http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/02/09/elizabeth-nabel-chief-medical-advisor
On to the main topic I would like to discuss today: Elizabeth Nabel and the NFL's new position of "Chief Medical Advisor"
The NFL is finally responding to the consistent beating it gets every year on its dealing with concussions. The chief medical advisor is stated to be "a new position created by the NFL to assist efforts to make football safer"
So what does the NFL do? They hire someone who just last week said she had "no intention of leaving our beloved Bringham"
Here is her responsibilities:
"to participate in the league’s medical advisory committees, identify areas for the NFL to enhance player safety, care and treatment, oversee the league’s medical policies and work “with players, medical personnel and others to continually update the league's healthy and safety guidelines."
For the first time in NFL history, there was an inductee to the Hall of Fame that was not able to receive his award. Instead, his (Junior Seau's) two sons accepted the award on his behalf. I found the NFL's tribute to him both heartfelt and disturbing. The NFL has every right to ignore the tragic event that occurred on May 2, 2012. Being inducted into the Hall of Fame shouldn't be marred with such a tragic event.
But when you think about it, maybe that is exactly what the NFL needs in regards to player's safety. The commercials that aired in this year's Super Bowl were much more morose and macabre than usual. That grabbed everyone's attention. Of course this may have been a result of all the domestic violence awareness the NFL is trying to promote. But than again, commercials like the "throw like a girl" one promoted social awareness to such social norms. However, there was not a single commercial about keeping the head out of the game of football. And in regards to Seau's tribute, there wasn't a single thing said about the events that lead up to his death. The NFL could have mentioned what happened and turned it around in a positive light to show all the work that they have done from then on to promote player safety to make sure a tragedy of this magnitude would never occur again. If there was anytime to really hit their viewers emotionally, it would have been now.
I make a big deal about Junior Seau because his case is probably the most important in regards to what can be done to help solve this crisis. Seau was a first ballot Hall of Famer. His death isn't like the one of Tupac or Biggie, in which their deaths may have played a role in bringing their music to godly levels in which nowadays the two are seen to be some of the best rappers alive. Seau was a plain beast on and off the field. He already made his name in the game of football as one of the greatest to ever lace up his cleats and play the game. You can't help but think about all the kids that grew up looking up to him. The same goes to players like Tony Dorsett. As much as some people hate on sports, the impact it has on our youth and to the American culture is undeniable. We look up to athletes because they represent our city, our state, our nation. And to see the same athletes that we once admired commit such tragic acts in which they themselves cannot even control can be detrimental to the surrounding people involved. Football is a "man's sport". You put everything you got on the field and you leave it there. But I can guarantee you one thing; nobody would ever set foot on a football field if it meant costing their entire life. Seau's kids may be too young to realize just how crazy their dad's death was in regards to everything football related. And most Americans see Seau as one of the greatest linebackers to ever play the game. This is a correct statement. At the same time, he was something more than that. He was a father. A husband. Football aside for a moment, there is now one more family that does not have a father.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:iXmOyfW0rGoJ:www.researchgate.net/profile/Paul_McCrory/publication/5467854_Head_face_and_neck_injury_in_youth_rugby_incidence_and_risk_factors/links/0a85e535cf8792294c000000.pdf+RATE+OF+neck+injuries+rugby&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
^for next class
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