The big hits and hard falls inherent in football are damaging to the human brain, and researchers are now more sure of it than ever before. “It is no longer debatable whether or not there is a problem in football — there is a problem,” said neuropathologist Dr. Ann McKee in a July 25 New York Times article. Dr. McKee is the author of a new study on the prevalence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy — or CTE, a neurodegenerative disease that can only be diagnosed after death — in football players, the harrowing findings of which were just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Of the 202 donated brains of deceased football players that were studied, 87% were diagnosed with CTE. That percentage grows to 99% when looking at the 110 out of 111 brains that belonged to former NFL players in particular.
The link between CTE and the rough play and head tackles ingrained in American football has long been suspected. McKee’s findings are providing a clearer picture of how frequent blows to the head endured through different phases of a football career can affect the brains of the players bearing them.
In recent years the NFL has stepped up its response to head injuries in the league by instituting new rules and, at last, acknowledging the link between football and CTE. And in a statement to NPR, the league expressed gratitude for McKee’s research and stated it is “committed to supporting scientific research into CTE and advancing progress in the prevention and treatment of head injuries.” But, with evidence so damning, it’s likely the entire culture of American football needs to change before the risk of CTE can be meaningfully addressed.
