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N.F.L. Tried to Influence New Concussion Research, Congressional Study Finds

nytimes.com

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Re: N.F.L. Tried to Influence New Concussion Research, Congressional Study Finds

#11

Post by dluan »

In 200 years, when we look back on how science was funded, it will seem backwards and poorly designed.

Big money has infiltrated politics, media & journalism, and of course science, but for some reason the public regards scientific research as still somewhat authentic and immune to corruption. This is far from the truth, especially in the U.S., there is hardly any authentic science left. Even those well intentioned researchers play into the system of perverse incentives; publish or perish.

Climate science, tobacco research, energy (see fracking), sugar, pharma (see IP), the field of macroeconomics, etc there need to be changes if not at least different avenues for how research is funded. Otherwise it will lead to what I like to think of as intellectual inequality.

Re: N.F.L. Tried to Influence New Concussion Research, Congressional Study Finds

#12

Post by tn13 »

Private parties trying to influence research in a way that it benefits them ? I am not surprised at all.

I think the worse trend is when government authorities do this. Then it becomes witch-hunt.

"Virgin Islands Attorney General Claude Walker used Greenpeace list to target climate change skeptics" http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/may/4/virgin-island...

Re: N.F.L. Tried to Influence New Concussion Research, Congressional Study Finds

#13

Post by karmelapple »

r00fus wrote: post #9
cheeze wrote: post #3

The problem that I see with the NFL is that they are essentially a monopoly on American Football. As a fan, I don't really have any choices. I detest many things that the NFL does, can't believe some of the players are allowed to play the game after what they do outside of work, etc. yet I have no option if I want to watch football. Combine this with the fact that NFL football is culturally ingrained in many peoples…

> I would gladly support a league of slightly worse players if it wasn't as scummy as the NFL has proven itself to be. Isn't this what the USFL and XFL were intended to be? Even if the other league were to focus on niches (like indoor football). I don't see how this changes without some anti-trust kind of oversight by a higher authority than the already profit-focused (with the consequential ethically blinders) NFL.

College football, although it feeds the NFL, still has some rules in place that reduce some of the bad behavior. Of course, there's plenty of problems there, too, but these days I feel much less guilty cheering for a university team than for a pro team.

Re: N.F.L. Tried to Influence New Concussion Research, Congressional Study Finds

#15

Post by bvladimir »

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Re: N.F.L. Tried to Influence New Concussion Research, Congressional Study Finds

#16

Post by tlb »

dluan wrote: post #11

In 200 years, when we look back on how science was funded, it will seem backwards and poorly designed. Big money has infiltrated politics, media & journalism, and of course science, but for some reason the public regards scientific research as still somewhat authentic and immune to corruption. This is far from the truth, especially in the U.S., there is hardly any authentic science left. Even those well intentioned r…

The vast majority of science research doesn't affect public policy. It's toward some goal, like making a process work better. Those scientists still need to be honest, but nobody is throwing big money at them to sway their agenda. Then sometimes, suddenly, huge money depends on a question of science.

I assume concussion research was like this for a long time: they were just trying to find the best way to heal brains after damage, and it was fine to take money from whomever would fund it. Then suddenly there's a question relevant to policy: do football players suffer a lot of permanent brain damage?

In fact it's crazy that such research would be funded by an organization that would be destroyed if the answer turned out a certain way. One should expect no better than with cigarette companies funding lung cancer research.

Re: N.F.L. Tried to Influence New Concussion Research, Congressional Study Finds

#17

Post by brndn »

chc wrote: post #7
some-guy wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The real question is: if this information about the link between health and playing football becomes more widespread, will people stop playing? People certainly wouldn't stop watching due to the culture that you describe, but I assume that young would-be players may second-guess their decisions. The smaller the talent pool of a sport, the less competitive and skillful it becomes. I'm not convinced that the NFL as an…

I don't think an up-and-comer aiming for a career in the NFL is someone who really cares about the odds or the downsides of that choice. The most likely outcome of that career path is failure even if you don't get injured.

There have been a few recent cases of NFL players retiring early due to the long-term health concerns of concussions, but it's certainly not common.

Re: N.F.L. Tried to Influence New Concussion Research, Congressional Study Finds

#18

Post by KevinEldon »

When this issue of safety comes up I wonder why the NFL is being assigned responsibility for protecting the players when the players have the ability to define rules to protect their own safety through their union. The union should fund studies, provide their own doctors and trainers, and fight for the rights to ensure the rules of the game align to their findings and keep their members as safe as they want to be.

Re: N.F.L. Tried to Influence New Concussion Research, Congressional Study Finds

#19

Post by askldfhjkasfhd »

karmelapple wrote: post #13
r00fus wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I would gladly support a league of slightly worse players if it wasn't as scummy as the NFL has proven itself to be. Isn't this what the USFL and XFL were intended to be? Even if the other league were to focus on niches (like indoor football). I don't see how this changes without some anti-trust kind of oversight by a higher authority than the already profit-focused (with the consequential ethically blinders) NFL.

College football, although it feeds the NFL, still has some rules in place that reduce some of the bad behavior. Of course, there's plenty of problems there, too, but these days I feel much less guilty cheering for a university team than for a pro team.

I disagree. At least in the NFL, players are making (incredibly good) money.

In the NCAA, so many "student"-athletes are taken advantage of much more than NFL players.

Re: N.F.L. Tried to Influence New Concussion Research, Congressional Study Finds

#20

Post by themartorana »

KevinEldon wrote: post #18

When this issue of safety comes up I wonder why the NFL is being assigned responsibility for protecting the players when the players have the ability to define rules to protect their own safety through their union. The union should fund studies, provide their own doctors and trainers, and fight for the rights to ensure the rules of the game align to their findings and keep their members as safe as they want to be.

It's not that they're being assigned responsibility so much as actively campaigning against it - which puts them squarely in the middle of the issue. If the union was fighting for safety while the NFL was remaining quiet it'd be one thing. But when the organization is actually working to make the game more dangerous, they've squared off against the players.
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