The Death of Boxing?

[marbleheadmaui]

I loved playing football, but I hate what its done to my body. I'm just 28 and I've had a separated shoulder (one two occasions, same shoulder..injured it a 3rd time playing lacrosse), dislocated numerous fingers, a mild heat stroke, "over training" and from hitting the way I did and lifting all the weights I had to lift to prepare myself for games I suffered a partially slipped disc in my back. I never lost consciousness from a hit (football or otherwise), I've never been diagnosed with a concussion, but I do wonder if I've had one (I mean I've been hit in the head any number of times....FLUSH). I have suffered from bouts of depression, perhaps from getting hit in the head, I don't know. Just know this...I was a very good player in high school, and there were any number of players that took more knocks than me and I've suffered pretty bad as far as I'm concerned.

I've thought that if I have kids I might not let them play football...and that's big coming from me, I'm usually Mr. Manifest Destiny, but its a dangerous sport...most dangerous one I've played and in lacrosse they gave me a 6 foot metal pole and allowed me to hit people with it, and of course I boxed a bit.

There are studies being done now that says many football players have some form of brain damage. You're looking at from pee-wee football to hs to college and then the pros. Even less physically demanding positions like wide receiver are having guys with messed up brains. It's a highly physical sport on the human body overall even if it's not on the highest level.

Funny you mentioned it, but I've suffered from bouts of depression also and so did my friends who played hs football. I sure wonder what sort of head trauma accumulates just on the hs level alone.

I played four years of small college ball. Two diagnosed concussions (and I'd bet a couple of more that weren't) , two cases of heat stroke, back surgery, busted fingers and one knee and one shoulder that just don't quite work right anymore.

I'd do it all again as I found it enormously rewarding, but I really do wonder.