Association of Professional Football Cumulative Head Impact Index Scores With All-Cause Mortality Among National Football League Players

ObjectiveTo examine the effect of concussion history and cumulative exposure to collision sports on baseline serum biomarker concentrations, as well as associations between biomarker concentrations and clinical assessments.MethodsIn this observational cohort study, β-amyloid peptide 42 (Aβ42), total tau, S100 calcium binding protein B (S100B), ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolyzing enzyme L1 (UCH-L1), glial fibrillary acidic protein, microtubule associated protein 2, and 2′,3′-cyclic-nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase serum concentrations were measured in 415 (61% male, 40% white, aged 19.0 ± 1.2 years) nonconcussed collegiate athletes without recent exposure to head impacts. Regression analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between self-reported history of concussion(s), cumulative years playing collision sports, clinical assessments, and baseline biomarker concentrations. Football-specific analyses were performed using a modified Cumulative Head Impact Index. Clinical assessments included symptom, cognitive, balance, and oculomotor tests.ResultsAthletes with a greater number of concussions had a higher baseline Aβ42 concentration only (ρ = 0.140, p = 0.005, small effect size). No biomarker concentrations correlated with cumulative exposure to collision sports. Race status fully mediated the correlations of S100B, UCH-L1, and Aβ42 with cognitive scores. Football exposure, specifically, was not associated with serum biomarker concentrations or clinical assessment scores based on the modified Cumulative Head Impact Index.ConclusionConcussion-related serum biomarkers showed no consistent association with concussion history, cumulative exposure to collision sports, or clinical assessments in a sample of healthy collegiate athletes. Serum Aβ42 concentrations could increase following multiple previous concussions. Considering race status is essential when investigating links between biomarkers and cognition. The biomarkers studied may not detect residual effects of concussion or repetitive head impact exposure in otherwise asymptomatic collegiate athletes without recent exposure to head impacts. Much more research is needed for identifying reliable and valid blood biomarkers of brain trauma history.

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No Football Fans, Just Football Intellectuals

Pigskin Nation ◽

10.5622/illinois/9780252041709.003.0002 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Jesse Berrett

Keyword(s):

National Football League ◽

Professional Football ◽

Playing Field ◽

Football Fans

This chapter explores how official National Football League publications encouraged and attempted to manage a range of interpretations of professional football. These books set out a playing field and opened it for discussion. Even as liberal social observers worried about pro football’s rising appeal, conservatives celebrated its meritocratic traditionalism, radicals found it terrifying, and journalists increasingly made fun of its pretentions to gravitas, David Boss’s books conveyed the broad notion that football mattered in the broader culture and was worthy of serious intellectual consideration. Without centering on a particular meaning, they emphasized the idea that football mattered in the wider culture.

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Increasing Incidence of Pectoralis Major Ruptures in NFL Players

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967119s00396 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (7_suppl5) ◽

pp. 2325967119S0039

Author(s):

Patrick Wise ◽

Robert A. Gallo

Keyword(s):

