The Opposition…

League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth

Mark Fainaru-Wada,

Steve Fainaru

Discussion: 2013-Oct-Nov-Dec

Why we're reading this: TDS October 31, 2013
TCR segment guests January 30, 2014
[close] TDS October 31, 2013
TCR segment guests January 30, 2014

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2013-Oct-Nov-Dec

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* December 2013
By Tiffany , WristStrong · 1 post · 27 views

last updated Dec 20, 2013 05:04PM

* November 2013
By Tiffany , WristStrong · 1 post · 26 views

last updated Nov 30, 2013 12:03AM

What Members Thought

Oct 10, 2013 Tiffany rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sports, science

The Frontline documentary based on this book was very thorough, and I don't feel like I would have missed anything substantial had I not read the book -- the show was that well done. That said, the book is able to go into greater depth of backstories, explanations, and analysis. The book and the Frontline episode are definitely great companion pieces: both are intriguing and informative, working as standalone works or as a set. Neither makes you feel like you wasted your time with one or the oth The Frontline documentary based on this book was very thorough, and I don't feel like I would have missed anything substantial had I not read the book -- the show was that well done. That said, the book is able to go into greater depth of backstories, explanations, and analysis. The book and the Frontline episode are definitely great companion pieces: both are intriguing and informative, working as standalone works or as a set. Neither makes you feel like you wasted your time with one or the other.

Based on the title, and knowing some about how the NFL handled the original "concussions=>brain damage" studies, you'd think that there are two major sides/players in this: 1) the NFL, which doesn't want to believe that football-related head injuries lead to long-term brain damage; and 2) the scientists who study football players' brains and see that the injuries *do* lead to brain damage. Just two sides? Haha! You're wrong! It's amazing HOW MANY different segments there are. It's not just NFL officials vs. doctors; it's NFL officials; NFL's doctors (the first round); the scientists who discovered the chronic traumatic encephalopathy in football players; .... wait, the NFL officials ousted their first set of doctors, so now there's a second set; ... oh, and a different set of doctors who study the disease and, like the first set of scientists/doctors, still think the NFL is wrong, but they're warring against that first set that said the NFL was wrong. Oh my God! Not only is this book about science/the workings of the brain and about the clash between Big Business Football and the scientists who are trying to make a point about head trauma, but there's also the soap opera of one faction against another, so there are now around 6 different groups to keep track of! (And since the Frontline documentary wasn't three days long, it could only touch on this fact of competing groups, but the book can go so much more in-depth, which just leaves me really confused trying to keep track of all the groups, especially when they keep changing! Person A is part of group A; then group A ousts person A; then Person A goes to group B; on and on and on. It's a soap opera!) The only thing that's certain in this back-and-forth is that the NFL seems to be trying to cover up the notion that concussions lead to an increase in brain damage, and that NFL players tend to get a LOT of concussions. (Although, even the "NFL" changes, because they bring in or get rid of scientists who did or go on to be on the "concussions cause brain damage" side. Can't the whole saga just be one side vs. another side, with no back-and-forth and no third and fourth sides?!? Concussions bad. Brain damage bad. Fix it.) ...more

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