It was similar to the college career path of tight end Owen Daniels, who was then with Denver. I requested a phone interview with Daniels, and was speaking with him in less than 24 hours. A former NFL beat writer, he knew exactly what writers needed and went out of his way to provide it. His releases were amazing. NFL PR departments are generally excellent. The better teams seem to have a good handle on a functional relationship with the media.
Steelers, Giants, Packers, three-way tie. One of the simplest things to do to make a media guy happy is just return a damn e-mail or phone call. Even if the answer is no or can't do it. You would be stunned how many teams don't get this simple rule. I have no issue with the team I cover, the Texans. I could have answered this question with more insight. Under [communication staffers] Jason Jenkins and Matt Taylor, this team is interested in forging a working relationship with the media instead of an adversarial standoff. When they can provide context, they provide it.
When players decide they don't wish to talk, they move on the player to get that changed. When there is a rift between a reporter and a player or a reporter and a player's kooky wife, they try to find common ground to ease tensions. Did I mention they serve lunch for the media every day? Beat that one, everybody. The vast majority of my dealings have been with the 49ers. We can pump the news out nationally just as fast as anyone. Just make it a little less frustrating. He made it very difficult for the media when he coached the Jaguars all those years.
From what I hear, the Saints are difficult. And the Patriots, of course. The Raiders used to be. As I'm not around all the other teams on a daily basis and don't wish to slime one PR department or another based on one unpleasant incident or sour exchange, I think I'll pass on this question. Oh look, a no comment from the reporter! A little with players, especially this past year. I would say I do it gingerly. Some players, such Browns receiver Andrew Hawkins, will discuss politics willingly and other issues in the news such as police brutality and racial profiling.
If the players are willing, you can get some great stories on these social issues, and maybe effect change. We had a big issue here in Cleveland when running back Isaiah Crowell posted an illustration of a police officer being stabbed in the neck. Crowell immediately deleted the Instagram post, and learned a hard lesson from the experience. The local police union got involved and Crowell issued an apology. He also sent a game check to the Dallas Fallen Officers Foundation.
I discuss politics with coaches and players almost daily, usually by text or DM. It's amazing how civil things can be between people who have great political differences, when everything is one-on-one. I can tell you a lot of black players think it's only a matter of time before Trump tries to take our civil rights away. I can't tell you how many black players have told me that. I think that probably reflects the feelings of a lot of us African-Americans. By the way, will your column still run during the nuclear winter? I try not to discuss politics with anyone but my wife.
And she usually does the talking. It was hard to avoid it when Trump was running against Clinton. It was more interesting than anything on television or on social media. They usually try to keep their political views to themselves. Since I was sitting two seats down from Jeff at the time and have been extensively interviewed, you probably know how I feel about this. There was no reason whatsoever for an Eagles PR person to tell reporters who were discussing what happened on a play to quiet down. It speaks to a mind-set among media relations people these days that their job is to control and limit, rather than to try to facilitate access and coverage.
The old view was that our coverage basically helped their product, the more the better. The executive who made the extraordinary, and as far as I know unprecedented, decision to have Jeff removed from the press box and the stadium has very little sports media experience and might not have understood what a bleepstorm this action would create, over something not even close to bleepstorm-worthy. Though I tried to tell her, as it was happening. The fact that the Eagles just seemed to want to forget the whole thing the next day would lend credence to this interpretation.
Sometimes disputes between reporters and team officials happen. That happens fairly frequently. Ejecting reporters from stadiums during games does not. Would they have given the editor of, say, ILoveTheEagles. I was appalled to hear of Jeff being escorted out of the game. My first thought was the people who kicked him out should be disciplined by the NFL, and I still think that should happen. The PFWA has taken a strong stance against it, which is as it should be. We must make sure this never happens again.
McLane is a fake tough guy. But the way the Eagles handled it shows how little some teams get the media. And the person that handled it is a former journalist, for God's sake. By throwing McLane out, they turned him into a folk hero.
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They fed his ego. It's funny or not watching political reporters struggle with our President-elect and his threats to cut off access and how he bullies. Most of us in sports journalism deal with that on a regular basis and have for all of our careers. Some team person is always saying, 'Do this or that and you'll never walk into this locker room again. Teams have used parking passes against me. It just happened, in fact no, not going to name the team.
