Public Service Announcement

Caution: Sports

Sports are intertwined into our everyday lives, some play and others watch. These sports bring about companionship and happiness in our lives and allow for a break from reality to watch the game. As for the players, these people dedicate their entire lives risking anything just to succeed. But how far will these people push themselves for their sport? When I was a child I always had a dream to become a professional football player and I was willing to do just about anything including: starting my career in second grade as well as playing through the worst of injuries. For example, in my junior year in high school, I received a concussion and if it weren’t for my persistent trainer, I would have jumped right back into play. This is only on a very minute scale though, what do the professionals fight through in order to keep their job? Well, according to league officials, there are roughly 160 concussions in the National Football League and 70 in the National Hockey League each year (Department of Health and Human Services). A concussion damages the brain cells very severely and should be treated accordingly; however, many people have failed to see this and have literally been killed because of trauma. In other studies, these traumatic brain injuries have been linked to dementia and the Alzheimer’s disease later in life. Injuries affect all levels of athletes and their loved ones, the risks are always present in these sports; it’s up to you to recognize and realize that it is not worth shortening your life over entertainment.

Contact sports have always been an entertainment goldmine. I concede that this industry is thriving and reeling in massive amounts of money as well as giving many people jobs. The National Football League’s salary minimum in 2007 was 285,000 dollars (USA Today). Also, these sports allow the youth to follow in the professional footsteps they look after by participating too. On the other hand, reaching the professional level needs incredible dedication and a healthy body. Not to mention, the odds of reaching this goal are not in your favor. There are still athletes that continue to use the phrase “mind over matter” with their injuries in order to stay on the field. Dr. Strickland, a clinical professor of neurology at UCLA’s school of medicine, stated this mind-boggling statistic, “It used to be thought that there were 300,000 sports-related concussions per year…we now believe that the true prevalence is between 1.6 and 3.8 million” (Tony Cox). This “mind over matter” mentality might be more severe than they thought because this statistic is encompassing all age groups and sports, not just professional ones. Physicians refer to this type of injury as “TBI” or traumatic brain injury (Brain Injury in Sports). If this injury is reoccurring, the damage can be fatal. Dr. Strickland furthers, “second impact syndrome where you have a concussion and before it resolves you [get] another one” (Cox). When you receive constant knocks to the head, there is hardly any recovery time for the brain. Furthermore, this damage is either permanent or fatal. And unfortunately, the part population that is at the greatest risk are “individuals age 18 or younger” (Cox). Those that experience many concussions in their lifetime are likely to develop cranial issues later in life. An article in the New Yorker explained that many ex-N.F.L. players are developing dementia after they retire (Malcolm Gladwell). Malcolm Gladwell interviewed a neuropathologist, Bennet Omahlu, who had this to say, “There is something wrong with this group as a cohort… they forget things…they have slurred speech” (Gladwell). This is just a footnote to the pedestal of the long-term affects; others include Alzheimer’s, uncontrolled speech, frequent dizziness and death (Gladwell). Players have even been reported passing out, convulsing and violently vomiting; the reasoning is the damage and malfunction of their brain (Gladwell).

With all of these findings, how could coaches bear the news that one of their players has been seriously injured or even died under their responsibility? Or is winning all that matters? This is completely unethical; coaches should not be able to play injured athletes. When I played football, my coaches always preached about having the desire to win. They encouraged players to fight through their injuries, “mind over matter,” just to get on the field and play. Encouraging and allowing an injured athlete to compete is ludicrous and should be treated much more seriously. This is a case study of a high school student who had desire to win, longed by most coaches:

During 1991, a 17-year-old high school football player was tackled on the last [play of the second quarter] of a varsity game and struck his head on the ground. He played again during the third quarter and received several routine blows to his helmet during blocks and tackles. He then collapsed on the field and was taken to a local hospital in a coma. He was transferred to a regional trauma center, where attempts to reduce elevated intracranial pressure were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead 4 days later. (American Academy of Neurology)

