I'm not a football fan or anything, but I read in the paper today how the Buffalo Bills' suffered a tremendous loss as one of their players (forget the position -- it's one of the really gay sounding ones). I saw the clip on SportsCenter the other day, and it really didn't look like he was all that hurt. But apparently he went in for a routine tackle, and his helmet smacked into the guy's shoulder pads, and he became paralyzed from the neck down now.
Hate hearing about shit like this, especially since he's younger than me, at a whole 25 years old, and only in his 3rd NFL season.
I wonder if NFL teams have longterm coverage or compensation for these types of injuries. Also, what about the longterm injuries that some of them suffer from when they have too many concussions, or worse, not enough time off from their first one and immediately being rushed back into the game the next week or 2 weeks later. I remember reading some articles on retired NFL players who now have early signs of dementia and alzheimers due to getting put back into the game too early after a pretty serious internal injury.
I know in the NHL they are VERY cautious and serious about it because it happens all too often. But then you get really talented players who have too much of an ego, like Eric Lindros (who just retired). Not to mention Lindros is a moron for not learning from mistakes, because his brother, who may have actually been a better player than he was, never made it to the NHL because he had too many concussions before he could get in. Really sad shit.
I've always wondered though, who's tougher? NFL athletes or NHL athletes?
I'd go with NHL. Those guys are the only ones who take stitches on the bench, and are back out on their next shift by choice. They play with some of the worst and most painful injuries and never bitch and moan. They are the most under-paid sports franchise in North America (most golfers and bowlers make more), and they are by far some of the most talented in the world. In all other sports, you pretty much have to focus on one or two things, but always get by at being great at one. In hockey, if you can't skate like a pro, it doesn't matter how accurate your shot is, or how hard you can hit a guy, you won't make the cut. Skating like a pro is the first and toughest part, and then you have to be great at stopping pucks, hitting guys, skating fast, controlling the puck, etc..
Hate hearing about shit like this, especially since he's younger than me, at a whole 25 years old, and only in his 3rd NFL season.
I wonder if NFL teams have longterm coverage or compensation for these types of injuries. Also, what about the longterm injuries that some of them suffer from when they have too many concussions, or worse, not enough time off from their first one and immediately being rushed back into the game the next week or 2 weeks later. I remember reading some articles on retired NFL players who now have early signs of dementia and alzheimers due to getting put back into the game too early after a pretty serious internal injury.
I know in the NHL they are VERY cautious and serious about it because it happens all too often. But then you get really talented players who have too much of an ego, like Eric Lindros (who just retired). Not to mention Lindros is a moron for not learning from mistakes, because his brother, who may have actually been a better player than he was, never made it to the NHL because he had too many concussions before he could get in. Really sad shit.
I've always wondered though, who's tougher? NFL athletes or NHL athletes?
I'd go with NHL. Those guys are the only ones who take stitches on the bench, and are back out on their next shift by choice. They play with some of the worst and most painful injuries and never bitch and moan. They are the most under-paid sports franchise in North America (most golfers and bowlers make more), and they are by far some of the most talented in the world. In all other sports, you pretty much have to focus on one or two things, but always get by at being great at one. In hockey, if you can't skate like a pro, it doesn't matter how accurate your shot is, or how hard you can hit a guy, you won't make the cut. Skating like a pro is the first and toughest part, and then you have to be great at stopping pucks, hitting guys, skating fast, controlling the puck, etc..
