Jump to content

NFL Ends Partnership With NIH


Heimdallr

Recommended Posts

Quote

The National Institute of Health and the NFL are ending their partnership, specifically the study of concussions, effective in August. The league and the NIH have long been at odds, as the NIH has conducted numerous studies into the effects of football on the long-term health of the athletes. The two sides have had a stormy relationship since its inception in 2012, as the nature of their agreement revolved around showcasing the negative aspects of the league while attempting to aid those aspects..

In what was initially a $30 million pledge to the NIH from the NFL, $16 million has gone unspent. According to ESPN's Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru, the NIH has decided to let the agreement dissolve without renewal due to a 2015 conflict where "the NFL backed out of a major study that had been awarded to a researcher who had been critical of the league."

 

Quote

It would appear that the constructiveness of the discussions was a point of contention between the league and the NIH. In a previous Congressional study, it was reported by the New York Times that the NFL was attempting to influence the results of the NIH's findings. "[Congress's] investigation has shown that while the NFL had been publicly proclaiming its role as the founder and accelerator of important research, it was privately attempting to influence that research," the study said. "The NFL attempted to use its 'unrestricted gift' as leverage to steer funding away from critics."

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-ending-partnership-with-the-national-institute-of-health-on-concussion-study/

 

TL/DR:

  • Players get concussions with long term health effects
  • NFL seeks partnership with NIH to find excuses why it's not their fault
  • NIH says football causes concussions and long term health effects
  • NFL rejects that reality and ends partnership
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, iPwn said:

Things like this make it harder and harder to justify being a fan of this sport. 

Makes you really worry about what the NFL will be like in five, 10, 15 years. I'd imagine less and less parents are gonna let their kids play.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

53 minutes ago, bucsfan333 said:

Makes you really worry about what the NFL will be like in five, 10, 15 years. I'd imagine less and less parents are gonna let their kids play.

I'm ready for the rise of Aussie Rules Football if American Football dies out

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah classic NFL.... People say the NFL won't survive the next 2 decades-ish if this keeps up. But what really won't survive is college football and thus the NFL will have to find a new way to bring players into the league. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, bucsfan333 said:

Makes you really worry about what the NFL will be like in five, 10, 15 years. I'd imagine less and less parents are gonna let their kids play.

With how fast soccer is growing in the US, I can easily see MLS passing NFL as the biggest league in America by 2030.  It is just mind blowing how fast all levels of soccer are growing right now. This next generation is going to grow up playing and watching soccer much more than football. 

I think very quickly companies are going to start pumping their advertising money into soccer, and once that sort of money gets put into play, watch out. This week Target announced it is pulling all of its money out of NASCAR (after 30 years) and putting it into soccer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

55 minutes ago, Heimdallr said:

With how fast soccer is growing in the US, I can easily see MLS passing NFL as the biggest league in America by 2030.  It is just mind blowing how fast all levels of soccer are growing right now. This next generation is going to grow up playing and watching soccer much more than football. 

I think very quickly companies are going to start pumping their advertising money into soccer, and once that sort of money gets put into play, watch out. This week Target announced it is pulling all of its money out of NASCAR (after 30 years) and putting it into soccer.

They'll follow the money. If soccer starts expanding to the point where huge numbers of kids can get full rides through college, there may be a shift. If professional leagues grow to where they can pay tens of millions to their players, there way be a shift. As long as college football and the NFL continue to bring in the money they do, that's where the talented kids will follow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah I don't think soccer is going to replace football. Does the young generation even watch soccer?

 

Basketball and baseball may pick up some popularity but honestly if football is televised it will remain king. A lot of people love football, including people who play football. We will be more aware of the risks and some of the population will opt out but those born to play football will continue to play football for the most part.

 

 

Knowing what we know, had I been good enough ( and big enough) to play in the NFL I would do it without hesitation. The game is safer now than it was in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and even 90's. Rarely do you see a WR get knocked out and when it does occur they don't receive smelling salts and put back in the game. CTE will always be a part of contact sports (even soccer) but the league has softened and we will just have to wait to see if those measures are helping lessen the impact of long term brain issues.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

54 minutes ago, Heimdallr said:

With how fast soccer is growing in the US, I can easily see MLS passing NFL as the biggest league in America by 2030.  It is just mind blowing how fast all levels of soccer are growing right now. This next generation is going to grow up playing and watching soccer much more than football.

The problem for the MLS is that the current generation is growing watching things like the Premiership. The MLS is a long way down from there.

MLS needs to regularly attract more attention from America than hockey does before we can start thinking that they'll take over as the the biggest league overall in the US.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Heimdallr said:

TL/DR:

  • Players get concussions with long term health effects
  • NFL seeks partnership with NIH to find excuses why it's not their fault
  • NIH says football causes concussions and long term health effects
  • NFL rejects that reality and ends partnership

I'd change bullet 2 to "NFL announces "no strings attached" gift while secretly using the gift to influence research".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the NFL coming to a  point where it is a evolve or die. This due to the contact laws of the game, specifically as it relates to head injuries. 

If money does remain in the NFL and the contact laws remain the same it could very well become a poor persons sport, where only people who are interested in money let there children play, upper and middle class parents will steer their children to sports with lower risk.

In New Zealand, soccer is the most played team sport and rugby is the most watched. It is due to perceived risk of injury. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, IDOG_det said:

I'm ready for the rise of Aussie Rules Football if American Football dies out

Of all the sports to be discussed to take over from the NFL, this one was not one I expected :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A monopolized corporate entity is doing shady things to distort the truth in order to continue their monopoly?

Man I'm SHOCKED that a multi-billion dollar corporation is actually scummy and underhanded, shocked I say!

But honestly, yeah, this sport becomes damn near impossible the justify watching, at least at the professional level (and yes, college qualifies as professional they just don't pay their employees which is a whole nother can of worms). The NBA and MLS are poised to overtake it quicker than later if things keep pace at this. Especially since Soccer won't require massive TV contracts, of which the bubble will burst within a decade or two, to sustain profitability.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...