Framing and News Coverage of the NFL's Concussion Lawsuit in The

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Framing and News Coverage of the NFL's Concussion Lawsuit in The A Hit to the Head: Framing and News Coverage of the NFL’s Concussion Lawsuit in The New York Times and ESPN ____________________________________ A Thesis Presented to the Honors Tutorial College Ohio University ____________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Graduation from The Honors Tutorial College with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Journalism ____________________________________ By Kaitlin Coward May 2018 2 This thesis has been approved by The Honors Tutorial College and the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism __________________________ Dr. Aimee Edmondson Associate Professor, Journalism Thesis Adviser ___________________________ Dr. Bernhard Debatin Director of Studies, Journalism ___________________________ Cary Frith Interim Dean, Honors Tutorial College 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would never have been possible without Dr. Aimee Edmondson and all the guidance she provided throughout the past year. She worked to guide me through my research, keep me calm when things got stressful and push me to make my writing the best it could be. I truly do not know how this project would have to come to be without her. Several other people have helped me along the process as well, including Dr. Bernhard Debatin, who initially approved the idea behind this. I also want to give a special shoutout to everyone in The Post newsroom for listening to me ramble about concussions and letting me talk people’s ears off about social responsibility theory and more. You all made it so I was consistently excited about my project and gave me the belief that I could actually do this. I also want to thank those of you who took the time to read through and copy edit my chapters. That meant more to me than you will ever know. I want to thank all of my friends who have supported me throughout this process, particularly my three other HTC roommates — Kelly, Catherine and Erica — whom I have been able to go to for pretty much anything. And lastly, of course, a big thank you and love you to my family who regularly asked how I was doing and pushed me to the finish line. Thank you. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction: Troy Aikman and the list of others ..……………………………………………… 5 Review of the scholarly literature ….…………………………………………………………… 9 A culture of crushing blows: how concussions became a problem in the NFL ……….……….. 19 Method …………………………………………………………………………………………. 26 The New York Times findings ………………………………………………………………….. 32 ESPN findings ………………………………………………………………………………….. 43 Discussion and analysis ………………………………………………………………………... 52 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………....................... 64 References...…………………………………………………………………………………….. 68 Appendix A: Timeline …………………………………………………………......................... 75 5 Introduction: Troy Aikman and the list of others Troy Aikman sat in a dark hospital room at Baylor University Medical Center in downtown Dallas, Texas, when his agent, Leigh Steinberg, walked in. Outside, the people of Dallas were celebrating their team making it to the Super Bowl. Inside, the Dallas Cowboys’ star quarterback asked his agent where he was. Aikman couldn’t remember. Nor could he recall playing earlier that day against the San Francisco 49ers in the 1994 NFC Championship Game that took his team to the Super Bowl. He still doesn’t. When Steinberg entered the room, he explained to Aikman that he had suffered a concussion during the game. With the Cowboys up 28-7, Aikman took a knee to the head on his way to the ground. But he can’t remember that. Steinberg continued to outline what happened throughout the rest of the game, telling Aikman who the Cowboys played, that they won, that Aikman would play in the Super Bowl. The two celebrated. But a few minutes later, Aikman asked the same questions. Steinberg responded with the same answers. They celebrated once more. And then about 10 minutes passed. Aikman was asking again. Looking back at that day, Steinberg said, “It terrified me to see how tender the bond was between sentient consciousness and potential dementia and confusion was. I finally wrote down on a piece of paper the 10 most commonly asked championship-night questions and answers so we could hold them in front of him and stare at them” (Kirk, Gilmore & Wiser, 2013). Though they were not all documented in National Football League paperwork, Aikman estimated that he had six to eight concussions total throughout his career (Deitsch, 2015). He cannot remember later playing the Super Bowl against the Buffalo Bills in 1994. It is hard to say what other damage he might have acquired before he retired in 2001 because of health problems, including concussions and back issues, though in 2013 he said he had not had symptoms since 6 and he would play professional football again if he could do it all over (Cash, 2013). Aikman is one of the more notable players to have had a serious head injury during a game. He