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CTE Media and the NFL: A Controversial History

Mason Powell

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Published in CTE Media And The NFL: Framing A Public Health Crisis As A Football Epidemic (Lexington Studies In Health Communication)

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Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative brain disease that is caused by repeated head trauma. It is most commonly seen in athletes who have played contact sports, such as football, hockey, and boxing. CTE can lead to a variety of symptoms, including memory loss, confusion, aggression, and depression. In some cases, it can even be fatal.

CTE, Media, and the NFL: Framing a Public Health Crisis as a Football Epidemic (Lexington Studies in Health Communication)

by Boy Scouts of America

5 out of 5

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The NFL has been under increasing scrutiny in recent years for its handling of CTE. The league has been accused of downplaying the risks of CTE and of failing to provide adequate support to players who have been diagnosed with the disease. In 2015, the NFL reached a $1 billion settlement with former players who had filed a lawsuit against the league over CTE.

The controversy surrounding CTE has led to a number of high-profile media projects. In 2015, the documentary film "Concussion" was released. The film tells the story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist who first identified CTE in football players. In 2016, the book "CTE Media and the NFL: A Controversial History" was published. The book explores the complex relationship between the NFL and the issue of CTE.

The History of CTE Research

The first case of CTE was identified in 1928 by a German pathologist named Dr. Alfons Maria Jakob. Jakob described the case of a boxer who had died at the age of 25 from a degenerative brain disease. Jakob called the disease "dementia pugilistica," or "boxer's dementia."

In the years that followed, a number of other cases of CTE were identified in boxers and other athletes. However, it was not until the 1990s that CTE began to receive widespread attention. In 1994, Dr. Julian Bailes, a neuropathologist at West Virginia University, published a study that found CTE in the brains of four former NFL players. Bailes' study was the first to show that CTE was not limited to boxers, but could also occur in football players.

In the years since Bailes' study, CTE has been diagnosed in the brains of hundreds of former football players. The NFL has been accused of downplaying the risks of CTE and of failing to provide adequate support to players who have been diagnosed with the disease.

The NFL's Response to CTE

In 2015, the NFL reached a $1 billion settlement with former players who had filed a lawsuit against the league over CTE. The settlement included a provision that required the NFL to fund research into CTE and to develop new ways to prevent and treat the disease.

The NFL has also made a number of changes to its rules and regulations in an effort to reduce the risk of CTE. In 2010, the league banned the use of head-to-head tackles in the preseason. In 2013, the league lowered the kickoff line from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line, in an effort to reduce the number of high-speed collisions.

The NFL has also invested heavily in research into CTE. In 2016, the league announced a $100 million grant to the Boston University CTE Center. The grant will be used to fund research into the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of CTE.

The Future of CTE

CTE is a serious and debilitating disease. The NFL has taken a number of steps to address the issue of CTE, but there is still much that we do not know about the disease.

In the coming years, it is important to continue to research CTE and to develop new ways to prevent and treat the disease. We also need to raise awareness of CTE and to educate people about the risks of head trauma.

By working together, we can help to defeat CTE and to protect the health of future generations of athletes.

CTE is a complex and controversial issue. There is still much that we do not know about the disease, but we are learning more all the time. The NFL has taken a number of steps to address the issue of CTE, but there is still more that can be done.

By working together, we can help to defeat CTE and to protect the health of future generations of athletes.

CTE, Media, and the NFL: Framing a Public Health Crisis as a Football Epidemic (Lexington Studies in Health Communication)

by Boy Scouts of America

5 out of 5