A team I had been covering for years, and was always helpful, suddenly became slightly antagonistic after I wrote something they didn't like. Suddenly couldn't find me a parking pass after providing them to me for 20 years. I actually think one repercussion for sports journalists is the way Trump behaves will embolden sports franchises even more to try and cut off access.
I think it could have been handled better by the Eagles. I know Jeff McLane and consider him a professional and a good guy. I am also aware of Derek Boyko. He has a very good reputation and I've been told he does an excellent job. If the incident had been handled by these two, I believe there would have been no incident to speak of. Oh, and well done Les Bowen. If the game is boring, there are so many other options, on your TV, phone or laptop. Maybe you decide to run an errand and keep track via the ESPN app; you can always replay a highlight if you miss something important.
Possible fantasy football connections aside, why would I waste a minute of my life watching the Jets play the Titans? And replay has made a lot of games interminable. My assumption is the biggest reason was the car-wreck-like presidential election, which caused some fans to rubberneck away from the NFL. And I reject the Kaepernick theory. I have a hard time believing Cheeseheads, for example, stopped watching the Packers because Kaepernick started kneeling during the national anthem.
It could be over-saturation of the game. Thursday night games between two bad teams are hurting the product. My three millennials are constantly on Netflix or on their phones. They have so many other options on so many devices. The election plus fan resentment to bad football. It was fascinating to watch a guy crawl from under a bridge and become the president. The biggest reason, however, is for the first time that I can remember, fans got fed up with awful games and decided not to watch. Some of the Thursday night games this season were steaming piles of poo and there was basically a rebellion from fans.
I also think bad teams coupled with the election caused the ratings issue with the league. The league should worry about putting a better product on the field and developing better quarterbacks. To help teams, more players should be able to come off injured reserve, and all players should be active and available. I know there are multiple reasons for the decline in ratings for some games but the one I hear about the most from readers and fans, and it isn't even close, is the number of players taking a knee during the national anthem this season.
Many of these folks who tuned out are simply offended that someone making a great life for themselves in America would be so disgusted with this country as to disrespect a The flag b The anthem c The military d Police e Those who simply wish to attend or watch a game without having some agenda thrust upon them. This is not a discussion about the players having a right to undertake their protests. They have that right. This is not a conversation about the merits of the protest. You don't have enough room here to discuss that.
This is a conversation about the reaction by the customer who is always right, by the way to a small number of players protesting. And the reaction for some of those customers is to tune out and do something else that isn't disagreeable to them. The piece is here. What this reveals, in my mind, is that the championship game the last two years was hurt by the decline of viewers in the semifinal games, which were played on New Year's Eve. Playoffs build on momentum and college football has hemorrhaged viewers for the semis since The other issue specific to this year was that Alabama-Clemson represents more of a regional play because of Clemson, a sensational team but one that historically does not have the national television weight of an Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama or Notre Dame.
Away from any ratings analysis, it was a sensational game and terrific work by ESPN. The NFL will kill the extra point-commercial-kickoff-commercial rotation. But broadcasters still need their money, so they want all the commercial breaks they can get. Could this lead to on-screen commercial bugs during NFL games, a la soccer? Probably not this year, but I can guarantee that the league will think about it. Episode 98 of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features two guests: In this Canada-centric podcast, Mirtle and Arthur discuss the NHL coverage in Canada in relation to the United States; whether there is a Canadian style of sports journalism versus an American style; how Arthur approaches sports column writing; why Mirtle left the Globe and Mail for The Athletic job; what the charter is of The Athletic and what it needs to do to be profitable; how Mirtle views the use of sabermetrics in hockey writing; the potential of Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs, and where Matthews might end up all-time; how growing up in Vancouver shaped Arthur; how growing up in Kamloops shaped Mirtle; covering losing teams in Toronto versus winning teams; the challenges that exist for Arthur being very politically active on Twitter; the hot take culture in Canada versus the United States; covering a national team such as the Blue Jays versus a local one Maple Leafs ; the future of the Canadian sports media amid job cuts; whether Canadians view a job in the U.
You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes , Google Play and Stitcher. She loved him, and he died in the Holocaust. Now her son is bringing his music back to lif e.
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I would like to think that we are very near the tipping point in the connection between Playing football is hurting people. I would like to think that we are very near the tipping point in the connection between CTE and football where even the NFL is going to have to admit how harmful it is, but we're obviously not there yet. League of Denial illustrates this connection in a thorough, well-vetted route, from the early days of concussion studies even the medical community did not think concussions were a big deal until the '80s or so , through to present times.
