Brett Favre :-(

[newtogolf]

Okay, we won't agree then. Hockey stopped being quite so much about tough guys IMO when speed was introduced to the game over the stupid crap that perpetuated the 80s and 90s, all the gooning and clutch-and-grab nonsense. And I'm not talking about playing through injuries, which hockey players do.

Hockey players simply don't get hit thousands of times in the head per week.

Kids aren't even allowed to hit in youth hockey, so your comment about your kids makes no sense to me at all.

My kids will be my kids always, regardless of age.  They are both in H.S. now where hitting is permitted.

[newtogolf]

Chart below shows concussions are going up and some quick research states as Ernest Jones indicated that concussions are up 30% over last year at this same time.

Meanwhile concussions in the NFL are down from previous years, here are YTD numbers for both through Week 8;

• 2013 - 59
• 2012 - 74
• 2011 - 68
• 2010 - 64

[iacas]

Chart below shows concussions are going up and some quick research states as Ernest Jones indicated that concussions are up 30% over last year at this same time.

And again I'll point out that the NHL is actually calling them concussions. And NFL players sustain thousands of impacts per week, unlike hockey players, and these are potentially worse than actual concussions.

[newtogolf]

And again I'll point out that the NHL is actually calling them concussions. And NFL players sustain thousands of impacts per week, unlike hockey players, and these are potentially worse than actual concussions.

New NFL CBA severely limits hitting in practice during regular season and preseason so there's not thousands of impacts per week.  Regulations for hitting in college are even more restrictive.  If you don't like the sport or don't want your kids to play it, that's okay but let's not spread mis-information.

[iacas]

New NFL CBA severely limits hitting in practice during regular season and preseason so there's not thousands of impacts per week.  Regulations for hitting in college are even more restrictive.  If you don't like the sport or don't want your kids to play it, that's okay but let's not spread mis-information.

So far as I know, I'm not. Football players suffer more head impacts than hockey players, so far as I know. Please prove otherwise if it's true. Both sports are problematic, and both sports likely under-report injuries, and at least child hockey players can't hit each other. BTW, my kid is a ten-year-old girl with no real interest in either. :-)

[newtogolf]

I'm not. Football players suffer more head impacts than hockey players.

Please prove otherwise if it's true.

Both sports are problematic, and at least child hockey players can't hit each other.

My kid is a ten-year-old girl with no real interest in either.

I was disputing your claim that football players endure thousands of impacts per week.

I have no idea who takes more head impacts, if I had to pick I'd say football players do but it also depends on position, QB's, CB's WR's take a substantially less number of hits than lineman and linebackers where as in hockey all players except the goalie take an equal share.  In terms of concussions, the numbers seem to indicate the rate is higher in the NHL than NFL.

[jamo]

Meanwhile concussions in the NFL are down from previous years, here are YTD numbers for both through Week 8; [LIST] [*] 2013 - 59 [*] 2012 - 74 [*] 2011 - 68 [*] 2010 - 64 [/LIST]

The fact that they're down a few this year means as much as the fact that they were up a few last year: not a whole lot. You'd need to look at long-term trends if you'd want to assign any real statistical significance to the changes in concussion rate.

[RonTheSavage]

As far as I know former hockey players arent routinely staring down the business end of a gun and pulling the trigger either.

[iacas]

As far as I know former hockey players arent routinely staring down the business end of a gun and pulling the trigger either.

I think in the last two or three years a few NHL players died in suspect fashion. Derek Boogaard for one.

[newtogolf]

As far as I know former hockey players arent routinely staring down the business end of a gun and pulling the trigger either.

I think there are other demographics that factor into such claims.

[Ernest Jones]

As far as I know former hockey players arent routinely staring down the business end of a gun and pulling the trigger either.

[quote name="iacas" url="/t/70937/brett-favre/0_100#post_917085"][QUOTE name="RonTheSavage" url="/t/70937/brett-favre/54#post_917083"] As far as I know former hockey players arent routinely staring down the business end of a gun and pulling the trigger either.[/QUOTE] I think in the last two or three years a few NHL players died in suspect fashion. Derek Boogaard for one. [/quote] There have been 4-5 in the last few years. Rick Rypien was another suicide the same off season as Boogaard plus another I can't recall the name off. All were linked to post concussion syndrome and associated drug issues.

