Head Games

From the "Resounding 'Duh!'" File: "Dementia Risk Seen in Players in N.F.L. Study"

This story shocked us more than anything since last summer's National Weather Service report concluding that people who went about in rainstorms without umbrellas are likely to become wet.

Yes, apparently, highly muscled, 300 pound men whose profession calls upon them to collide at high speeds with other highly-muscled 300 pound men are at elevated risk for dementia later in life. Could it have something to do with years of skull-rattling impacts endured in games and in practice, day after day, for six months of every year?

The study indicates that comparatively young former football players, those in the 30 to 49 year old age group, are diagnosed with Alzheimer's or other memory-impairing diseases at a rate some 19 times higher than the general population. 19 times higher!!! (We know what we said about exclamation points, but, come on--19 times!!!) Thing is, though, another way of putting this is that, among non-NFL players, the incidence of dementia is 0.1 percent; among former NFL players, it's 1.9%.

Hardly alarming news, we think. After all, most people who make it to the NFL and stay there for at least three seasons (the minimum playing time of those surveyed) are literally living a dream. Had you told 100 of these men while they were playing on their high school teams that they would all get to play in the NFL for at least three years but that two of them would fall prey to Alzheimer's at a comparatively young age, how many of those players do you think would hang up their cleats? Our guess? Not many.

We also think it worth noting that, while former NFL players report a higher rate of dementia than the general population, they also report a lower rate of ulcers and heart attacks, presumably because, as athletes, these folks were more likely to eat right and exercise regularly.

Look, if this study leads to sturdier helmets or rules changes to reduce the occurrence of concussions or other head injuries in the NFL, great. The fact remains, though, that we're all going to get old, and most of us are going to die. (Hmmm. . . . should probably switch those around.) The way we live, the choices we make, the jobs we hold, the dreams we chase all contribute to the quality of our lives and, often, the causes of our deteriorations and deaths. Should we be overly concerned that people suffer the consequences of the field they have chosen to pursue? Especially when we suspect that, knowing the risks, few of the potential victims would choose to do anything differently?