never build rope swings in the gulches, never build tree houses 50 feet off the ground, never shoot their BB guns, on and on.....and no Rugby, or anything like that!
Reminds me also of the hair-netting lunch ladies in elementary school: you boys! Only one cookie! Stay in line! Stop that noise! Sheesh; nothing new under the sun, except they get into the NYTimes now.
2
I think if Curtis knew what lay ahead for him he'd not choose a sport where he used his head as a tool. There are plenty of sports where your head doesn't get battered.
1
This is insulting! And stupid! Did you ever hear of soccer moms? Sports are of great value, but as a mother, I would have said "cool it" after the first concussion. I also say, drive carefully, be careful when climbing in that tree house, don't point that BB gun at anyone and we don't play rugby in the U.S., but football is probably a no no unless it is played for skill and not to go out and 'damage' the opposition.
These are good articles being run in the Times and anyone with any sense will read them and not 'ban' sports, but use common sense in their encouragement of them.
These are good articles being run in the Times and anyone with any sense will read them and not 'ban' sports, but use common sense in their encouragement of them.
2
Well, I sustained a TBI (traumatic brain injury) as a pedestrian; a car mowed me down. (And by the way, I'm no athlete.) You might as well say, "If the women had their way, walking would be banned…" and that isn't the thrust of the article at all.
The human brain is encased in a bone shell, and is still highly vulnerable to trauma; the long-term effects of repeated brain injuries have been shown to be—as this article points out—mood swings, depression, and headaches. Another Times article I've read also claims dementia later in life is a possible effect of brain injuries.
It is of paramount importance that we take steps to protect people from getting brain injuries in the first place—and minimizing their impact.
The human brain is encased in a bone shell, and is still highly vulnerable to trauma; the long-term effects of repeated brain injuries have been shown to be—as this article points out—mood swings, depression, and headaches. Another Times article I've read also claims dementia later in life is a possible effect of brain injuries.
It is of paramount importance that we take steps to protect people from getting brain injuries in the first place—and minimizing their impact.
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I think you need to elaborate on getting hit "in the head with a bowling ball, knocking him out"; this seems as if it could be the most serious injury he suffered.
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Drug abuse can do as much damage to the brain as can any head trauma. It's sad that in the Times articles on sports related head trauma, it has largely to overlook this aspect.
I assume that's it probably because if it chose to look into this aspect families might stop cooperating with it because much of the responsibility might shift from those running the sports to the persons themselves who chose to use drugs.
I assume that's it probably because if it chose to look into this aspect families might stop cooperating with it because much of the responsibility might shift from those running the sports to the persons themselves who chose to use drugs.
Someone hit him in the head with a bowling ball? That's an awfully big detail to gloss over in an aside.
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There are now several studies that show soccer can cause not just concussions but brain damage and lower IQs. It is time for heading the ball to be banned in all youth leagues.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-heading-a-soccer-ball-cau...
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/261804.php
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-heading-a-soccer-ball-cau...
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/261804.php
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In response to Paul, tackle football is almost designed to produce concussions. In soccer/football it is an unfortunate side effect. There is quite a difference.
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Youth soccer leagues and school teams should disallow heading the ball. Furthermore, soccer helmets exist and should mandatory.
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While you're at it, how about making it mandatory to add a third wheel to all bicycles? Tricycles exist.
No to the helmets. Helmets encourage the use of the head as a "weapon" and generally more reckless playing.
Very sad story. It may be time to take a look at the rules and try to determine if there are plays (e.g. headers) that can be somehow restricted at least in early up to high school play (assuming that's the problem). The simple answer is that kids and adults need sport to exercise, for camaraderie, and generally for good health and there are few things that are absolutely safe in this world. The question is, how to keep it as healthy and safe as possible.
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It's just common sense--that the head is not made to used as a club or a bat, and any sports that require the head to hit or pound an object or ball, or block an advancing player, or function as a plow so that one player can plow into the bodies of other players--whether in motion or standing still--whether the "players" are wearing helmets or not--all of these percussive uses of athletes' heads are endangering their delicate brain tissues that nature placed inside of protective skulls, and all to what end? For the sake of winning a sports competition that has been allowed to jeopardize the thinking capacity of any player subjected to those repeated forceful impacts on their brains. No amateur or professional sports should be allowed to place the brains and lives of their players at such great risk. Not in schoolyard games or in professional sports. It's too great a sacrifice to make for the sake of winning a game.
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I am usually one of the first to praise these stories, but this one is more complicated. When did that bowling ball hit to the head happen? Did it knock him unconscious, and for how long? He could have sustained a pretty bad head injury in that one incident.
Regardless of the cause, though, the idea of a teenage boy having CTE is frightening. I wonder if parents will soon start forbidding their children to play any sport that carries a remote chance of a head hit? I do look forward to the day when the NFL has trouble recruiting because so few boys want to be football players any more, or because so many parents never let those boys play in the first place, out of the reasonable fear of their child developing CTE.
Regardless of the cause, though, the idea of a teenage boy having CTE is frightening. I wonder if parents will soon start forbidding their children to play any sport that carries a remote chance of a head hit? I do look forward to the day when the NFL has trouble recruiting because so few boys want to be football players any more, or because so many parents never let those boys play in the first place, out of the reasonable fear of their child developing CTE.
