Brain damage in football players is still a big story, and head trauma for surfers is becoming one too
What do big wave surfing and the National Football League playoffs and upcoming Super Bowl have in common? They share the challenges of confronting the significant health harms that can occur with head trauma, especially repeated impacts and outright concussions.
The rich, powerful, and influential NFL also may be illustrating how preventable damage to athletes, their lives, and loved ones can be glossed over into resignation and acceptance. As commentator Jay Caspian Kang observed in a New York Times column:
“Of all the disappearing stories in the American consciousness, none has receded from the public eye quite like football concussions. It’s hard to remember now, but less than a decade ago, President Barack Obama said that if he had a son, he would have to think ‘long and hard’ before letting him play football. Stories were published about parents pulling their children from youth and high school football; obituaries were written for the future of the sport.