Today’s world of football brings more and more issues on concussions and other head injuries. Is it worth it?
Tony Dorsett, one of the greatest Pittsburgh Panthers to play the game, was featured in an ESPN special Thursday about his recent diagnosis with signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain injury that is associated with depression and dementia. On the special, Dorsett admitted to having thoughts of suicide and having family issues because of the condition.
Research has started to show that this condition could have, and likely did, come from taking too many hits to the head during his football career.
So I ask: is it worth it?
Many football players join the game of football because their friends are doing it. Or for a social reason like being popular. But others, generally those who make it to the level that players such as Dorsett made it, play the game because they truly love it. Do they know about the risks? Sure. Do they care? Maybe not until it’s too late.
Dorsett likely wasn’t thinking about having violent outbursts at age 59 when he won the Heisman Trophy. And he likely wasn’t thinking about ending his own life when he ran for over 12,000 yards with the Dallas Cowboys. Dorsett admitted that he knew there would be consequences to his decision to play professional football, but yet he continued to play.
On another end of the spectrum, is Ryan Swope.
NFL players such as Swope can be forced out of the NFL early due to too many head injuries. Swope, a 23-year old athlete, was forced to retire just after being drafted in 2013. During his college career, Swope set many records at Texas A&M and was considered one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2013 NFL Draft. His career, however, was cut short due to a personal decision to step away from the game.
When Swope stepped away, he cited that the decision came at the discretion of a doctor but also that it was his own choice to think about his long term health rather than his lifelong dream.
Would we all be as strong as Swope? It’s unlikely. In a world where athletes are treasured as idols for getting hurt and playing through injuries, Swope chose to away from the game instead. Dorsett is a Hall of Famer who some fans idolize for his toughness and his strong play. What is Swope? Just a distant memory.
To look at the two now, is there a clear cut right answer? Not really. Can you say that Swope’s decision to step away is more heroic than Dorsett’s decision to be a bruiser? Absolutely.
Photo Credit: NY Times
