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Sports

How Concussions and Injuries Have Transformed Football

May 18, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

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Benjamin Simon

Staff Writer

On March 16, 2015, the San Francisco 49ers’ promising linebacker, Chris Borland, called it a career. He was twenty-four years old.  Despite the fame and million dollar contracts of professional football, he decided it was time to hang up his jersey. Millions of people would die to be in Borland’s position, but he did not care.

Borland was worried about his brain.

When Borland was born, football players didn’t worry about their bodies. They just accepted that when they were done with the game that they would walk with a limp or feel pain in their knees. Wasn’t it worth it for the chance to play?  But these days players and parents are reassessing the risks of the game.

“I think the game itself, if you’re talking about organized football, has gotten safer. The game hasn’t changed, it’s the perception of the game that has changed,” says thirty-two year old History Teacher Jason Todd, an avid fan of the game.

“As a football fan, growing up, the idea of knocking a player out of the game was the goal of the game… When you saw a big hit, everybody got excited.”

“I don’t think too many people knew about concussions in the nineties. I remember when I was a kid, and in my early adulthood, ESPN would highlight big hits, like the Jacked Up segments, that you almost never see happen anymore,” recalled English Teacher Matthew Kay, who also coached football for few years at West Chester University.

“I remember everything that was being broadcasts was about big hits. I remember in video games, it was about big hits and you could replay them. And now, you see next to none of that.”

An awareness that big hits caused and that repeated concussions were detrimental to the brain came to light when former All-Pro Steelers offensive lineman, Mike Webster, died at age 50 in 2002. At the time, he had been broke and homeless, out of touch with his former teammates and friends. The first reports said he died of a heart attack.

Dr. Bennet Omalu is a forensic pathologist in Pittsburgh.  As part of his job, he regularly conducts autopsies. One morning, Omalu found Webster laying on his table in the hospital. Dr. Omalu wasn’t a football fan and he didn’t know anything about Webster and his Super Bowl rings.  But he had a job do.  He must figure out why the Steelers legend had passed away. Dr. Omalu had no clue that his findings would change football.

Dr. Omalu concluded that Webster died due to Chronic Traumatic Encepathology (CTE), an idea that Omalu discovered as a result of his work with the 6’1 center. CTE happens when the brain has suffered from a significant loss of tissue along with the alarming accumulation of a protein called tau. Tau tangles the protein transportation system in the brain, causing loss of nutrients in those cells. And when the cells can’t get nutrients they die. That’s what killed Webster, Dr. Omalu found, not a heart attack.

“Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain in people who have have repetitive head injuries over time,” explains Dr. Mark Zonfrillo, an injury epidemiologist, among other jobs at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He often works with concussions. “The brain degeneration can lead to many types of symptoms with memory and behavior. While CTE is a serious sequelae of repetitive brain injury, it is still relatively rare.”

One place it can happen, says Dr. Zonfrillo, is in sports, as a result of repeated concussions.

“The far more common problems with concussions and other mild traumatic brain injuries in children and youth result from short term disability (from weeks to months) in patients who have undiagnosed or inadequately treated concussions. This should be the focus of our public health, research, and advocacy efforts for concussion in children and youth.”

But before Omalu’s autopsy report on Webster, the public didn’t know very much about the link between football and long-term damage to the brain. They knew football was dangerous. They just had to turn on the television to see huge athletes ramming heads into each other.  Many who might have wondered if this was ba1335992213_juniorseaud, did not know for sure.

Public awareness rose again with the death of Junior Seau. GQ magazine once described Seau as “the Derek Jeter of San Diego.” He was a wildly popular figure, both locally and nationally, who never stopped fighting and more importantly, never stopped hitting. He was the definition of a grid-iron warrior. During the AFC championship game, he even played with a painful pinched nerve.

After Seau’s pro career ended, his life went downhill. He began to drink in excess and suffered from insomnia. On May 2, 2012, he decided he couldn’t take it anymore and ended of his own life. Seau was just 43 years old, and two years out of the NFL. Most people had no idea that Seau was in this kind of pain or why.

“Seau, unfortunately, was probably six or seven guys that I knew, once I read the story,” says fifty-year old Joseph Lorenc, a former nose tackle at Penn.

