By- Kevin M. Neibauer
Let me start out by stating that I am not a medical professional nor a person who is well versed in Concussions.With that being stated. I was pondering the world of concussions and the evolution of the awareness of the risk and damage.
Being a half a century old, I have been a sports fans for over forty years, not just Philly sports, but sports in general. I vividly remember the Broad Street Bullies, The Big Red Machine, Larry Bird, The Steel Curtain and the list goes on.
What strikes me is the differences then and now, some clear, some subtle. Injuries in sports ar as old as the sports themselves. the nature of injuries seems, at least to me, directly correlated to the amount of equipment or, protection worn by the participants.
Allow me to start the diatribe as simply as this...medical personnel and experts all are cautioning everyone about the "hazards" of concussions.
To me, this is a new phenomenom. In the 70's, rarely did one see a hockey player brandishing a "helmet". In fact, even goaltenders did not don them, or in fact any type of facial protection, such as a mask. I remember one Philadelphia Flyer, Ross Lonsberry wearing a helmet. His reasoning?
He was balding and very vain about losing his hair and wore the helmet to cover his baldness. Only a handful of players ever thought about wearing a helmet. To me, this is when the game changed.
The influx of European players, who typically wore helmets, along with the advent of "eye shields", crept in and induced a growing lack of regard for the need to keep the stick "on the ice".
Helmets, which were intended to help the game, for me, brought about a certain callous attitude about the safety of others.
As the sport has grown to become a viable marketable commodity with players being bought and sold like stocks, and those players increasing in height, weight, strength, and body mass, the game has now become much more risky. More equipment, more rules, more concussions.
Football is the sport that one would expect the obvious, huge bodies crashing into huge bodies...concussions would occur. Again, more and more protective equipment. Once again, more and more injuries.
Baseball...the oddest of them all. For nearly two centuries, catchers and home plate umpires have had facial protection. In the beginning, needless to say, very primitive. As technology evolved, the catcher's mask evolved into a beautiful protective device.
The casual observer sees a catcher or umpire get hit with a thrown or batted ball and reels in horror when the mask flies off or gets twisted sideways. Bottom line, that means the device worke dlike a charm, they are designed to deflect the concussion of the hit of the cranium and into the padding and as a result, deflect the blow by ejecting itself away from the area.
Here in the 21st century, what do catcher's and umpire's (I am guilty) choose for the head protection? More and more, it is the hockey style goalie helmet. Unless the individual has it custom made, it is nearly as risky as going behind the plate with zero protection.
To show the irony of the world we live in. We watch and cheer wildly for two sporst which the same doctor's who warn against the dangers of concussion sit, within blood range and scream their well educated faces off.
Boxing and Ultimate Fighting. Only protection donned by the participants? A cup...no head gear....
So, my point may be made right there. The more protection you wear, the less protection you have....
