Risk and Reward
Impact of CTE Research on Football in Society
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Rocco Porreca, Michelle Brimecombe
The sport of football has been emerging in the United States for many years. Revenues in both, the National Football League, and within NCAA football, have grown exponentially due to the sport’s immense popularity. However, recent research regarding Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) has the sport on notice. Boston University’s CTE Center has been conducting research on the detrimental effects of playing the game of football. A 2017 study by Boston University stated 87% (177 out of 202) of former football players tested positive for CTE, and yet the NFL is projected to produce $14 billion in revenue this year. Furthermore, a decline in youth football participation has been slowly occurring since 2010. Does this decline have to do with further research being published on the negative effects of football on the human body? How will a decline in youth participation impact football as a product? This paper/presentation will begin to establish a correlation between CTE research and football participation, while also addressing the impact CTE research is having on society as a whole.
Metabolism behind the New England Patriot's Super Bowl Comeback Win: How Robert Alford's Interception Tipped the Balance
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Galen Morton, Nathan Cole
Every play from scrimmage in a football game can be viewed as an exercise bout. There is a limit to the number of plays an individual can withstand in the time frame of a game without performance decrement. Atlanta’s defensive unit exceeded that maximum and because their recovery periods were insufficient, New England was able to overcome a 25-point deficit. We reviewed data bases from several post-game sources and we also collected data from media outlets such as newspapers and interviews of key game personnel. The main findings were that Atlanta’s defense became fatigued under New England’s ball control offensive strategy. From a metabolic perspective, their comeback was keyed by Alford’s interception return for a touchdown—it made the score 21-0, but it also kept Atlanta’s defense on the field for 26 consecutive plays and likely precluded adequate metabolic recovery opportunities. It is inadvisable to promote a game strategy to purposely fall behind by 25 points. However, if a team’s offensive plan includes a competent running game, a high percentage short-pass attack, that same team can overcome substantial deficits if they are patient because defensive metabolic fatigue can negatively influence performance.
Injury Risk among College Football Players
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Arthur H Owora
Football is a contact sport with an elevated incidence of high-impact collisions that can result in injuries with varying severity. However, literature on the etiologic risk factors of football-related injuries especially college football is limited. In this paper, we examine whether physiological and socio-behavioral factors deferentially predict injury risk among college football players using data from a Division I football team during the 2016/17 season.
