Sunday, January 27, 2019

SPORTS IN LIFE -- MENTAL ACUITY -- SUPER BOWL


All the hype we hear about the Super Bowl might lead some to think everyone in the U.S. is obsessed with going to the game in Atlanta, Georgia this year or viewing the TV coverage.   The reality is that statistics indicate more people watch the game than any other program – but that’s only approximately one-third plus of our population.   Of that number viewers may only watch part of the game as VOX reported in their analysis a few years ago of rating company Nielsen’s methods: 

“A ratings point — calculated to the 10th decimal place — is a percentage of the number of American households that own at least one television and were tuned to a particular program at a particular time.
It represents 1 percent of the ... American homes that own a television set....   From there, Nielsen estimates viewership based on its demographic samples, which account for age, race, family size, and other things.
One of Nielsen's "homes" could be a family of five, all watching the big game, or it could be a single person, or it could be a big Super Bowl party. The company can't ever know with 100 percent certainty how many people are watching the game in any of these homes (that single person might invite a friend over!), but it has a pretty good guess.”
Predictions by many sports analysts are that this year’s game will attract an increased number of viewers.   I don’t usually watch the game but did see some of the earlier NFL conference championship game that has become controversial, intriguing me. 

I guess this isn’t the first time a team ended up being “the winner!” when possibly their opponent might have been had it not been for a game official’s call or failure to call an offense.  That is what happened in the NFL conference game between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints national football teams.

The New England Patriot’s aren’t without some controversies of their own.  One of the most recent has involved some manipulation of the football in the 2015 AFL conference game.  Interestingly, this year a ten-year-old boy won a science fair contest with a project designed to “prove” the team’s quarterback to be a “cheater”, possibly having been given an advantage.  You can view his project at Global News.

Feelings run strong with many avid fans of the teams who were defeated in those Conference playoff games by each of these two teams competing in this year’s Super Bowl.    I’ve thought the Patriot’s quarterback at age 41 defying typical age limitations to continue playing, is to be lauded, though the infamous “deflategate” scandal has colored the views of many football fans.

If I view the Super Bowl to be played this coming Sunday, February 3rd, the Los Angeles Rams will be my favored team – coincidentally the same name and team colors as my high school’s team.    The offending violation that officials didn’t call was finally acknowledged, a fine imposed, but no game replay granted as some wanted.  

I have had and continue to have reservations about this sport (also boxing, soccer, other sports) with athletes willing to risk damaging their brains in order to play and fans continuing to view.  

Brain-Injury-Research continues to determine any relationship, cause and effect between CTE and sports-related effects.  

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a brain condition associated with repeated blows to the head. It is also associated with the development of dementia. Potential signs of CTE are problems with thinking and memory, personality changes, and behavioral changes including aggression and depression.”

We can reflect on some of the centuries earlier colosseum sports we’ve learned about as being violent, or even  considered barbaric that have declined from sport.    Physical damage to the human body was the most obvious aspect in sport then.  Life span was generally shorter than now.

Now that we’re acquiring more knowledge about the much less visible brain and neurological functions, plus having extended life expectancy, perhaps we’ll reconsider our favored sporting events for participation and/or viewing.   We might want to exercise some caution to retain our mental faculties as best we can.  Our brains sometimes outlive our braun.

I wonder if  how the current popular sports are played will, or should change in the future?  Will they diminish in popularity?   What sports might ascend to capture attention?   Will new sports gain prominence? 

31 comments:

  1. I've never been a football fan. There is too much stopping and starting, and it's just a lot of men running into each other, in my perception. I'm very glad my sons never wanted to play the sport in school; they were basketball kids.

    The Superbowl--and the NFL--continues to be pretty popular, despite my personal feelings to the contrary!

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    1. My son wasn’t interested in playing either and his Dad didn’t promote his doing so though he had been a star athlete in high school.

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  2. I didn't even know when the Super bowl was until I read your blog. Obviously, I'm not a fan and will watch the puppy and kitten bowl instead. I do like the commercials but will catch them online later.

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    1. I liked the creature commercials they made years ago that they had to stop showing because too appealing to kids as I recall.

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  3. I always pull for the team that isn't the Patriots. I haven't liked them since the "snow plow game" in 1982.

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    1. Some of my family does the same based on how they played a game against the Denver Colts some years ago though I don’t recall the particulars as I wasn’t viewing.

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  4. I gave up watching any NFL (although hubby still does) because of the money and power games. It lost is sports appeal for me. I still like the Army Navy game which seems much more real.

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  5. I agree the money and power aspect of professional games has taken out some of the truly sport quality.

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  6. I have twice been known to watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. I'm not at all interested in the game. Soccer is in the ascendance. I will watch that on occasion.

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    1. So far, not many readers here into pro football. Hope soccer addresses the header as it relates to CTE issues.

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  7. I don't like games, any kind, where someone has to lose. I tend to feel stressed and in terms of professional athletics don't really know who is who (Same thing with the Oscars). I once in a while do watch the Superbowl for the ads but mostly avoid the whole thing. I though am a rare person it seems-- I'd like to see the Patriots win. I read a person who is a huge Patriots fan and he said the deflate gate was very iffy for what happened. Either way, it didn't change anything for Brady's passing. This last lead-up, where the Saints more or less got taken out by a bad call makes this Superbowl more questionable. It's a good time to buy snacks from Costco ahead of time and then on the day it happens, good for shopping--less in the stores and on the road.