The writers are ESPN writers and have no stake in any of these stories - which is important because there are so many competing interests here. Even moving just beyond the NFL's appalling behavior to try and minimize the studies done on CTE and football, there's an unbelievable amount of infighting in the science community, to the point that you have scientists reaching out to families to ask for brains immediately after a loved one has died, because they want to beat out a rival researcher.
I expected the NFL to do some ugly, dirty things - and oh boy do they - but I was rather appalled at the behavior of some of these scientists, too. At times while reading this, you have to wonder if some of this would've come to light in a much stronger way had there been more cohesion and collaboration in the field. Part of the reason I chose this book over Omalu's is because I wanted an unbiased portrayal, and a bigger picture look. I do worry that Omalu's got an agenda - which isn't to say that I necessarily disagree with it, but particularly after reading this, I do think he has one.
This isn't to say I'm trying to lay the blame on science here, it obviously lies on the NFL, which basically followed the cigarette industry handbook of how to fund studies, bury science, seduce people with money, push people around, etc. Still, you have scientists who are one minute fully behind the CTE-football connection, and who are working for NFL the next but also a few in the opposite direction!
If there's anything difficult about League of Denial aside from the content, that is , it's that there are so many people involved, and it's hard to keep them all straight. Football is too big to die right now, but that won't always be true. The game has to evolve if it wants to continue. Whether that evolution means fewer contact practices, more practices with dummies, I don't know.
Something has to change, and I think something will. To revisit the cigarette comparison, people still smoke despite incontrovertible proof that it kills you. I think that will also be true of playing football, what with it also giving people the ability to make millions cigarettes just rely on that whole addictive thing.
I don't have answers, but the longer these studies continue, the more football players are found to have CTE, the more people they're going to lose. Something needs to change. May 28, Misha rated it really liked it Shelves: I couldn't put this book down. Jun 19, Mr. Stoner rated it it was amazing. So I have read a review or two about this book after reading this book, and it really worries me because, currently, there is two styles of football being played around the country, old school use the head and suck it up and new school take the head away and report concussions.
While this exists, the old school players will continue to play "hard" and receive praise, but the new school players will receive praise for tackling the "new" way, but still be told to suck it up! Now what everyone So I have read a review or two about this book after reading this book, and it really worries me because, currently, there is two styles of football being played around the country, old school use the head and suck it up and new school take the head away and report concussions. Now what everyone needs to understand is that does matter! The praise and glory are what the players seek, whether they admit it or not, the adulation of playing the rough sport as they grow up is an adrenaline rush, as is making the big tackle, block, play, or touchdown.
We feed into that obsession in a way that provides the kids an adrenaline rush that they seek to replicate, drug free, I might add, and we are okay with it because they are reaching that high playing a sport that we love. We watch the sport religiously whether we admit it or not. I don't want to see it end but one can not deny the obvious, it causes concussions. BUT just as importantly, the line men are sustaining injuries standing 1 foot away from their opponent too.
No big hits occurring at high speeds, but short bursts at low speeds but multiple times per game. Whether you teach "old" or "new" techniques, you will probably sustain a concussion, especially as a lineman! I don't have an answer as to whether or not an adult, let alone a kid should or should not play the sport, but I do believe they should be informed about that decision. The NFL legitimately hid that information from it's own players, even when they knew. Then they denied it.
It kind of makes me sick. As do the doctors that chased down dead bodies to get their brains. But again I understand why they did it, when the NFL was trying to keep them quiet. Even though there is justification for what many of these people did, it doesn't make it right. Irresponsibility and blame exist and can be spread around evenly with the NFL, doctors, and even us fans!
Again, no answers here, but a lot of emotions laid in turmoil for me, considering the fact that so much knowledge existed, but was so negligently reported and dismissed with the only idea to protect the league! I have my own demons as I watch my son and friend's sons play and know how it has effected my father who played with the leather helmets in another era altogether.
I love watching the kids play and enjoy that sport, as they learn some valuable life lessons. However, again at what cost? My emotions are in turmoil over my part in cheering on kids that will almost certainly receive a concussion at some point, and a sport I love to watch! What is the answer? None, provide them with the facts and let them choose? Great book for the facts that needed to be scoured and reported, but a hell of a hard read because it involved a great deal of emotional attachment!
