This past week NFL great Brett Favre revealed that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.
Favre expressed the new during a congressional hearing. Favre said his doctors explained to him that the number of concussions he suffered in his 20-year career made him more susceptible to a disease like Parkinson's.
Favre has previously said he knows about three or four times that he was concussed, but he estimated in a 2018 interview he likely had hundreds or even thousands based on symptoms he had over the years.
Favre's admission re-opened the conversation about head injuries and football that has been waged for years. The NFL was in the spotlight after Bennett Omalu, a forensic pathologist and neuropathologist, wrote a book on the subject which later became the basis of a movie starring Will Smith. Other sports leagues have also taken CTE and concussions into consideration based on the findings of those brain injuries.
The topic is still a controversial one among many though. In a recent Netflix documentary about Mr. McMahon and the WWE, the topic of head injuries became a point of emphasis and while the WWE brought in Harvard educated experts to try to curtail the issue there were still prominent names who said they didn't believe in the findings.
The biggest point of emphasis that doctors have been focused on is still football, and even more focused on youth football. Speaking with parents in the area they have heard the concerns and many feel like the flag football route is a good avenue to go to while children are still young. Others argue that any sport can result in injuries and they don't want to take away the joy of playing football away from their kids.
The numbers are staggering when you look at it. New research from University of Washington Medicine's Sports Health and Safety Institute and Seattle Children’s Research Institute found concussion rates among football players ages 5 to 14 were higher than previously reported. They are now saying that 5 out of every 100 youth player, or 5% of players in the youth age bracket sustain a football-related concussion each season.
Those numbers are shocking, but the study is quick to admit that it could be much more. In the past studies have relied upon hard to gauge data and inaccurate numbers. The tracking have relied on incomplete injury reports from team managers, coaches and other sources.
In fact according to the CDC, youth tackle football is one of the most dangerous of youth sports. They state that athletes between the ages of 6 and 14 are 15 times more likely to experience head impact during a game or practice. These same athletes are 23 times more likely to sustain a hard hit to the head. On average, youth tackle football players will encounter over 378 head impacts per season. That’s just one player.
The good news is that football leagues have been putting in the work to limit these issues. Teaching the proper way to tackle and techniques have been an emphasis on all levels of play. The NFL and youth athletic associations are banning certain drills and enforcing new penalties. Things such as blindside blocks, and targeting are no longer permitted in youth sports.
Brett Favre's diagnosis while tragic is also a reminder of the reality of playing a violent sport. It also however brings the awareness issue back into the main frame and allows leagues to take even more steps to protect children and adults.