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    1. Winning or losing does seem to impact some more than others. Guess it’s how we choose to view the experience that has bearing on whether or not it’s enjoyable. Lots of pros and cons on these sports controversies.

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  8. Well, David is going to watch the game on TV and is rooting for the Pats. I won't watch it, but I do like to know the score.

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    1. My husband would have been watching, too, if he was still living.

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  9. I'm not a sports fan at all, and I'm always amazed at how worked-up people get over their team's chances in some match or other. If only they got so worked up about poverty or climate breakdown!

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  10. Not sure if I will watxh u=it as I was pulling for the Saints. Football is attempting to make the game safer with rule changes but it could be yearsbefore their success or lack thereof is known. Hockey is working on the issue as well.

    People watch for the violence and the big hits,much like they watch motorsports for the crashes.Indy car racing has done much to make the races safer but the crashes are still pretty amazing and much more survivable than in the past.

    I definitely qualify as a sports fan. Lynn used to enjoy watching gymnastics - she was a gymnast in HS and college at BYU,

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    1. i enjoyed sports but didn’t have the opportunity to be on teams. Did win singles and doubles in ping pong in college. I can enjoy viewing sports and did with my husband, but to a lesser degree, and not so much for pro teams He was a much more avid fan than I.

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  11. I am always gobsmacked at how captivated fans are by millionaires bouncing a ball around or slapping hockey sticks on the ice - as it more the wont in Canada. And getting violent in the watching: screaming and shouting encouragement at their "personal" millionaires and epithets at the enemy millionaires.

    Exhausting.

    XO
    WWW

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    1. The worship-like behavior focused on so many of these individuals does seem incredibly magnified.

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  12. I will not watch the game for a simple reason. I absolutely detest the Patriots. And I really don't care about the hype over the commercials. So it will be old movies or reading for me.

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    1. Possibly much of the hype is coming from tv networks and promoters who will benefit when we consider most of population won’t be watching if the rating system is accurate.

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  13. I still don’t understand the game well, for me football is what they call “soccer” here. The only sport I like to watch really is the Tour de France. My daughter has had several foreign au-pairs to help with the kids and many of them told me the thing that amazed them the most here is the US addiction to sports - constantly talking about it, watching it, etc. I read it is difficult for young US people when they go to other countries and wish to speak about sports and no many are interested. It could be because there are sports in high school and universities here. In France there is no high school football or university football – schools are mostly for education. If one wants to take part in a sport one has to join a club of some kind. I used to try to watch the half time show of the super bowl but I hear this year there is not much of one.
    Thank you for coming to my blog while I could not visit blogs. Today is my late husband’s birthday so I decided to get back to visiting my friends’ blogs, and it helps.

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    1. I’m not surprised to hear how the U.S. behavior toward sports is viewed in other countries. Commercial enterprises have had some influence in what has happened to sports in this nation as I’ve observed the changes in my lifetime. All too often in many schools the well-intentioned physical education classes to provide exercise for students became practice sessions for only those students who were chosen to be on school teams for whatever the sport. The rest of the students were left out during the class period was what I observed when I was in school years ago. I do wonder how attitudes will develop in the future.

      I can appreciate how significant dates associated with those for whom we’ve cared resonate with us each year. Am glad you’re blogging — always enjoy your writing and views shared.

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  14. I think that the biggest risk to people up to the age of about 50 is having a Y chromosome. Why would one willingly participate in "sports" that lead to such injuries. They are NUTS!
    Cop Car

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    1. Good question, but there seem to be a lot of people who do, and not just in the contact sports.

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  15. Heavy contact sports like football and hockey are changing, trying to make them safer. Football rule changes already penalize players for helmet to helmet contact with penalties including expulsion fopm the game to suspension Couple the inherent violence with the increasing size and speed of the players and to do nothing would be a sure-fire recipe for disaster. When I playe din college at 6'2 280 I was big but mosy guys my height were 259nor so. The Patriots have a left tackle who played that is 6'8, 380.The Eagles have a guy 6'5 350, 6'5 346 and 6'7 330. They can all run. Hockey players are also bigger and faster and get hurt more often, If male hockey is made more like female hockey where checking goes away so will the fans. As to this years super bowl, it was a snoozer

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    1. Its good to know efforts are being made to make some of those games safe for the players. If doing so lessens the attraction to fans, then makes me wonder if maybe some fans are focused more on the roughness than the actual skills to play the game. Possibly referees being given the green light to call more offenses could make a difference. At least there’s awareness of risks not previously recognized so players can consider their options. Interesting that this Super Bowl was so low scoring. Guess a high scoring game would have more action — more passing, long runs.

      My husband and I used to discuss some of these pros and cons since he had reportedly been a hard playing football athlete before I knew him., but he died just as discoveries about brain damage began emerging publically. I have subsequently had reason to wonder about causes of some unusual behaviors he exhibited that were contrary to his personality in the later years prior to his death.



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  16. Nowadays games are the hub of various business!!!

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    1. Yes, sports have become very commercialized.

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  17. Comments with links promoting other sites and/or businesses are not accepted on this blog.

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