Group Topic Week 3 blog post

We chose football as our topic, but most specifically injuries. It has been proven that football players are more prone to suffer from medical conditions, because of the actions they pursue. For example, a new study suggests that professional football players are more likely to have neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, than the average person. This study was published recently in the medical Journal, Neurology. It surveyed 3,500 retired NFL players who were active in the league from 1959 to 1988. This idea is even more supported, since the causes of death for 334 players were high frequencies of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and ALS. These could be caused by concussions during their career. It was found that different positions can also affect the chance of getting one of these conditions. Players in speed positions actually have three times more of a chance of acquiring a neurodegenerative condition such as these. Dr. Julian Bailes, co-director of the NorthShore Neurological Institute, stated that this study is very limited in its scope since it is an observation for reporting in cause and death. Though you can only draw so much, it still supports the fact that neurodegenerative diseases can and do affect football players. http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1112688952/football-brain-injury-long-090612/