Bench Press ◽

National Football League ◽

Relative Strength ◽

Pectoralis Major ◽

Definitive Treatment ◽

Football Players ◽

Professional Football ◽

The Past ◽

Playing Time ◽

Performance Enhancing

Objectives: Pectoralis major ruptures are considered an uncommon injury in football. A previous study showing that only 10 compete ruptures occurred in the NFL between the years 2000-2010. The purpose of the study is to report the incidence of pectoralis ruptures in National Football League (NFL) players from 2010-2017 and identify any characteristics that could have contributed. We hypothesized that incidence of pectoralis major ruptures would increase over the past eight years. Methods: Using publicly available reports from websites such as ESPN.com and NFL.com, pectoralis major injuries in professional football players were identified during the years 2010-2017. Details about age, position played, injury setting, performance enhancing drug (PED) suspensions, and combine performance were obtained from NFL Combine and compared to peers at the same workout. Results: During the eight years analyzed 51 separate NFL players suffered a total of 55 pectoralis major ruptures. Defensive players accounted for 82% (42 of 51) of the injured players. The ruptures happened at the average age of 26±1 years, and 76.4% (42 of 55) of them occurred during games. After the rupture, 87.3% (48 of 55) required surgery, while definitive treatment could not be determined for the remaining seven injuries. For athletes that received playing time before injury and had their rupture occur prior to the most recent 2017 season, 85.4% (41 of 48) returned to play in a game. When comparing athletes at the combine who later ruptured their pectoralis major to peers at their position, those who tore their pectoralis major tendon on-average ranked in the 63 rd percentile for bench press (N=40), 50th percentile for arm length (N=14), and 52nd percentile for 20-yard shuttle (N=20). When the NFL suspension records were examined, only 5.9% (3 of 51) of players with a pectoralis major rupture had been suspended for (performance-enhancing drug) PED use before or after the injury. Conclusion: The total number of pectoralis major ruptures has drastically risen from 10 cases between 2000-2010 to 55 cases from 2010-2017. The reason behind this increase remain uncertain but appears to be independent of relative strength, agility, and arm length, and suspension for PED use.

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Risk Taking and Aggression On and Off the Field: Evidence from the National Football League

The B E Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy ◽

10.1515/bejeap-2018-0195 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Qi Ge

Keyword(s):

Job Performance ◽

Risk Taking ◽

National Football League ◽

Professional Football ◽

Repeat Offenders ◽

Behavioral Traits ◽

Field Evidence ◽

Career Span ◽

Career Performance ◽

Detailed Record

Abstract We study the behavioral link between NFL players’ off-field misconduct and their on-field infractions by matching a comprehensive dataset of players’ off-field arrests with detailed record of on-field penalty calls. Results from Poisson regressions indicate that players with arrest record are likewise observed to have significantly higher tendencies for aggression-related penalties, implying their inherent preferences toward risks or aggression. Such association is particularly salient among repeat offenders. We also find that repeat offenders boast stronger overall career performance and longer career span compared to non-offenders and one-time offenders, suggesting that the related behavioral traits can be instrumental to job performance in professional football.

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Repetitive head impact exposure and later‐life plasma total tau in former National Football League players

Alzheimer s & Dementia Diagnosis Assessment & Disease Monitoring ◽

10.1016/j.dadm.2016.11.003 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 33-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Michael L. Alosco ◽

Yorghos Tripodis ◽

Johnny Jarnagin ◽

Christine M. Baugh ◽

Brett Martin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

National Football League ◽

Later Life ◽

Head Impact ◽

Total Tau

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Lower Cervical Posterior Element Fractures in the National Football League: A Report of 2 Cases and a Review of the Literature

Neurosurgery ◽

10.1227/neu.0b013e31821815af ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 68 (6) ◽

pp. E1743-E1749 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Mark C. Drakos ◽

Brian T. Feeley ◽

Ronnie Barnes ◽

Mark Muller ◽

T. Pepper Burruss ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cervical Spine ◽

National Football League ◽

Clinical Presentation ◽

Axial Loading ◽

Football Players ◽

Unstable Fracture ◽

Professional Football ◽

Cervical Spine Injuries ◽

Spine Injuries ◽

Posterior Element

Abstract BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Injuries in professional football players are common because of the nature of the collisions and the frequency of axial loading to the cervical spine. These injuries should be thoroughly evaluated because they can put the player at risk of future injury and even paralysis. The focus of this report is to present 2 cases of this injury and review the current body of literature. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We present 2 cases of professional football players who experienced injuries to the lower posterior elements of their cervical spine simultaneously on a kickoff during a game. Both players described transient symptoms consistent with a “stinger,” which is commonly encountered. Workup revealed fractures of the lower cervical spine in both patients. One patient was able to be managed conservatively and returned to football the following season. The second patient had an unstable fracture that ultimately required operative intervention, and the patient retired from professional football. CONCLUSION: Cervical spine injuries in football players need to be adequately evaluated, and in many cases can be career threatening. We recommend that players with persistent pain after a transient neurapraxia undergo radiography and computed tomography of the cervical spine to evaluate for a fracture.