elected not to join a class-action lawsuit filed by thousands of former professional football players and their families against the NFL, but his concussions mark just one of the many cases of such injuries within the league. Mike Webster. Dave Duerson. Junior Seau. Those are just a few of the players who fared worse because of concussions — all of them were eventually found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a neurodegenerative disease that is the result of repeated hits to the head. Though in 2002 Webster was considered to be “patient zero” of the NFL’s concussion crisis, the deaths of both Duerson and Seau years later made national headlines, too (Fainaru- Wada & Fainaru, 2014a). Duerson committed suicide in February 2011, leaving behind a note that instructed researchers to study his brain. That story opened a deeper conversation about the severity of the concussion problem in the NFL, which later sparked dozens of former players to sue the league. That spark later turned into a fire when a total of about 4,500 former players and their families filed a class-action lawsuit in 2012 against the league, claiming that it knew or should have known that playing professional football could lead to severe brain injuries. Between mid-2011 and mid-2017, news outlets increased their coverage of concussions to include information about the lawsuit. Reporters repeatedly framed the articles in terms of how former players were affected by head injuries, legal background on the case, the science of concussions and how the league should change in reaction to the lawsuit. Two outlets that had extensive coverage during that time were The New York Times and ESPN, and this thesis seeks to evaluate how those two outlets, with their widespread viewership and dedication to sports coverage, used certain frames to tell the story of the NFL’s concussion lawsuit. The author 7 selected those two media organizations to compare the newspaper of record with a sports outlet of notable popularity for fans. In each outlet, the author compared types of articles and frames of articles to identify patterns in coverage. Framing analysis helps evaluate how effectively each outlet reported on all sides of the concussion lawsuit and not just the sensational parts, which journalists sometimes focus on (Siebert, Peterson & Schramm, 1963). Additionally, it is important for each media organization to cover all angles to accurately inform readers about the relevant issues. Social responsibility theory suggests that readers have a right to know information, and as a result, publications have an obligation to provide readers with enough information to be educated on a specific topic. That theory states that giving the audience all it needs to know to understand a topic is crucial to journalism and the public’s understanding of society (Siebert et al., 1963). This thesis seeks to examine how each outlet covered all angles to see if the two provided socially responsible coverage to readers following the story of the NFL concussion lawsuit. This thesis begins with a literature review of the relevant works that touch on reporting of concussions in sport, framing analysis in health reporting and errors in science journalism. The thesis then includes a chapter that focuses on the historical background of the NFL concussion lawsuit. That includes the development of an NFL committee to study brain injury, how the NFL and researchers disagreed over the potential consequences of concussions, what players have been affected and how all of that built to culminate in the concussion lawsuit. In the next chapter, the author explains how she chose The New York Times and ESPN as the two outlets of study and how she selected the articles to study. In that methods chapter, she also details framing analysis and social responsibility theory in relation to reporting on the lawsuit. The author then uses a chapter apiece to evaluate The New York Times’ and ESPN’s reporting on the lawsuit with 8 analysis of the most frequently used types of articles and frames, metaphors and corrections. In the discussion section, the author compares how those two outlets differed in their coverage and how they can continue to improve coverage in the future. 9 Review of the scholarly literature The author read a wide range of scholarly articles about concussion science, framing in health journalism and reporting about concussions, and social responsibility theory. Each article included different components that tie into the complexities of the NFL concussion lawsuit and the reporting that came with it. Coverage of the suit consists of scientific, legal and emotional angles in addition to themes of violence and change. Not many scholarly articles have addressed coverage of the NFL concussion lawsuit specifically given that it just took place in recent years, but many have touched on similar topics that include one or multiple aspects of the suit and those angles. Ahmed and Hall, in their article titled “ ‘It was only a mild concussion’: Exploring the description of sports concussion in online news articles,” also focused on how reporters wrote about concussions.