[boogielicious]

No doubt that football has more potential for concussion due to contact, but other sports are not immune.  I have had three concussions in my life. I never played football in pads, but did play rugby.  My only concussion that was sports related was in gymnastics vaulting the long horse.  I missed the end of the board and slammed chest first into the horse.  I was not only out cold for a few minutes, but I also broke my leg.

[RonTheSavage]

Wow I had no idea, I guess the concussion issues in hockey go under-reported. Or are the NFL issues over-reported???

[newtogolf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ernest Jones

There have been 4-5 in the last few years. Rick Rypien was another suicide the same off season as Boogaard plus another I can't recall the name off. All were linked to post concussion syndrome and associated drug issues.

Wow I had no idea, I guess the concussion issues in hockey go under-reported. Or are the NFL issues over-reported???

Probably a combination of both.

[RPMPIRE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ernest Jones

There have been 4-5 in the last few years. Rick Rypien was another suicide the same off season as Boogaard plus another I can't recall the name off. All were linked to post concussion syndrome and associated drug issues.

Wow I had no idea, I guess the concussion issues in hockey go under-reported. Or are the NFL issues over-reported???

I think the NFL having a much bigger audience than hockey is probably why concussion issues in the NFL are over-reported. If you watch Sportscenter, how much of the coverage today would be dedicated to hockey? The popularity of American football overwhelms the hockey audience.

[Fourputt]

Concussions happen in other sports too.  Hockey, baseball and soccer have this problem as well.  We can't just single out football.

With all of this talk about concussions in sports, I can't believe that nobody even mentions boxing, where hurting your opponent is sort of the whole point (and don't go off on my with the "they score on points" stuff.  I understand the sport, and when they talk about a boxer's record, it's like "He's 35-2-2 with 30 KO's.  A boxer without any knockouts on his resume is probably the one everybody else knocks out.  But they all take severe shots to the head as part of the contest, even when sparring.

[newtogolf]

With all of this talk about concussions in sports, I can't believe that nobody even mentions boxing, where hurting your opponent is sort of the whole point (and don't go off on my with the "they score on points" stuff.  I understand the sport, and when they talk about a boxer's record, it's like "He's 35-2-2 with 30 KO's.  A boxer without any knockouts on his resume is probably the one everybody else knocks out.  But they all take severe shots to the head as part of the contest, even when sparring.

What's this thing you call boxing???

Just kidding, I agree, talk about taking 1000's of hits to the head per week, it would seem every boxer should have CTE.

[Golfingdad]

I was disputing your claim that football players endure thousands of impacts per week.

I have no idea who takes more head impacts, if I had to pick I'd say football players do but it also depends on position, QB's, CB's WR's take a substantially less number of hits than lineman and linebackers where as in hockey all players except the goalie take an equal share.  In terms of concussions, the numbers seem to indicate the rate is higher in the NHL than NFL.

He may have overestimated the number, but his point still stands.  Football players take a lot more hits than hockey players.  Some of them (interior linemen, linebackers, fullbacks) take fairly forceful hits, frequently to the head, on just about every single play (and probably multiple hits on a lot of plays).  And even if you don't practice in full pads at all during the week (pretty sure they do at least one day) then that's going to be on the order of 100 or more hits every single week.

Hockey players take only a handful of hits per game, and those are, by and large, body to body.  Nobody leads with their head, and when people actually take shoulders or elbows to the head, there is usually a pretty heavy penalty levied against the offender.  Of course, hockey players don't wear very protective helmets so when they do get hit, their protection is compromised.

Not that it means much, but I played rec hockey (roller and ice) for about 10 years and I don't think I took one shot to the head in that entire time.  Of course, rec hockey frowns upon hitting, which is why I said it doesn't mean much, but hey. ;)