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Protective Equipment

Concussion ◽

10.1093/med/9780190937447.003.0030 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 173-176

Author(s):

Brian Hainline ◽

Lindsey J. Gurin ◽

Daniel M. Torres

Keyword(s):

Brain Injury ◽

Intracranial Hemorrhage ◽

National Football League ◽

Head Impact ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Skull Fractures ◽

Football Helmets ◽

Athletic Equipment ◽

Concussive Injury

Helmets are designed to prevent catastrophic brain injury such as skull fractures and intracranial hemorrhage. Helmets do not prevent concussion, and are sometimes used as a weapon that may actually lead to a concussive injury. Football helmets are certified by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE), and the National Football League has also developed criteria for evaluating football helmets independent of NOCSAE. To mitigate concussion and repetitive head impact exposure, the head needs to be taken out of the game, irrespective of the use of helmets.

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Concussion in professional football

Neurosurgical FOCUS ◽

10.3171/foc.2006.21.4.13 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Elliot J. Pellman ◽

David C. Viano

Keyword(s):

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Research Study ◽

National Football League ◽

Athletic Trainers ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Professional Football ◽

Time Analysis

✓In 1994 the National Football League (NFL) initiated a comprehensive clinical and biomechanical research study of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), a study that is ongoing. Data on mild TBIs sustained between 1996 and 2001 were collected and submitted by NFL team physicians and athletic trainers, and these data were analyzed by the NFL's Committee on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. At the same time, analysis of game videos was performed for on-field mild TBIs to quantify the biomechanics involved and to develop means to improve the understanding of these injuries so that manufacturers could systematically improve and update their head protective equipment. The findings and analysis of the Committee have been presented in a series of articles in Neurosurgery.

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Damn Yankees and Relocations 1964 and 1965

10.5406/illinois/9780252039140.003.0008 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

David George Surdam

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

National Football League ◽

Major League Baseball ◽

Professional Sports ◽

Professional Football ◽

Major League ◽

Sports Leagues ◽

Professional Sports Leagues

This chapter examines the issue of franchise relocation. Legislators had two main concerns throughout the series of hearings: to procure teams for their constituents while avoiding losing teams via relocation. The legislators' concerns were imbued with an element of reality, at least. Cities with multiple Major League Baseball (MLB) teams usually had one team that was struggling, and legislators held a different attitude to such teams relocating than they would with regard to later relocations of prosperous teams. This chapter first considers three options for acquiring a big-league team: purchase an existing team, hope for an expansion team in an established league, or enter a team into a new league. It then discusses the economics of franchise relocations, along with the early histories of franchise turnovers in professional sports leagues, including the National Football League (NFL) and its predecessor, the American Professional Football Association. It also looks at Columbia Broadcasting System's (CBS) purchase of the New York Yankees during the 1964 season that sparked fears of an unfair alliance.

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The First Pros

10.5622/illinois/9780252043581.003.0001 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 3-19

Author(s):

Richard C. Crepeau

Keyword(s):

National Football League ◽

Early History ◽

Professional Football ◽

History Of

This chapter briefly examines semi-professional and professional football prior to 1920 including nature of the players, teams, and fans. Describes the founding of the American Professional Football Association (APFA) in 1920 and the change of name to The National Football League (NFL) the following year. George Halas and Commissioner Joe Carr played key roles in the formation and early history of the league. Red Grange and C.C. Pyle provided new visibility for the NFL and the Grange Tour exposed the league to fans across the nation. Franchises came and went with frequency throughout the 1920s, and one of the notable franchises was the Duluth Eskimos whose fame increased with the signing of Ernie Nevers.

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