Recommended publications
  • Ladainian TOMLINSON
    THE NEW LA STADIUM THE CHARGERS ARE BRINGING THE FIGHT TO INGLEWOOD. The new LA Stadium at Hollywood Park, home of your Los Angeles Chargers in 2020, will deliver a revolutionary football experience custom-designed for the LA fan. The new Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park will have the first ever, completely covered, open-air stadium with a clear view of the sky. The campus will feature 25 acres of park providing rare and expansive open space in the center of LA. The 70,000-seat stadium will be the center of a vibrant mixed-use development, just 3 miles from LAX. The low-profile building will sit 100 feet below ground level. The video board will provide a 360-degree double-sided 4K digital display viewing experience. There will be several clubs within the stadium, all offering LA-inspired premium dining and private entrances. Many concourse and club spaces will have patios bathed in sunlight. Champions Plaza will host pregame activities and special events, and feature a 6,000-seat performance venue. Entry and exit will be easy, and there will be more than 10,500 parking spaces on site. For more information on becoming a 2020 LA Stadium Season Ticket Member, visit FightforLA.com II OWNERSHIP, COACHING AND ADMINISTRATION 20182018 THE NEW LA STADIUM CHARGERSSCHEDULESCHEDULEGOGO BOLTSBOLTS PRESEASON WEEK DATE OPPONENT TIME NETWORK THE CHARGERS ARE 1 Sat. Aug. 11 @ Cardinals 7:00 pm KABC BRINGING THE FIGHT 2 Sat. Aug. 18 SEAHAWKS 7:00 pm KABC 3 Sat. Aug. 25 SAINTS 5:00 pm CBS * TO INGLEWOOD.
    [Show full text]
  • Patriots Host Ravens in Wild Card Playoff Game
    PATRIOTS HOST RAVENS IN WILD CARD PLAYOFF GAME MEDIA SCHEDULE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (10-6) vs. BALTIMORE RAVENS (9-7) WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6 Sunday, Jan. 10, 2010 ¹ Gillette Stadium (68,756) ¹ 1:00 p.m. EDT 10:50 -11:10 a.m. Bill Belichick Press Conference The 2009 AFC East Champion New England Patriots will host the Baltimore Ravens in 11:10 -11:55 a.m. Open Locker Room a Wild Card playoff matchup this Sunday. The Patriots have won 11 consecutive 11:10-11:20 p.m. Tom Brady Availability home playoff games and have not lost at home in the playoffs since Dec. 31, 1978. 11:30 a.m. Ray Lewis Conf. Calls The Patriots closed out the 2009 regular-season home schedule with a perfect 8-0 1:05 p.m. Practice Availability record at Gillette Stadium. The first three times the Patriots went undefeated at TBA John Harbaugh Conf. Call home in the regular-season (2003, 2004 and 2007) they advanced to the Super THURSDAY, JANUARY 7 Bowl. 11:10 -11:55 p.m. Open Locker Room HOME SWEET HOME Approx. 1:00 p.m. Practice Availability The Patriots are 11-1 at home in the playoffs in their history and own an 11-game FRIDAY, JANUARY 8 home winning streak in postseason play. Eleven of the franchise’s 12 home playoff 11:30 a.m. Practice Availability games have taken place since Robert Kraft purchased the team 16 years ago. 1:15 -2:00 p.m. Open Locker Room PATRIOTS AT HOME IN THE PLAYOFFS (11-1) 2:00-2:15 p.m.
    [Show full text]
  • Illegal Procedure
    Wendel: Illegal Procedure Published by SURFACE, 1990 1 Syracuse University Magazine, Vol. 6, Iss. 3 [1990], Art. 6 https://surface.syr.edu/sumagazine/vol6/iss3/6 2 Wendel: Illegal Procedure "Payton's perfect for Busch's 'Know When to former Iowa running back Ronnie Harmon (now Say When' campaign," Ki les says, taking a quick with the Buffalo Bills) and Paul Palmer, the 1986 glance at his side mirror and then cutting for day­ Heisman Trophy runner-up from Temple. light. "He doesn't drink himself and he's already Among those who testified at the Walters-Bloom out there making appearances on the race circuit." trial was Michael Franzese, a captain in the With a B.A. (1975) and law degree (1978) Colombo crime family, who said he invested from Syracuse University, Kiles is one of a half­ $50,000 in the agents' business and gave Walters dozen SU alumni who are deal-makers in the permission to use his name to enforce contracts world of sports. Kiles, once the agent for Orange­ wi th players. men football stars Bill Hurley and Art Monk, has Even though some, most notably NCAA a practice with two offices on M Street in Wash­ executive director Dick Schultz, said the convic­ ington. He represents several members of the tion sent a clear message to players and agents National Football League Redskins, and works alike, others maintain the court case merely with companies that want to serve as corporate scratched the surface of the sleazy deals cur­ sponsors for the 1992 Olympics and 1994 soccer From the public's rently going down in sports.
