Concussion Assessment are being manipulated according to S.A. Expert

[Packman]

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,9817_8967290,00.html

I'm not surprised, but I'm not 100% sure what the health risks are either. rugby has been around since the 19th century and so has concussion. As far as I know players haven;t been dropping like flies.

The thing is that Rugby has a cheater culture. We celebrate our canny heroes and call them streetwise and award them IRB player of the year awards. Every country has these players and the back room staff certainly aren't above the odd transformation into Dick Dastardly either.

Personally I don't think rugby really cares. We are too 'ard to give a damn and anyway to be blunt, if the concussions don't get you the arthritis will!

I think this whole "lets be nice to the players" thing is a professional sport thing or at the very least America's fault. Your typical marketing team don't really like the term warts and all, but historically rugby has always been pretty warty.

Face it folks rugby is a bit like smoking or drinking. It's cool ...and its bad for you. Just wait til the sunday morning after the match, Your body will soon tell you how healthy this sport is for you. Least a bit of concussion will help you forget in time for the next game!

 

[Tony Manx]

Very simplistic post about a very serious matter.....

There are too many players who are clearly out of it and who are being "allowed" or "coerced" back on to the field when they should in fact take two or three weeks off never mind continue playing. In that respect the assessments are just not working and there are recent examples of guys who have had to give up the game due to successive concussions.

However, clubs and players are under pressure and the result is that too many injured players get back on the pitch too early, and not just from concussion, as they are needed. I am aware of at least one player who has been told get out there with a pain kiklling injection when he knows he should not be back on the field for at least another two weeks with his injury..........the reasonable assumption is that if he does not do as he is told his contract will be looked at closely at renewal time........it is a professional game and it is the power of the pound or euro!!

 

[smartcooky]

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,9817_8967290,00.html

I'm not surprised, but I'm not 100% sure what the health risks are either. rugby has been around since the 19th century and so has concussion. As far as I know players haven;t been dropping like flies.

The thing is that Rugby has a cheater culture. We celebrate our canny heroes and call them streetwise and award them IRB player of the year awards. Every country has these players and the back room staff certainly aren't above the odd transformation into Dick Dastardly either.

Personally I don't think rugby really cares. We are too 'ard to give a damn and anyway to be blunt, if the concussions don't get you the arthritis will!

I think this whole "lets be nice to the players" thing is a professional sport thing or at the very least America's fault. Your typical marketing team don't really like the term warts and all, but historically rugby has always been pretty warty.

Face it folks rugby is a bit like smoking or drinking. It's cool ...and its bad for you. Just wait til the sunday morning after the match, Your body will soon tell you how healthy this sport is for you. Least a bit of concussion will help you forget in time for the next game!

If you really think this issue is funny, then perhaps you would be willing to watch this.

It might change your mind. Its 15 minutes long, but DO take some time out in your day to watch. You'll never look at head knocks in rugby quite the same way again.

(NOTE: Ignore the YouTube ***le, that was made up by the account owner. The real ***le of the article is "School of Hard Knocks")

 

[dasNdanger]

Very simplistic post about a very serious matter.....

There are too many players who are clearly out of it and who are being "allowed" or "coerced" back on to the field when they should in fact take two or three weeks off never mind continue playing. In that respect the assessments are just not working and there are recent examples of guys who have had to give up the game due to successive concussions.

However, clubs and players are under pressure and the result is that too many injured players get back on the pitch too early, and not just from concussion, as they are needed. I am aware of at least one player who has been told get out there with a pain kiklling injection when he knows he should not be back on the field for at least another two weeks with his injury..........the reasonable assumption is that if he does not do as he is told his contract will be looked at closely at renewal time........it is a professional game and it is the power of the pound or euro!!

That's an excellent point. They don't want to sit out a few weeks (or are coerced back into play before they're ready), but by doing so they may just be ending their careers prematurely.

Besides the video that's been posted, there's also a thread about concussion here: http://www.therugbyforum.com/showthread.php?27904-Concussion-and-the-future-of-rugby

American (NFL) Football has been greatly affected by the concussion problem, with former players recently winning a lawsuit over head injuries. I'm not sure if concussion is more severe in football or rugby, but I can't imagine it being that much different. If that's the case, then we might start seeing more cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and other neurological diseases among former rugby players. There comes a time when players must acknowledge that they're not invincible, and team owners and coaches must acknowledge that players aren't mere products to be disposed of as soon as they're used up.

(Side note - has anyone noticed that some of the most severe head knocks occur between players on the same team? I actually think this is something worth addressing on a team level because it should be an avoidable situation.)


das

 

[smartcooky]

American (NFL) Football has been greatly affected by the concussion problem, with former players recently winning a lawsuit over head injuries. I'm not sure if concussion is more severe in football or rugby, but I can't imagine it being that much different.

Oh, I think its more serious in American Football, especially for players at the line of scrimmage, who effectively clash helmets at just about every snap.

The helmets actually offer no protection from concussive brain trauma at all. The brain still rattles around inside the brain case, helmet or no helmet. Actually, I think the helmets make it worse, because wearing one gives them a false sense of security. They might even be better off without them, then they would have to modify the way they play the game.

 

[dasNdanger]

Oh, I think its more serious in American Football, especially for players at the line of scrimmage, who effectively clash helmets at just about every snap.

The helmets actually offer no protection from concussive brain trauma at all. The brain still rattles around inside the brain case, helmet or no helmet. Actually, I think the helmets make it worse, because wearing one gives them a false sense of security. They might even be better off without them, then they would have to modify the way they play the game.

Yeah, they'd have to modify the game...and change the name back to rugby.

They're trying to make the helmets more like combat helmets, designed to absorb explosive impact. Not sure if it works as I really don't follow NFL because I really hate that game, including the ridiculous headgear!


das