And this brings us back to today. Where is the football today? How have parents reacted to the new information and the stories of the painful lives of Webster and Seau, among others?

“Certainly, the NFL and other organizations have recently realized that both the incidence of and sequelae from concussions had occurred with more frequency than previously thought,” says Dr. Zonfrillo, “There have been a growing number of collaborative efforts, fundraising, research, and advocacy that have focused on prevention of and improved management for concussion.”

“My parents wouldn’t allow me [to play football], they thought I would get injured and they thought it wasn’t safe,” explained SLA Sophomore Aaron Watson-Sharer, a 16 year old sophomore at Science Leadership Academy and avid football fan, “[But] I honestly believe if people take the right safety precautions, they can be safe when they play football. Like making sure your mouth guard is on…knowing how to hit somebody without knocking them off with a concussion”

“As a [basketball] coach now, I have to pass a concussion awareness test every season. Every coach in the Philadelphia public league has to do a concussion awareness test whether or not their sport is a contact sport. Everyone has to do it…And I’m pretty sure that is only three years old,” said Kay, who now coaches basketball in the city.

In a 2013 poll conducted by HBO’s Real Sports, eighty-six percent of people said that they had heard of a connection between football and concussions. Even President Obama joined the conversation. In an interview with the New Yorker, he said that he would not let his sons, if he had sons, play football.  Football fans were outraged, sure that the President’s remarks with add more people to the “anti-football” community.

Now, when young kids want to play football, they will, more times than before, be told they cannot play.  All the parents have to do is type, “Football injuries,” into a search engine and they find thousands of articles detailing the risk of playing this game.

So the question arises, where will football be in 20 years?  How can it survive if no one will let their kids play?

“There will likely be delays in tackle football (possibly not allowed until high school), and there may be other rules that change in the collegiate and professional level,” believes Dr. Zonfrillo, “Most importantly, we will have better techniques for sideline diagnosis of concussion, and may even be able to identify the risk of or exposure to injury with engineering solutions such as helmet sensors.”

However, Dr. Bryant Simon, a 53 year old professor of History at Temple University, who grew up playing pee-wee and midget league football had a different perspective. “I don’t think it will be extinct, but I suspect one of two things is going to happen. Either the equipment will change dramatically- big puffy helmets. Or it will move in the direction some think that the NFL is already moving toward, flag football. Contact is essentially outlawed. Or maybe the game will be played on a wider field with much more passing and less hitting.”

“There was a fellow Steve Tasker who played when I was young…He had concussions and he ended up wearing an oversized helmet,” recall Lorenc, “There has to be something the NFL can do with helmets. Maybe it would be less violent and would hurt their business, but it would help the players safety.”

First photo courtesy of www.appleinsider.com

Second photo courtesy of www.examiner.com

 

Filed Under: Sports, Uncategorized

March Madness Recap

April 16, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

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Benjamin Simon

Staff Writer

Just a little more than a week ago, March Madness wrapped up yet another eventful and exciting couple weeks. Here is a look into my personal awards of the tournament.

 

Biggest Upset: NC State over Villanova

Who saw this game coming? The Wolfpack were quite shaky entering the tournament, carrying an 8-0 record in the month of February. And the Wildcats were a stellar 32-2 entering the tournament, the most consistent team outside of Kentucky. They had senior poise (JayVaughn Pinkston) and staggering talent (Josh Hart), but more importantly, they played as one. Their fantastic team play pushed them through the adversity they faced. If they were going to lose, it would be to a stellar team such as Duke or Virginia. No one saw them defeated by the struggling and unimpressive NC State Wolfpack.

MVP: Justise Winslow

Winslow has been overshadowed all year by the fantastic play of potential number 1 draft pick Jahlil Okafor. But Justise was unstoppable throughout the tournament. He shot above 60 percent in 3 of his 6 games during March Madness, and he also added 2 double doubles. He scored in double digits in every game but the opener, when he only played 24 minutes, a tournament low for him. While Tyus Jones was great in the championship, he was not as consistent as Winslow through the entirety of the six games.