    [Show full text]
  • Denver Broncos Roster Section 2013.Xlsx
    ddenverenver bbroncosroncos 2013 weekly press release Media Relations Staff Patrick Smyth, Executive Director of Media Relations • (303-264-5536) • [email protected] Rebecca Villanueva, Media Services Manager • (303-264-5598) • [email protected] Erich Schubert, Media Relations Manager • (303-264-5503) • [email protected] 2 World Championships • 6 Super Bowls • 8 AFC Title Games • 12 AFC West Titles • 19 Playoff Berths • 25 Winning Seasons FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MONDAY, AUG. 26, 2013 BRONCOS WRAP UP PRESEASON WITH HOME GAME AGAINST CARDINALS Denver Broncos (2-1) vs. Arizona Cardinals (2-1) Thursday, Aug. 29, 2013 • 7:07 p.m. MDT Sports Authority Field at Mile High (76,125) • Denver GAME INFORMATION BRONCOS 2013 SCHEDULE/RESULTS After a 27-26 win over the St. Louis Rams in their preseason home open- PRESEASON er on Saturday, the Denver Broncos (2-1) will make a quick turnaround for Wk. Day Date Opponent Site Time/Result TV/Rec. 1 Thu. Aug. 8 at San Francisco Candlestick Park W, 10-6 1-0 their preseason finale on Thursday when they play the Arizona Cardinals 2 Sat. Aug. 17 at Seattle CenturyLink Field L, 40-10 1-1 (2-1) in their final tune-up before the regular season. Kickoff at Sports 3 Sat. Aug. 24 ST. LOUIS Sports Authority Field at Mile High W, 27-26 2-1 Authority Field at Mile High is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. MDT. 4 Thu. Aug. 29 ARIZONA Sports Authority Field at Mile High 7 p.m. MDT KTVD-20 REGULAR SEASON BROADCAST INFORMATION: Wk.
    [Show full text]
  • All-Time All-America Teams
    1944 2020 Special thanks to the nation’s Sports Information Directors and the College Football Hall of Fame The All-Time Team • Compiled by Ted Gangi and Josh Yonis FIRST TEAM (11) E 55 Jack Dugger Ohio State 6-3 210 Sr. Canton, Ohio 1944 E 86 Paul Walker Yale 6-3 208 Jr. Oak Park, Ill. T 71 John Ferraro USC 6-4 240 So. Maywood, Calif. HOF T 75 Don Whitmire Navy 5-11 215 Jr. Decatur, Ala. HOF G 96 Bill Hackett Ohio State 5-10 191 Jr. London, Ohio G 63 Joe Stanowicz Army 6-1 215 Sr. Hackettstown, N.J. C 54 Jack Tavener Indiana 6-0 200 Sr. Granville, Ohio HOF B 35 Doc Blanchard Army 6-0 205 So. Bishopville, S.C. HOF B 41 Glenn Davis Army 5-9 170 So. Claremont, Calif. HOF B 55 Bob Fenimore Oklahoma A&M 6-2 188 So. Woodward, Okla. HOF B 22 Les Horvath Ohio State 5-10 167 Sr. Parma, Ohio HOF SECOND TEAM (11) E 74 Frank Bauman Purdue 6-3 209 Sr. Harvey, Ill. E 27 Phil Tinsley Georgia Tech 6-1 198 Sr. Bessemer, Ala. T 77 Milan Lazetich Michigan 6-1 200 So. Anaconda, Mont. T 99 Bill Willis Ohio State 6-2 199 Sr. Columbus, Ohio HOF G 75 Ben Chase Navy 6-1 195 Jr. San Diego, Calif. G 56 Ralph Serpico Illinois 5-7 215 So. Melrose Park, Ill. C 12 Tex Warrington Auburn 6-2 210 Jr. Dover, Del. B 23 Frank Broyles Georgia Tech 6-1 185 Jr.
