Concussions: The NFL's Real Blackout Problem

Last Sunday, viewers totaling in the hundred millions huddled together in living rooms and man caves across the globe to do just a few things. Drink some beer. Eat some tasty food. Watch Beyonce shake her toosh. And view the dramatics as the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers settle the Harbaugh Bowl.

As electric as the game may have been, there are long portions where the crowd was falling asleep. According to a 2010 Wall Street Journal report, most football games feature just 11 minutes of action. Yes, that's in a 60 minute game--that took over four hours to complete. What is the rest of the time spent on? Up to 60% of a game broadcast is composed of shots of players standing around talking or strategizing. Don't forget that commercials can easily total over an hour of programming as well. An average of 17 minutes is spent on replays, and just 3 seconds are spent on camera views of cheerleaders. Won't somebody think of the cheerleaders?

And, in the case of Super Bowl XLVII, about 35 minutes was spent on analysts saying, "Uhhhh, it's dark."

Just 90 seconds into the second half of the game, and moments after Ravens player Jacoby Jones set a Super Bowl record, half the lights at New Orleans' Superdome went out. Now, almost 72 hours after the game, Superdome officials and utility company spokespeople admitted they have no idea how the outage occurred. However, an internal memo from October indicates that Superdome officials knew the stadium's electrical feeders displayed signs of decay and potential failure, and that concerns regarding transient surges had been raised beforehand.

Ignoring potential blackout problems so the game can go on as planned? It's oddly representative of the NFL's concussion problem, which until very recently the NFL had swept under the rug.

In 2011, the NFL placed a ban on head-to-head contact and levied significant penalties on illegal tackles. This was one of their first acknowledgements regarding the severity of concussions. Besides the onset symptoms, medical studies are showing traumatic brain injury leads to chronic traumatic encephalopathy in later life, a condition most recently diagnosed in world-class linebacker Junior Seau. CTE is linked to dementia, aggression, confusion and depression, and has plagued retired athletes in gridiron football, ice hockey, wrestling and boxing.

The first football helmet was invented in 1893 or 1896, depending upon your mythos. The former version ascribed to George Barclays, and the latter version created by Joseph M. Reeves, a Navy recruit who was advised another football injury to his head would probably kill him. Either way, the designs were nothing more than rudimentary leather hats. In the 1910s, the helmets gained padding and suspension to better dissipate impact. Not until 1940 were plastic shells with an integrated face shield invented. In 1955 a single wave radio was installed in the quarterback's helmet so coaches could prescribe plays. Though short lived, an in-helmet radio would be fully adopted decades later. In the 1970s, there was a discord amongst players on whether fluid padding or fabric padding was a better option; eventually fabric was determined to be more breathable and lighter. Polycarbonate shells with vinyl coated, steel alloy face masks were introduced in the 1980s and these remain the most common materials today.

Or they are at least until the near future. Just a few days ago the NFL announced a partnership with tech giant GE to develop concussion detection protocols and new helmet materials to better protect the brain. Though it is an obvious PR attempt in a media cycle producing negative headlines, there are definite benefits to this collaboration. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said, "It could be a seismic shift in the sense of great organizations coming together to solve important problems for society."

First, GE will use its array of medical imaging technology to determine if current products could be used to better detect brain trauma. Over $30 million has been contributed to the project. Currently, GE's most advanced MRIs can be used to detect Alzheimer's and MS, but are not prepared to detect concussions. Recently, positron emission tomography (PET) has been shown to be capable of diagnosing CTE--a condition previously only provable by autopsy--but further work needs to be done to verify its capabilities. The NFL hopes that new diagnostic machines will better be able to determine the severity of head injuries, thereby improving recovery.

Second, GE will crowd source inventors, scientists and researchers for improved materials for football helmets. GE has used this model for cancer research before, and they believe some of the best ideas may come from individuals who haven't 'tackled' this issue before. People who submit viable concepts will receive grants to further develop their ideas. Another $20 million has been allocated for this research alone.

While the next generation of concussion prevention is likely still a few years away, the results of the GE and NFL partnership will exceed the reach of gridiron football. All sports where participants are subject to head injuries will see a benefit, as well as the thousands of individuals who receive concussions from falls or explosions every year.

Anyhow, back at Super Bowl XLVII, the lights went back on. Just long enough for the Baltimore Ravens to hold on and win their second world championship. And keep the lights on the NFL must, for Bernard Pollard--a safety for those championship Ravens--recently made comments that the game will be dead in 30 years unless the NFL does something drastic regarding player safety.

Just like that Super Bowl blackout, no one can explain the NFL's longtime dismissal of player safety. But as we all know, it's often about how you recover from adversity. Perhaps this new research from GE and the NFL will help 'keep the lights on' for more NFL players.

Resources

(Image credits: WSJ; Yahoo!; Science Photo Library; Mitchell and Ness; Imperial; Virginia Tech; Washington Post)

Wikipedia - CTE; Football helmet

Fox Sports - Lights Go Out During Super Bowl

ESPN - Cause of Super Bowl Power Outage Remains Unclear

WSJ - Football Games Have 11 Minutes of Action

NY Times - Head Injuries in Football; NFL and GE Team Up in Effort to Detect Concussions