‘I feel lost’: Nick Buoniconti of the 1972 Miami Dolphins...

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GreenieBacker
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‘I feel lost’: Nick Buoniconti of the 1972 Miami Dolphins...

Post by GreenieBacker »

...........tells sad story of his decline

I was at an age when I followed the NFL much more closely and this '72 team was the Gold Standard. Undefeated and untied. Which makes the story of what time has done to these men that much sadder. Football is a brutal sport.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/ear ... 63152455b2
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Re: ‘I feel lost’: Nick Buoniconti of the 1972 Miami Dolphin

Post by TUPF »

As a society we love our modern day Roman Coliseums with our high paid gladiators but maybe one day our grandchildren will look back on us with the same incredulity as we now look upon Rome.
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Re: ‘I feel lost’: Nick Buoniconti of the 1972 Miami Dolphin

Post by GreenieBacker »

a parent would have to seriously consider letting their Son (or Daughter) play football. Its pretty clear that the trauma to the body really begins to pile up.
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Re: ‘I feel lost’: Nick Buoniconti of the 1972 Miami Dolphin

Post by Rotorooter »

As a huge fan of the Dolphins from 70-the end of Shula, it pains me to see what is happening to these guys. I loved Kiick and Csonka and wore the jersey as a kid. There is no question football is devastating to the body. My question is, yeah, these guys are getting dementia in their 70's and 80's. How does that compare to the rest of the "normal" population? I mean, for example, Alex Karras died at 77 because of dementia and early onset of Alzheimer's. My mother-in-law died of Alzheimer's at age 79. I suspect that there is some effect, especially to those guys who wore helmets that offered little protection against that stuff versus what is available today. But how does it relate to the rest of the population, does anyone know? It sure isn't talked about in news articles.

What I also find interesting is that, for many of the old players, most would not have traded their current condition for the glory they had on the field. I mean, there is an interview with Howard Twilley and Marv Fleming, and they both would have played the game. But they're both relatively healthy, so that may explain it. Interesting stuff to say the least.
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Re: ‘I feel lost’: Nick Buoniconti of the 1972 Miami Dolphin

Post by AO Sig »

An interesting consideration that has been raised is that as the "protective equipment" has increased, players might be tricked into being more "devil may care," assuming that the helmets will protect their brains. In the past they played football without helmets; rugby players usually know that running into someone headfirst is not a good idea.

The false sense of security one gets by wearing a helmet might be contributing to the problems seen. I am not advocating doing away with helmets; I think that educating coaches and players more that the helmet does not prevent injury needs to be drilled into their heads every chance.
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Re: ‘I feel lost’: Nick Buoniconti of the 1972 Miami Dolphin

Post by ml wave »

Rotorooter wrote:As a huge fan of the Dolphins from 70-the end of Shula, it pains me to see what is happening to these guys. I loved Kiick and Csonka and wore the jersey as a kid. There is no question football is devastating to the body. My question is, yeah, these guys are getting dementia in their 70's and 80's. How does that compare to the rest of the "normal" population? I mean, for example, Alex Karras died at 77 because of dementia and early onset of Alzheimer's. My mother-in-law died of Alzheimer's at age 79. I suspect that there is some effect, especially to those guys who wore helmets that offered little protection against that stuff versus what is available today. But how does it relate to the rest of the population, does anyone know? It sure isn't talked about in news articles.

What I also find interesting is that, for many of the old players, most would not have traded their current condition for the glory they had on the field. I mean, there is an interview with Howard Twilley and Marv Fleming, and they both would have played the game. But they're both relatively healthy, so that may explain it. Interesting stuff to say the least.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/249912.php
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Re: ‘I feel lost’: Nick Buoniconti of the 1972 Miami Dolphin

Post by TUPF »

ml wave wrote:
Rotorooter wrote:As a huge fan of the Dolphins from 70-the end of Shula, it pains me to see what is happening to these guys. I loved Kiick and Csonka and wore the jersey as a kid. There is no question football is devastating to the body. My question is, yeah, these guys are getting dementia in their 70's and 80's. How does that compare to the rest of the "normal" population? I mean, for example, Alex Karras died at 77 because of dementia and early onset of Alzheimer's. My mother-in-law died of Alzheimer's at age 79. I suspect that there is some effect, especially to those guys who wore helmets that offered little protection against that stuff versus what is available today. But how does it relate to the rest of the population, does anyone know? It sure isn't talked about in news articles.

What I also find interesting is that, for many of the old players, most would not have traded their current condition for the glory they had on the field. I mean, there is an interview with Howard Twilley and Marv Fleming, and they both would have played the game. But they're both relatively healthy, so that may explain it. Interesting stuff to say the least.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/249912.php
I guess I'm not surprised at the general overview. Quite devastating. As for the speed group vs. the non-speed group, it stands to reason: F=m*a.
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Re: ‘I feel lost’: Nick Buoniconti of the 1972 Miami Dolphin

Post by doncecco »

Clearly valid arguments on both sides of this, and no clear answer. Another one not yet mentioned is the fact that football has saved thousands of young underprivileged men from a poor, challenging life. Many of them will tell you they'd much rather the consequences of playing.

I have chosen to let my kids play, although I barely played, mostly for fear of injury(and lack of talent). It's strictly up to them. It did little good (or harm) for my 2 older boys, who both stopped before varsity, but my youngest is benefitting from it - self-esteem and confidence at the very least. It's hard to evaluate the benefit of that now and even 20 years in the future versus any deleterious effects he may incur. Clearly, the coaches are much better trained and much, much more aware of when to take kids out.

The last argument is a softer argument, but nonetheless valid. Where does it stop? Eliminate racing? Eliminate baseball with the risk of being beaned? Skiing is extremely dangerous. And so on and so forth. Is humanity better off having the experiences that bring risks and consequences or having no experiences (or maybe worse yet, in today's world, virtual experiences) to learn from, enjoy, and have fond remembrance of?

No right or wrong answer. I say we should tread lightly and deliberately when considering continuing to over-sterilize this existence.
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Re: ‘I feel lost’: Nick Buoniconti of the 1972 Miami Dolphin

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Oh yeah, as long as the NFL and NCAA each continue to generate the same earnings as the entire continent of Africa, it'll be played.
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