Best Moment: Georgia State’s comeback and game winning shot

Baylor led by 12 with 2 and a half minutes to go in the game. It was a heroic effort, r.j.-hunter-ncaa-basketball-ncaa-tournament-2nd-round-baylor-vs-georgia-state-850x560but the Georgia State Panthers could not compete for the full 40 minutes. That was the storyline, until the 14 seeded team stormed back to upset the 3 seeded Baylor. Down by 2 with 15 seconds to go, the Panthers got the ball into their half court. The clock ticked and they looked shaky as they tried to find the best shot possible. But with 3 seconds left, there was no more time to work the ball around. TJ Shipes got the ball at the top of the key and handed it back to the coach’s son, RJ Hunter. He set up two steps behind the 3 point line and fired a long jumper. Buckets. Throughout the entirety of the game, Coach Ron Hunter had been sitting in a chair because of a cast that suffocated his foot. But as his son hit the game winning shot, he could not contain himself. He fell off the side of the chair and squirmed on the floor out of celebration. What a better story then an underdog coming back, hitting a last second shot which happened to be made by the coaches son.

Most Disappointing Performance: Kentucky

Kentucky was 34-0 throughout the regular season. They were unstoppable. Anything less than a National Championship and a 40-0 record would be nothing more disappointing. They lost in the Final Four, and despite their fantastic season, it was a let down for the entire Wildcat nation that they did not bring home the title banner.

Best Game: Notre Dame vs. Kentucky, Elite Eight

A game for the ages. These two basketball powerhouses squared off in one of the best matchups all year. The outing was close the entire game and no team ever had complete control. Kentucky was fierce down the stretch and traded baskets with Notre Dame. But the unsurprising late game heroics of Andrew Harrison sealed the deal for the Wildcats. The game was filled with fire and competitiveness. Both teams played with heart and desire. Zach Auguste was spectacular and beat up the fantastic front court of Kentucky with 20 points and 9 rebounds in just 27 minutes. It was fun to watch these super talented squads square off and play their hardest.

Predictions for Next Season’s Champion: North Carolina

UNC loses only 3 seniors. Neither played a plethora of minutes. Next season they return everybody who averaged above 10 minutes a game with the exception of slasher JP Tokoto (declared for draft). This team has perimeter scorers (Marcus Paige, Justin Jackson) and inside bangers (Kennedy Meeks, Brice Johnson). As of now, their recruiting class looks a little light, but no need to worry, the returning players are more than suitable to contend. And the bottom line is, Marcus Paige is the best player in the country with the game on the line. With his star power (14.1 points per game) and strong role players (Meeks: 11 ppg, 7 rpg. Jackson: 10 ppg, .48 fg%) to complement him, the Heels should be a tough out come March.

 

Filed Under: Sports, Uncategorized

2015 Philadelphia Phillies Season Preview

April 7, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

William Derry

Staff Writer 

 

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When Phillies closer Brad Lidge struck out Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Eric Hinske with his nasty slider in the ninth inning of Game 5 to end the 2008 World Series, the city of Philadelphia went into a frenzy. The Philadelphia Phillies had won their first World Series since 1980 when they defeated the Kansas City Royals in six games. It was also the first championship that a professional Philadelphia sports team had won in a while. Before 2008, the last professional sports team to win a championship was the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983. Philadelphia fans had to wait twenty-five years between titles.

Ever since Brad Lidge and Carlos (Chooch) Ruiz hugged in front of the pitching mound that October evening, the Philadelphia Phillies have been in a downward spiral. That next year, they went back to the World Series but lost to the 2009 World Series Champions, the New York Yankees. Following that, they went to the National League Championship Series (NLCS) and would eventually lose in six games to the San Francisco Giants, who would later go on to win the World Series that year. The last time the Phillies were in the MLB playoffs was in 2011, when they lost the national league division series in five games to the St. Louis Cardinals.

It’s been seven years since the Philadelphia Phillies paraded down Broad Street, which was flooded with over a million screaming fans. Now, the Phillies can barely fill Citizens Bank Ballpark, with last years average attendance being 29,924, which doesn’t sound bad but for a team that had a sellout streak that totaled 257 consecutive baseball games, that’s a significant drop. (Citizens Bank Ballpark seating capacity: 43,651)

The Phillies are in the beginning stages of a massive rebuild project. The ball began rolling when veteran shortstop James Calvin Rollins, better known as Jimmy Rollins or to most Phillies fans, “J-Roll” was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two minor league pitching prospects. Those two pitching prospects are Zach Eflin and Tom Windle. Rollins was a fan favorite, who played for the Phillies for fourteen years and was apart of a core group of Phillies players that included Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Phillies fans were definitely sad to see J-Roll go but they understood why the move was made. It was the best decision for both sides.