    [Show full text]
  • Nfl) Retirement System
    S. HRG. 110–1177 OVERSIGHT OF THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (NFL) RETIREMENT SYSTEM HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION SEPTEMBER 18, 2007 Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 76–327 PDF WASHINGTON : 2012 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Nov 24 2008 13:26 Oct 23, 2012 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 S:\GPO\DOCS\76327.TXT JACKIE SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii, Chairman JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West Virginia TED STEVENS, Alaska, Vice Chairman JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts JOHN MCCAIN, Arizona BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota TRENT LOTT, Mississippi BARBARA BOXER, California KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas BILL NELSON, Florida OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine MARIA CANTWELL, Washington GORDON H. SMITH, Oregon FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, New Jersey JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada MARK PRYOR, Arkansas JOHN E. SUNUNU, New Hampshire THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware JIM DEMINT, South Carolina CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri DAVID VITTER, Louisiana AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota JOHN THUNE, South Dakota MARGARET L. CUMMISKY, Democratic Staff Director and Chief Counsel LILA HARPER HELMS, Democratic Deputy Staff Director and Policy Director CHRISTINE D. KURTH, Republican Staff Director and General Counsel PAUL NAGLE, Republican Chief Counsel (II) VerDate Nov 24 2008 13:26 Oct 23, 2012 Jkt 075679 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\76327.TXT JACKIE C O N T E N T S Page Hearing held on September 18, 2007 ....................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • East Midwest South West
    1 Walter Payton George Halas 1 1 Walter Payton George Halas 1 16 Rex Grossman Mike McCaskey 16 8 Jay Hilgenberg Willie Gault 8 9 Jay Cutler Willie Gault 8 9 Jay Cutler Lovie Smith 9 5 Bill George Bronco Nagurski 5 5 Bill George Bronco Nagurski 5 12 Leslie Frazer William Perry 12 PRESSENTED BY: 4 Lance Briggs Jim McMahon 4 4 Lance Briggs Jim McMahon 4 13 Harlon Hill Mark Bortz 13 6 Richie Petitbon George Blanda 6 6 Richie Petitbon .COM George Blanda 6 11 Tom Thayer EAST MIDWEST Dave Duerson 11 3 Dan Hampton Sid Luckman 3 3 Dan Hampton Sid Luckman 3 14 Otis Wilson Chis Zorich 14 7 Johnny Morris Steve McMichael 7 10 Tommie Harris Steve McMichael 7 10 Tommie Harris Marty Booker 10 2 Brian Urlacher Gale Sayers 2 2 Brian Urlacher Gale Sayers 2 15 Adewale Ogunleye Ron Rivera 15 1 Mike Singletary Mike Ditka 1 1 Mike Singletary Mike Ditka 1 16 Kyle Orton Tom Waddle 16 8 Devin Hester Big Cat Williams 8 8 Devin Hester Rick Casares 9 9 Neal Anderson CHAMPION Rick Casares 9 5 Red Grange Doug Plank 5 5 Red Grange Doug Plank 5 12 Marcus Robinson Doug Buffone 12 4 Jimbo Covert Olin Kreutz 4 4 Jimbo Covert Olin Kreutz 4 13 Anthony Thomas Mark Carrier 13 6 Stan Jones Doug Atkins 6 11 Brian Piccolo Kevin Butler 11 11 Brian Piccolo SOUTH WEST Kevin Butler 11 3 Gary Fencik Wilber Marshall 3 3 Gary Fencik Wilber Marshall 3 14 Desmond Clark Patrick Mannelly 14 7 Keith Van Horne Mike Brown 7 7 Keith Van Horne Mike Brown 7 10 Rosey Taylor Peanut Tillman 10 2 Dick Butkus Richard Dent 2 2 Dick Butkus Richard Dent 2 15 Robbie Gould Brad Maynard 15.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ouachita Circle Fall 2014 Ouachita Baptist University