Jul 07, David rated it really liked it. There is the heart-breaking tale of Mike Webster, Steelers Hall of Fame Center who, after enduring a career of blows to the head, had a completely altered personality and could no longer function in society. Linebacker Junior Seau is one of many who retired from the game and wound up killing himself, his autopsied brain showing the tell-tale signs of damage caused by concussions from playing football. Each put up with resistance from people making their living off the NFL who have a vested interest in denying that the crisis is caused by their game.
And the players are the ones who suffer because even with big contracts and big money, many sacrifice their health and their bodies to earn that money. My review only scratches the surface. Football has always been a matter of complete indifference to me, until 3 years ago when my 9 year old son said he wanted to play. For the first time, I started paying a little attention, and what I began hearing about concussions concerned me.
But we signed him up. At the first parents' meeting with the coaches, all of my worries were assuaged. They assured us that they had received all of the latest information and training regarding concussions DIRECTLY from the NFL, and that there was absolu Football has always been a matter of complete indifference to me, until 3 years ago when my 9 year old son said he wanted to play. They assured us that they had received all of the latest information and training regarding concussions DIRECTLY from the NFL, and that there was absolutely nothing to fear, because as long as enough time was allowed for a concussion to heal completely, there would be no long-term effects.
It was stunning and horrifying to understand that the NFL was outright lying to youth league coaches, so that the coaches could then spread the misinformation to parents.
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But it showed up as a recommendation on my library Overdrive app this week, so I decided to give it a go. The fact that I am as clueless about football as Bennet Omalu, yet I could not put this book down, is a testament to how gripping and well-written it is.
Whether you have a stake in football or not, this is an excellent read! However, I was appalled by how much the NFL has covered it up over the years. Also by how much they continue to be shady to protect their insane profits. I would love for their top execs to come spend a few weeks around people with brain injuries - maybe they could even spend time with them at home to better understand the devastating effects on their families. Anyway, very good read. Also yay to the scientists who are out there fighting against the big bully NFL.
Aug 22, Scarlett Sims rated it really liked it Shelves: So, you probably don't need more reasons to dislike the NFL, but here is a history of the league's issues with concussions and brain damage and the effect it has had on former players. The authors draw parallels between the NFL and tobacco companies who knew how dangerous their product was and yet continued to fund studies that discredited the opposition while supporting their own position. From reading the book, I would say the evidence is pretty damning, aside from one thing, which is that ther So, you probably don't need more reasons to dislike the NFL, but here is a history of the league's issues with concussions and brain damage and the effect it has had on former players.
From reading the book, I would say the evidence is pretty damning, aside from one thing, which is that there has been no comparison of players' brains to brains of people who haven't played. To my knowledge, the patterns they see haven't been seen in a non-players brain, but they just can't get the funding to conduct these studies and the NFL won't fund them, for obvious reasons. While not every player has a completely traumatic story, the ones that do are really heartbreaking and the authors use that to maximum dramatic effect.
The book also has a corresponding Frontline special that I'm interested in watching. Jul 31, Amanda rated it really liked it. I'm a hockey fan who began to get curious about CTE when a number of guys began committing suicide or experiencing nasty side effects from concussions. Which then drove me to this book.
Very educational, very eye-opening, and very, very sad. I hope that things can progress where these types of injuries become diminished in the game. For anyone interested in the subject, you'll see that BU's lat I'm a hockey fan who began to get curious about CTE when a number of guys began committing suicide or experiencing nasty side effects from concussions. For anyone interested in the subject, you'll see that BU's latest study got coverage. This is a book that was hard to put down. It also hit like a sledgehammer.
It clearly shows that the National Football League didn't just ignore a problem that caused deaths in retired players, it chose to ignore that problem. Furthermore, the NFL didn't just deny that the problem existed, it campaigned against those that tried to tell it and the football community that the problem existed.
League of Denial is well written and seems to be well researched. It would be easy to write it off saying t This is a book that was hard to put down. It would be easy to write it off saying the authors weren't objective enough, but it's hard to make that claim when the NFL wasn't cooperative. The book brings up problems with and among "the Dissenters" and it's clear that you could question the motivations of some on both sides of the issue. That isn't something that was made clear in the PBS Frontline show associated with the book.