Since Rollins was traded to the LA Dodgers, the starting shortstop position for the team is now open, but will most likely be filled by sure-handed infielder Freddy Galvis, who spent a good portion of the 2014 season on the disabled list and in the minor leagues before being a late-season call up. Galvis will occupy the position until shortstop prospect J. P. Crawford is ready to play at the big league level. Crawford was the Phillies’ first-round pick (16th overall) in the 2013 baseball draft and played last season in the minor leagues.

Pitcher Cole Hamels, the 2008 World Series MVP, has been linked to many trade rumors over the past few years. The Phillies do not see Hamels as part of their future. In addition, he would bring back the most in return if they were to trade him. Hamels is only in year three of a six year contract extension he received in 2012, which will pay him $23.5 million in 2015.

It is still unclear what the Phillies would want in return for Hamels but three top prospects from another team would possibly satisfy Ruben Amaro Jr. and the Phillies front office. Acquiring 2013 American League Rookie of the Year Wil Myers from the San Diego Padres has been among the trade rumors. Hamels was born and raised in San Diego.

The departure of Hamels would not only help the team financially, it would also free up a spot in the Phil’s starting rotation. This spot in the rotation could be taken over by recently signed veteran righthander Aaron Harang or lefthander Wandy Rodriguez but that remains to be seen. Being that both previously named pitchers are 35 years or older, the Phil’s are biding their time until some of their young pitching prospects are ready. Those prospects include Germantown native Jesse Biddle, a first-round draft pick in 2010, and Aaron Nola, a first-round pick in 2014. The group also includes Adam Morgan, who is making his way back from shoulder surgery. Eflin and Windle also are in that mix as is Ben Lively, who the Phillies got by trading veteran rightfielder Marlon Byrd to the Cincinnati Reds.

Then we have 2006 NL MVP Ryan Howard, who is known as the “Big Piece.” He is on borrowed time with the club because of the Phillies’ decision to rebuild. It is unclear if Howard will be traded before the team takes the field for spring training in early March at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Florida or if he will be at first base for the Phils when they open up the 2015 baseball season at home against the Boston Red Sox.

Amaro tried to trade Howard, but has been unsuccessful so far. Amaro recently spoke on the radio (97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia). He stated that the organization would be better off without Howard and that he had told Ryan that, but then he said that if Howard was with the team that they would work around him.

Howard is currently signed to five­ year, $125 million contract with the Phillies and within that contract, Howard has a clause that allows him to block trades to twenty MLB teams. That leaves nine teams he can be traded to without the Phillies having to ask Howard for permission to do so.

If Howard were traded, it would open up a spot at first base for either, 28-year-old Darin Ruf or prospect Maikel Franco. Ruf has had trouble with playing time at the major league level, only playing in 105 games for the Phil’s over the past two seasons. Franco is a traditional third baseman but could make the move to first base. Time will tell if Howard will continue his playing career in a Phillies uniform.

The man tasked with turning this team around is Amaro. He has come under fire since he took over the position after Gillick vacated the GM job after the 2008 World Series season. Gillick still holds a position within the organization, as Senior Adviser to Phil’s President David Montgomery.

Let’s face it, Amaro has been on the hot seat ever since. He has made his fare share of questionable decisions in the last six years, but the Phillies are sticking with him. Amaro would like to bring back competitive baseball to Citizens Bank Park soon. The question is will he be here when that happens?

Filed Under: Sports, Uncategorized

Temple is Bound for NIT Crown

March 30, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

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Benjamin Simon

Staff Writer

Two weeks ago, Temple sat impatiently waiting to hear their name called on Selection Sunday. Instead, they found themselves as a NIT (National Invitation Tournament) number 1 seed. They entered the tournament with a shaky and unconvincing win against the 8th seeded Bucknell, but bounced back with strong victories against George Washington and Louisiana Tech. Temple now is the NIT semifinals at the historic Madison Square Garden. They next play Miami (FL) and, if they win, will face the winner of Old Dominion and Stanford for the NIT championship. And quite frankly, I see Temple winning their 3rd NIT trophy this Thursday.