    Ouachita Baptist University Scholarly Commons @ Ouachita Alumni Magazine Ouachita Alumni Fall 2014 The Ouachita Circle Fall 2014 Ouachita Baptist University Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarlycommons.obu.edu/alumni_mag Recommended Citation University, Ouachita Baptist, "The Ouachita Circle Fall 2014" (2014). Alumni Magazine. Book 21. http://scholarlycommons.obu.edu/alumni_mag/21 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Ouachita Alumni at Scholarly Commons @ Ouachita. It has been accepted for inclusion in Alumni Magazine by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons @ Ouachita. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FALL 2014 CELEBRATION Jane Chu heads NEA Affordability initiatives launched Ouachita celebrations abound “cel·e·brate: 1. to do something elebration! The very word sparks images of achievement, victory special or enjoyable for an and joy. From Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year’s, most of important event, occasion, us are in a celebratory mood. Even such infamous party poopers as Ebenezer Scrooge and the Grinch (spoiler alert!) eventually holiday, etc. 2. to praise C discovered the joy of true celebration. (someone or something); to say This issue of The Ouachita Circle is filled with numerous examples of that (someone or something) Ouachitonians celebrating milestones large and small. As Jon Merryman, director of Ouachita Alumni, points out in this edition’s theme interpretation on pages is great or important.” 2-4, “With so much to celebrate on a regular basis, 2014 gave us many reasons to Merriam-Webster.com celebrate. … It’s the people of Ouachita who are at the heart of the celebration.” Among long-awaited celebrations this year was the dedication of Cliff Harris Stadium, providing a top-notch facility for Tiger football players and fans while also honoring Ouachita football legend Cliff Harris.
    [Show full text]
  • Concussion! Friday Night Lights and Informed Consent—A Commentary
    COMMENTARY Concussion! Friday Night Lights and Informed Consent—A Commentary a b KATHY A. DEBARR, PhD MICHELE L. PETTIT, MPH, PhD, MCHES Citation: DeBarr KA, Pettit ML. Concussion! Friday night lights and informed consent—a commentary. J Sch Health. 2019; 89: 341-344. DOI: 10.1111/josh.12744 Received on October 6, 2017 Accepted on August 21, 2018 ootball is a national pastime, and for many, an The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Fobsession. It also is an entertainment industry (CDC) has prioritized concussion, a medical condition tour de force with the National Football League (NFL) that requires a medical diagnosis and management, generating estimated revenues greater than $13 billion as an important public health issue with its online in 2016.1 The national culture of football perpetuated training module, Heads Up.7 According to the CDC: by the NFL trickles down to the state and local levels. ‘‘A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury—or Inspired by this culture, roughly 3.5 million youth in TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head the United States play football and continue to play the or by a hit to the body that causes the head and game throughout high school.2 In fact, in cities and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden small towns across the United States, autumn ushers movement can cause the brain to bounce around in the bright lights of Friday night high school football. or twist in the skull, stretching and damaging the Unfortunately, the excitement and thrill of the high brain cells and creating chemical changes in the school football season is not without consequence.
