Study estimates 75% of NFL players who died over 15-year span had CTE
A new study estimating that roughly three-quarters of deceased NFL players over a 15-year span had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is prompting wider scrutiny of tackle football’s safety, especially for children. Commenters highlight that most damaging head impacts often occur long before the NFL—at youth, high school, and college levels—and argue that repeated sub-concussive blows, not just diagnosed concussions, drive long-term brain injury. Many call for major rule changes, age limits, or a shift to non-tackle variants like flag football, while others broaden the concern to CTE risks in sports such as soccer, hockey, rugby, and combat sports.
Role of Youth and Cumulative Impacts
- Many commenters focus on the “buried lede”: most damaging head impacts occur in youth, high school, and college, not just the NFL.
- Repeated sub-concussive hits, not just obvious concussions, are seen as the main driver of CTE.
- Several people describe youth and HS football in the 80s–00s as ignoring concussions and glorifying “getting your bell rung.”
Parental Choices and Child Safety
- A sizable group say they would never allow their kids to play tackle football, calling it effectively guaranteed brain damage relative to other sports.
- Others argue all sports carry risk and parents must balance risk vs. benefits like teamwork, discipline, and joy.
- There’s strong support for banning tackle football for children (often up to HS or college) and/or replacing it with flag football, while allowing adults to choose informed risk.
Comparisons with Other Sports
- Football is seen by many as among the worst for brain trauma per minute played, but commenters note elevated CTE and dementia risks in: soccer (headers, aerial collisions), ice hockey, rugby, boxing, and MMA.
- Some argue football is singled out mainly because it’s heavily studied and culturally central; others say data already show it is uniquely bad.
- Non-head-trauma risks of other sports (knee injuries in skiing, cardiac risk in distance running) are noted but framed as qualitatively different from CTE.
Proposed Rule and Equipment Changes
- Suggestions include: stricter targeting enforcement, dramatically reduced or banned contact in youth and practice, redesigning the line of scrimmage (more distance, upright stance, arm-first contact), sensor-equipped helmets/mouthguards, and possibly flag-style formats.
- There is skepticism that helmets or guardian caps can meaningfully reduce brain sloshing. Some propose that less padding might paradoxically reduce impact severity, though others note leather-helmet eras were deadly.
Ethical and Cultural Debates
- Several commenters say they’ve stopped watching football, viewing it as a modern bloodsport or exploitative entertainment.
- Others emphasize player agency, large financial upside, and cultural tradition, and resist calls for bans.
- Masculinity, conformity, and “toughness” culture in football are criticized as driving unsafe norms.
Data, Bias, and Unclear Points
- The thread notes that 93% of examined NFL brains had CTE, but acknowledges heavy selection bias from symptomatic donors.
- Estimates of CTE prevalence in the general population and other sports are discussed but remain uncertain and sometimes contested.