Why? Temple has played fantastic these last two games. They have competed with urgency and have shot the ball well throughout the NIT tournament. Against GW, they shot 50% from the field, significantly above their season average of 39%. Against LT, they shot 49%. If Temple keeps stroking the ball well, there is no way they will be defeated.

But they can even win without shooting well. Temple plays lockdown defense. They keep opponents to 61 points per game and play with heart. They bang on the boards (38 per game) and play smart on the offensive end (only 346 turnovers on the year, which is the 23rd lowest in the nation). On the other hand, the two most important reasons why I see Temple crowned the champion Thursday night are the abundance of scoring options they have and their deep lineup.

Opposite of years past, the Owls can rely on multiple people to step up and score when others cannot. Although only three players average in double figures, they have many guys who can get hot in stretches. Guard Josh Brown is the perfect example. Although Brown only averages 6 points per game, he has scored in double figures 9 times this year. He has put up 7 or more points in 15 of his outings. Brown scores in spurts, giving the team a safety net when other players are not hitting shots. You could also throw Clemson transfer Devin Coleman in the mix (a streaky and slick scorer) or even freshman Obi Enechionyia (an athletic big man who is multidimensional).

usa-josh-brown-temple-owls

They also have 10 players who average 10 or more minutes a game this year. They have have 7 that average above 15. For instance, throughout much of the latter part of the season, sophomore forward Mark Williams has seen his minutes cut by the strong play of Daniel Dingle and Enechionyia. However, Williams has been brought in multiple times to fill minutes when players have been in foul trouble or have struggled. I feel quite confident in a team that has Williams, who has started many games for the Owls over the past two years, as their 10th man.

And Temple has first team all-AAC point guard, Will Cummings. The Florida native has been on fire throughout the NIT tournament averaging 22 points per game and shooting 54% from the field. Who’s going to check him? Watch out Miami (FL), this team’s ready to play.

 

Tuesday: Temple vs. Miami (FL), 7PM, ESPN, Madison Square Garden

Thursday: NIT Championship, 9PM, ESPN, Madison Square Garden

 

First picture courtesy of www.philly.com

Second picture courtesy of www.csnphilly.com

Filed Under: Sports, Uncategorized

Villanova Sent Pack-ing

March 26, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Benjamin Simon

Staff Writer
471NCAA NC State Villanova Basketball
Courtesy of www.miamiherald.com

Who saw the 21 and 13 North Carolina State Wolfpack upsetting the 2 loss Villanova Wildcats? Absolutely no one. Outside of Kentucky (who went 31-0 during the regular season), Nova was the most consistent college basketball team in the nation. The squad had won 16 straight games and looked unstoppable. They had averaged over 76 points and shot a remarkable 46% from the field in conference play. After overwhelming Lafayette and showing little weakness, the Wildcats continued to look poised to win the NCAA championship. But two days later they were sent home. How? How could such a successful and laspeless team lose?

Like stated before, Villanova shot 46% from the field in conference play this year. They also shot just a tad below 40% from three on the season. They relied on their precision shooting and team play to propel them to 32 wins before March Madness. Saturday the team shot 31% from the field and 32% from 3-point range. Outside of Darrun Hilliard (who was 6-10 from three), the team was 3-18 from outside. It was not as though they weren’t getting open looks- they had plenty. The team was unable to knock them down and it cost them. Furthermore, Villanova  only made 19 shots altogether. In their other two loses, the Wildcats made less than 20 shots as well. This was a recipe for disaster.

I also noticed as the game began to close, the team took ill advised and quick field goal attempts early in the shot clock. This could be reflected by their mere 7 assists, which was a season low. This showed their panic as the game began to slip through their fingers. Nova had not been down much throughout the year and I felt as though they were very unprepared for the situation. This might have been one of the prominent reasons why Villanova took such a terrible approach towards the latter part of the game.

One could point to many flaws throughout the meeting. Nova was significantly outrebounded (45-32) or the fact that Josh Hart and JayVaughn Pinkston were in foul trouble. But I think their struggle to play disciplined, as a team, and shoot the ball with proficiency were the underlying reasons why Villanova is pack-ing up.

 

Filed Under: Sports, Uncategorized

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