    [Show full text]
  • Super Bowl X Pittsburgh 21, Dallas 17
    P i t t S b u r g h MEDIA Super Bowl X Pittsburgh 21, Dallas 17 January 18, 1976 80,197 information Defense continued to dominate in the scoreless third quar- ter. Pittsburgh sacked Staubach seven times during the game and forced him to scramble on numerous occasions. Moreover, they pressured him into an uncharacteristic 3 interceptions. Once of the interceptions set up another field-goal try by Ge- rela, but he pulled it left from 33 yards. Dallas safety Cliff Harris mockingly patted him on the helmet, only to be unceremoni- MiaMi — What were, at the time, the two most popular teams F in the NFL met in Super Bowl X, and the contrast between ously dumped on his hip pads by irate Pittsburgh linebacker ootball their styles was as great as the hue of their jerseys. Jack Lambert. The inspired Steelers dominated after that. The glitzy, white-clad Dallas Cowboys—”America’s In the fourth quarter, Steelers reserve fullback Reggie Harrison Team”—combined a high-tech offense and a state-of-the- blocked Mitch Hoopes’s punt. The ball rolled through the end zone art Flex Defense to put on a dazzling show each Sunday. for a safety to cut the Cowboys’ lead to 10-9. Gerela, who’d donned S They were easy to like, and for once, they even had some- a corset to protect his ribs, regained his kicking touch with field TAFF thing of an underdog aura, having reached the Super Bowl goals of 36 and 18 yards to put the Steelers in front 15-10.
    [Show full text]
  • Concussions and the Courthouse
    CONCUSSIONS AND THE COURTHOUSE DECEMBER 2015 About the American Association for Justice (AAJ) The American Association for Justice works to preserve the constitutional right to trial by jury and to make sure people have a fair chance to receive justice through the legal system when they are injured by the negligence or misconduct of others—even when it means taking on the most powerful corporations. 777 6th Street, NW, Suite 200 Washington, D.C. 20001 www.justice.org Copyright © American Association for Justice 2015. Reproduction of any kind is prohibited. For more information, please contact AAJ Research at [email protected] or at (800)424-2725 or (202)965-3500, ext. 2811. American Association for Justice (AAJ): Concussions and the Courthouse 2015 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 4 The Change in Culture 5 Concussion Flashpoint: The NFL 9 Beyond the NFL: The Concussion Epidemic 14 Conclusion 18 Appendices: Statistics 19 High Profile Cases 20 A Timeline of Concussions 24 State Laws 33 American Association for Justice (AAJ): Concussions and the Courthouse 2015 4 INTRODUCTION he dangers of traumatic brain management policies. Where decades Tinjuries in sports have long been of medical research changed attitudes known, but it is only recently that only incrementally, lawsuits have a widespread change in attitude to fueled accelerated change. such injuries has taken hold, as the No concussion lawsuit has had quite civil justice system has begun to hold the effect of the NFL concussion sports leagues and school districts litigation. One of the most high- to account. Ten years ago, players, profile court cases in sports history, the coaches and commentators still talked case immediately sent shockwaves not about concussions in terms of “being just through the NFL, or professional shaken up,” or “having your bell rung,” sports, but all contact sports at every even as the risks head injuries posed level.
    [Show full text]
  • NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY the Reality of Fantasy Sports
    NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY The Reality of Fantasy Sports: Transforming Fan Culture in the Digital Age A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS for the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Field of Media, Technology and Society By Ben Shields EVANSTON, ILLINOIS June 2008 2 © Copyright by Ben Shields 2008 All Rights Reserved 3 ABSTRACT The Reality of Fantasy Sports: Transforming Fan Culture in the Digital Age Ben Shields This dissertation analyzes the transformation of fantasy sports from a deviant, outside- the-mainstream fan culture to a billion-dollar industry that comprises almost 20 million North American participants. Fantasy sports are games in which participants adopt the simultaneous roles of owner, general manager, and coach of their own teams of real athletes and compete in leagues against other fantasy teams with the individual statistical performance of athletes determining the outcome of the match and league standings over a season. Through an analysis of how fantasy sports institutions are co-opting an existing fan culture, the dissertation seeks to contribute to an emerging body of scholarship on the communication dynamic between fans and media institutions in the digital age. In order to understand this cultural shift within the context of fantasy sports, it focuses on three research questions: What is the history of fantasy sports? Why do fantasy sports stimulate avid and engaged fan behaviors? How do fantasy sports institutions communicate with fantasy sports fan cultures? The methodology employed in this study combines both an ethnographic approach and textual analysis. Personal interviews were conducted with fifteen decision makers from fantasy sports companies such as SportsBuff, Rotowire, Fantasy Auctioneer, Mock Draft Central, Grogan’s Fantasy Football, CBS Sportsline, and ESPN.
    [Show full text]