Today I Saw

I had forgotten that Dr. J and Magic Johnson overlapped. I thought Dr. J had retired by ’83. Yes, it was a marvelous dunk. Vintage.

Cougar Stadium

Cougar Stadium

My Uncle, a former BYU football player and season ticket holder, invited me to join with him today to watch San Diego State University play at BYU stadium.

The weather was perfect and I don’t think that there is a more picturesque place to watch a football game in America. These Wasatch mountains provide a stunning backdrop for those seated on the west side of the stadium.

Soccer Players! (The Rats)

My friend invited me to watch his “over 50” soccer league team play on Saturday in San Diego.  I decided to snap a few photos while there.  Here are some of the faces. 

I’m imagining that most of these guys were ALL-STARS in their youth.

Blows to the Head

Today I read an article by Malcomb Gladwell entitled “Offensive Play” How Different are Dogfighting and Football? In the article he describes how dog owners send the dogs back into the fight, despite serious injuries. Those dogs that are willing to fight through the pain and trauma are referred to as “gamers”. Likewise, in Football, those who are willing to sustain injury and get back into the game, are often applauded for their tenacity and strength.

He described some new scientific findings that confirm how repeated blows to the head lead to serious problems.

This is not really news of course, but it adds to the pile of evidence that continues to mount concerning the topic. The comparison with Dogfighting and the detailing of Michael Vick’s actions makes an interesting comparison and a compelling article.

Of course, people frequently engage in reckless behavior which will ultimately lead to health problems and or a shortening of their lifespan. They don’t even need the allure of money and fame to be tempted. Long before their was money and fame to be had in professional football, men played the sport. I personally believe that these days, every NFL football player is keenly aware of the statistics and head injury information outlined in the article. I am also not so cynical as to believe the NFL doesn’t care.  I think they are very concerned on moral grounds and in the interest of preserving their sport/business.  If I remember right, Steve Young (QB of the San Francisco 49ers) retired MANY YEARS AGO and earlier than people expected precisely because he was concerned about repeated blows to the head. He wanted to make sure he had long and dementia free life after football. Time will tell if he quit in time.

Ironically, it may be that the development of more advanced helmets with facemasks, has done more to increase head injury within the sport because of how it sped up the game, allowing for more speedy and violent collisions. As far as I know, the brain does not have pain receptors, but the surface of the skull does. A desire to avoid the pain of getting whomped in the head, may be the best protection for the brain. What is, after all, pain for?

What I would like to see, is a comparison of head injury statistics from Australian Football and Rugby (where their headgear is minimal to none) as compared to the NFL.

On a personal note, I played football beginning in Elementary school through High School. I did not play in College. I certainly had my bell run on the football field from time to time but the only significant concussion I experienced came on the BASEBALL diamond. It required a trip to two hospitals. First to a small town hospital for an initial assessment and then a drive to a larger hospital 75 miles away for further testing. I’ll spare you further details. They called it a mild concussion in the newspaper’s sports section the next day. (Yeah right!)

I think of myself as a generally safe and cautious person. I wonder what I would have done, if, in my youth, I would have read an article like Malcomb Gladwell’s. I wonder if I would have taken a pass, on football, or been compelled, with that youthful desire to test one’s mettle against others and be part of an athletic team, to participate in the face of this strong scientifically based concern. I don’t know, but I am glad that my childhood included football. Times have changed and are changing. It’s a good thing. We’re getting smarter, but it’s difficult to hold back the tide of our biology compelling us to “act out” through sports that may ultimately be detrimental to our well being.

By the way, is a Marathon good for one’s health? 🙂 How about a half marathon?

Well, while we get this all figured out, eat right, exercise regularly, and avoid banging your head.

Utah State VS Boise State

Utah State VS Boise State (4th Quarter)

Utah State IS a better team than this 4th quarter score would lead you to believe!

NBA All Star Game

I watched most of the NBA All Star game the other night.  The best thing about it the SHOW was Christina Aguilera.  When did she get so talented?  I bet what happened was that she always had the talent, she just finally found the right songs and the right choreographer or something.  I saw her on the Grammy’s too and she had it goin’ on there too.  Wow.  She’s great!  I’m glad she’s getting to show her stuff. 

The next best thing about the All Star game for me was Shaq doing a little break dancing and pretending, for a moment, to be a ball handling guard out on the perimeter.  That guy is just cool.   I wish he would lose some weight and become more dominant again, but I wish I would lose some weight too. 

Charles Barkley doing a line drill race with that referee that he used to hate was pretty cool too. 

The game was… well, what it is.  I haven’t cared about watching an all star game for years.  The only reason I watched it this time was because it was on one of my 5 high def channels. 

I think that Utah Jazz point guard, Deron Williams, deserved to be there.  He is pure talent.