This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The National Football League has bigger trouble than the disgusting domestic violence cases dominating headlines this fall. In September, it quietly released a study that revealed one-third of its players — one-third — can expect to suffer long-term cognitive problems, including dementia, after retiring.
And this was a study commissioned by the league.
Listen up, you 46 players on the San Francisco 49ers' current active roster: Fifteen of you are toast.
Yet the NFL seems to shrug it off. The league's future should be at stake. What other career path carries a high danger of dementia? Outside of tobacco, it's hard to think of another industry that's as insidiously dangerous.
Fans, meanwhile, don't dwell on the details: Sure, it's a risky game, but hey, did you see the hit that linebacker put on the quarterback? Awesome! Have another beer.
If the NFL can't find a way to make football safer, then lawmakers should step in. Professional players are not known for saving and investing responsibly so they can care for themselves when their brains turn to mush. This will in part be a public cost — particularly for kids who get knocked silly in school and never make the big bucks.
Parents should be reassessing their kids' participation in Pop Warner and high school football. The risk of serious effects from concussions is higher to young players whose bodies and brains are not fully developed. And while some coaches are wonderful, others fail to balance kids' health with the win-at-all-costs spirit of sports today.
The benefits of football as it's now played are not worth the risk to young players. If they reach the point of a professional offer, as adults, they may decide the money is worth a one in three chance of dementia. But is that a choice you want to make for your child?