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@JD: "Did it [the bowling ball] knock him unconscious, ..."
The article is deplorably vague about his concussion history, but it does say that he was knocked out when he was hit with the bowling ball: "... a disturbed classmate hit him in the head with a bowling ball, knocking him out."
The article is deplorably vague about his concussion history, but it does say that he was knocked out when he was hit with the bowling ball: "... a disturbed classmate hit him in the head with a bowling ball, knocking him out."
In my pediatric practice, my advice to parents whose children are starting in soccer is to never allow their children to head the ball. Soccer is the only sport that allows a participant to use their head as an initial contact point. Even in high school football, using your head as an initial contact point (spearing ) is not allowed.
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@PM: ".... my advice to parents whose children are starting in soccer is to never allow their children to head the ball."
How do you suggest parents implement your advice? Complain to coaches? File a lawsuit?
How do you suggest parents implement your advice? Complain to coaches? File a lawsuit?
As an aside you include: "as well as that upsetting day when a disturbed classmate hit him in the head with a bowling ball, knocking him out." So it wasn't just soccer that caused his CTE.
33
The nightmare I hope never comes to my door but I fear as the parent of former soccer playing son who had several concussions and a football playing one who quit after his second one (the first one came from marital arts). My stomach churns every time I read one of this articles, or worse yet, the ones that link ALS with concussions. My heart goes out to these parents.
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The ALS link with concussions is a very tenuous one and is far from a settled issue. The Times article awhile back linking Lou Gehrig's suffering from this disease and his once being hit in the head with a baseball left out any explanation of why players such as Don Zimmer who suffered far more severe head trauma didn't develop it.
He was hit in the head at a very young age by a baseball, and knocked unconscious after being hit in the head with a bowling ball by some disturbed kid. These events may have done far more damage than anything that happened to him on the soccer field. We will never know. This article sheds no light on the dangers of head trauma and CTE in soccer.
28
Soccer also has a TON of head to ground concussion injuries. The reality is that suburban school, parents, coaches, etc are ALL to blame. There are those experts in the concussion field that say no GREATER THAN 3 concussions in a LIFETIME increases your risk of permanent long term injury. I know this because I am a concussion doctor. If my son has ONE head hit, he is pulled from any contact sport. I am the parent responsible for his well being for now.
I feel this obsession with sports is ridiculous.
I feel this obsession with sports is ridiculous.
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Hear! Hear!
If this were part of an emerging trend, it would be newsworthy. As long as all evidence suggests that it is an isolated case, it simply is not newsworthy. Athletes will die this summer from heat-related causes. Children will drown in swimming pools. And runners will have heart attacks on the road and die. None of these are reported because they have no general significance. This story is the same.
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Obviously they were reported as having significance because you read them somewhere. This is not a 'unique' case, but it is not an isolated case.
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Our son also played the "safer" game of soccer. The first year he played, he knew two kids who broke bones in soccer, and only one in football. That was our first clue.
I'm wondering why, especially after the NYT ran that spectacular series on Derek Boogaard, that hockey is not mentioned in this article, along with football, boxing, and soccer.
I'm wondering why, especially after the NYT ran that spectacular series on Derek Boogaard, that hockey is not mentioned in this article, along with football, boxing, and soccer.
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Please keep running these stories. So many parents are in denial.
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Absolutely!
What part of the insanity of using one's head to hit a ball coming at who knows what level of force do parents, coaches and others not understand? Whether in elementary, middle, high school, or beyond, it is long past time to end the soccer craze, in favor of saving the minds and lives of countless people. WAKE UP, PLEASE, beofre more are irreparably harmed.
What part of the insanity of using one's head to hit a ball coming at who knows what level of force do parents, coaches and others not understand? Whether in elementary, middle, high school, or beyond, it is long past time to end the soccer craze, in favor of saving the minds and lives of countless people. WAKE UP, PLEASE, beofre more are irreparably harmed.
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Wow, an anti-soccer perspective. Amazing. and we thought soccer was the world's sport, unassailable and perfect. Maybe not so. Injuries, including concussions, happen in many sports. At least football players wear pads and helmets to mitigate them.
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But helmets don't mitigate them. That's the biggest fallacy out there. Helmets mitigate skull fractures, but the brain still slams around inside the skull when subjected to impact. That's what causes concussions, and in turn, CTE - the sudden impact of the brain on the inside of the skull opposite the side taking the hit.
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the current football helmets do not mitigate the damage enough and the helmets do fall off and then the helmet less player receives a severe blow etc.
2
concussions do occur in soccer when two players heads connect, not when they head the ball. the question is how often do players have head to head contact in a game.
although football players do wear pads and helmets such armor has not mitigate the problem of concussions in fact they have increased them as the players believe they are invulnerable. one would need to look at the rate of concussions during the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s to see if there has been an increase or not
this article is just one more attempt to besmirch soccer
although football players do wear pads and helmets such armor has not mitigate the problem of concussions in fact they have increased them as the players believe they are invulnerable. one would need to look at the rate of concussions during the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s to see if there has been an increase or not
this article is just one more attempt to besmirch soccer
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