I am a life long football fan, but after reading this book I am seriously questioning my love of the sport. Can the danger of traumatic injuries be mitigated? Is it worth ruining the post-football life of our football heroes for a Sunday afternoon of entertainment? Dec 04, Greg Messel rated it really liked it. It actually is impacting all football players. It has become a battle between scientists and those in the league who are denying the seriousness of the problem. It's a clear chronicling of the slow realization that something is going very wrong with many older football players who are now suffering dementia, personality changes and constant pain.
Two ESPN investigative reporters take us back to the early dawning of the realization that concussion and blows to the head are not like a sprained ankle. The case studies of stars like Steve Young, Troy Aikman and Mike Webster are among those highlighted in this fascinating book. Jan 01, Patricia rated it it was amazing. A quote from p. This book does an excellent and fact-supported job of explaining the price that football players may pay for their devotion to the sport. I found the story infuriating, poig A quote from p. I found the story infuriating, poignant, interesting from a medical standpoint and I am left with hope that the battle for the truth will prevail.
Jan 04, Nile Schuett rated it really liked it.
Concussion Inc.: The End of Football As We Know It by Irvin Muchnick
I thought this book was one of the best ones I have read in a long time. It gives the people reading an inside look into what it was like discovering what football does to the brain. The author tells the true story of what happens to football players of all ages after they're done playing the game.
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The story mainly talks about Mike Webster. A Hall of Fame football player that ended up going insane and killing himself. Bennet Omalu was the first man to perform the autopsy on Mike. What he ended u I thought this book was one of the best ones I have read in a long time. What he ended up finding was shocking. This story goes in depth into everything that happened and that is why I like it so much. There are many other players such as Junior Seau who put the barrel of a gun to his head and killed himself.
It is very common for former NFL football players to have a hard time fitting into the real word. They have trouble with performing simple tasks and remembering what to do and how to do itl. Aug 12, Caleb Chumley rated it really liked it. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. League of Denial is by two brothers seeing how football affects the brain and how it can lead to concussions, and worse. They examined the brains of dead football players and discovered that the parts that are damaged can lead to many different types of degenerative brain diseases that people believed only boxers got.
It was really depressing reading some parts and how the NFL is not open about this topic. I love football and it is one of my favorite sports, but I think people should be more ed League of Denial is by two brothers seeing how football affects the brain and how it can lead to concussions, and worse.
An Education and Communication Outpost from an Athletic Trainer's Perspective
I love football and it is one of my favorite sports, but I think people should be more educated on this topic. This book was really good and one of my favorite parts was when they found out that almost all of the brain injuries are getting worse over time, even when they stop playing football. The reason for this is because the parts of the brain damaged can't heal itself so the damaged part gets more damaged. Another part that interested me was that even NFL certified football helmets said on the helmet in fine print that they won't protect you from the hard head or neck injuries.
Overall, it is a good book and people who play contact sports or watch them should read it. Aug 04, Alexandra Sundarsingh rated it liked it. I felt more about this book than I expected. Maybe it was living in Madison, a football town, a college town, while I read it. Maybe it was just that the evidence these days seems to mount with no end. Either way, this book made me feel so much. I felt for the players, broken and sad but hopeful and empowered by the game that hurt them.
I felt for their families. I felt for the doctors, who feel powerless to stop it. At this point, I don't know how the NFL thinks it's doing enough, but if you lo I felt more about this book than I expected. To ask other readers questions about Concussion Inc. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Mar 21, Koozebane rated it really liked it Shelves: I am counting the book toward the ecwchallenge as well. The arrangement of the information betrays its blog origins somewhat; this doesn't Disclaimer: Feb 22, Cc April rated it it was amazing.
So your son says he wants to play football? You say you are proud but nervous about any possible injuries he might receive. But your son, his school, the media and doctors all lead you to believe it is safe for him to play. Author Irvin Muchnick begs to differ. He tells you like it is: Traumatic brain injury is a major part of the sport of football, and it leaves the player with So your son says he wants to play football? Traumatic brain injury is a major part of the sport of football, and it leaves the player with life long consequences.
Muchnick uncovers and exposes the truth that the government and football indusrty have tried to keep hidden. Mar 06, Winter Sophia Rose rated it it was amazing. Susan Leavitt rated it liked it Feb 02, Karen Eash rated it it was ok Aug 08, Brandon rated it it was ok Oct 30, Vi rated it it was ok Feb 22, Stephanie Hutabarat rated it it was amazing Dec 26, Seanna Yeager rated it really liked it Jan 12, Cynthia rated it really liked it Feb 09, Simon Lee rated it it was amazing Nov 29,