I love Football. I played. Taught the game to my sons who played it as well.
High School Friday Night Lights. A College Football Saturday. Sunday with the NFL. I struggle with the dangers of the game against my joy of watching it.
It wasn't too long ago that no one spoke of CTE. It wasn't too long ago that ESPN's NFL Countdown ran a feature of players being laid out after a vicious hit. They called it "Jacked Up"!
They don't do that anymore. Awareness of concussive hits to the head and it's direct relation to CTE has brought a new level of sensitivity. Stories like this show with painful clarity the risks a player takes for the love of the game. Here's the story of Tyler Hilinski and his parent's journey since his life ended.