This just shows the passion that some people have for the game, and that they are willing to risk it all. But why risk your life? Later on an autopsy revealed, “brain swelling” this is just one of many repercussions of a concussion; in some cases bleeding outside the brain occurs, that is a hematoma (AAN). Some of the injuries resurface later in an athlete’s life. These are tough subjects for me, as an athlete, but as a parent to these younger athletes it must be nauseating. My mother always told me that her greatest fear in her life was losing one of her children and she couldn’t bear that pain. To be quite frank, this is probably the case with most of parents, so why put yourself at risk? In the same interview with neuropathologist Bennet Omalu, he admits, “I have had an N.F.L. player come up to me at a funeral and tell me he can’t find his way home” (Malcolm Gladwell). Could you stand to see your son or daughter like this? These are very serious matters and as seen, can even result in death. Dr. Strickland defines a concussion as, “a blow to the head or neck that transmits energy to the brain and alters the way a person thinks, feels and behave” (NPR). This could happen from just one concussion, imagine how a couple could affect your brain.

Sports are incorporated into much of our everyday lives; whether it is a person’s passion of the sport or merely entertainment. But where do we draw the line between charisma and self-righteous suicide? When I played sports, it was a great way to relieve stress, find a niche and further my dream. At one point I was willing to put myself into a situation that could have killed me, merely for the love of the game. If it weren’t for my trainer’s actions, my coach would have let me back in the game to play. This is outrageous but at the time it was what I wanted. Looking back on the situation, I couldn’t thank my trainer enough. Safety should always be the number one priority in life and especially in sports. These statistics need be presented to athletes to encourage safety and show them the risks involved in playing. And if any injury to a player occurs, he or she needs to be benched to see the damage accurately before playing again. Why risk your life for a game? What we need to realize is that there is only one chance at life; is it worth it to throw the rest of you life away because of an admiration for a game that will most likely continue for less than a third of your life? Admittedly, these sports are economically stunning and allow people to compete but are money and competition worth potential life-long injury? Remember that even one concussion could cause alteration to your brain. So if you are injured, step back and look at the possibilities because these injuries affect all levels of athletes and their loved ones. There are always risks present in sports so play with caution and it’s up to you to recognize and realize that it is not worth shortening your life over entertainment.

Dr. Strangelove

In Kubric’s Dr. Strangelove, he presents many controversially topics regarding issues that were prevalent at the time. The way he represents his perception on the nuclear power race in the movie, is taken to the absolute extreme. Kubric states in the an interview with Grant Stillman, “The arms race is not likely to create everlasting peace… the only solution lies in the hands and hearts of man.” In Dr. Strangelove, Jack Ripper, the commanding officer at the U.S. Air force, made the executive call of “Plan-R” which is a complete annihilation of a certain country via the weapons of mass destruction, at this time it was the U.S.S.R.

This spikes major controversy because this has the potential of actually happening, especially at the time of which the movie was made. Kubric’s representation of the U.S.S.R. could also be quite conflicting. He depicts the Russian Prime Minister as a drunk, and when the president is on the phone with him, the Russian is unable to be understood and the president is kind of controlling the conversation. Also, the Russian Ambassador was admitted into the “war-room.” Upon his arrival, he is immediately accused of bringing in cameras into the room.

Another bit of controversy is the depiction of women in this film. First off, in the “war-room,” there are no women throughout the duration of the film; however, the results, of the men in the room's, actions affects them greatly. Furthermore, “Miss Scott,” the pentagon secretary, is shown laying in bed and half nude, making relations with one of the generals of the “war-room.” This same woman is shown in the cockpit of one of the fighter jets in a Playboy magazine as the centerfold. This shows that, at the time, the perception of woman is drastically different than today. Think of all the progress as mankind that we have made. Or have we?

Kubric spent along time creating the plot and possibilities for the movie. He took many articles of the New York Times and Time Magazine, of current issues during the time, chopped them up, borrowed bits and pieces and wrote a creative/comedic screenplay. Kubric quotes, “After a month or so I began to realize that all the things that I was throwing out were the things that were the most truthful.” This is very ironic, due to all of his recent research in that time’s society. You would think that he would use much of the collected information especially if the information is controversial. Kubric also takes a path with this film that allows a lot of room for self-assessment. As the viewer, we can come to many conclusions and make up, possibly, an entirely different conclusion than what Kubric had expected. He mentions, “If I told you [the meaning of the film] it wouldn’t be ambiguous… and if you don’t discover it yourself, it won’t mean anything anyway.” This brings up a good point, is this the reason most author’s don’t reveal the film’s they create true identity? So the viewer can come up with better conclusions than what they, the writer, had even originally intended.