Inbox Time to End Football

Tom Moak '13 Says:

2015-10-22 16:10:15

Mr. Doar, I'm not here to comment on the medical risks associated with football on the collegiate level. I completely understand that the game is dangerous, and am proud of the steps that are being made by the governing bodies of the sport from pee-wee to the NFL, to make the game safer for its athletes. However, as somebody who played Princeton football for Head Coach Bob Surace, I wholeheartedly disagree with your assertions in the third paragraph. With regard to the assertion that none of our fans will be there in a few years, you miss the mark entirely. For starters, if you polled current and former athletes at Princeton, across all sports, fan support would rank near the bottom of the list of motivating factors in athletic endeavor. Student-athletes at Princeton play because they love their sport, and they love the camaraderie of their teams ... Nobody pretends to think that their athletic endeavors are large enterprises that garner immense attention from outside fans. They play because their sport is fun, and oftentimes it gave them the opportunity to attend the top school in the country. Your acerbic quip about fans only highlights your lack of understanding of the Princeton football player, and really, the purpose of Princeton athletics on the whole. Perhaps the most damning critique you have of the Princeton football program is of "whoever the hell the coach is, because I'm too lazy to look it up." Bob Surace is a 1990 graduate of Princeton, and a man who I'd bet has done more for the undergraduate population of the school than a vast majority of alumni. Does he give million-dollar donations? No. But he gives his time, selflessly, to make sure the young men under his charge are better suited for the world upon their graduation. Coach Surace brings in young men that would otherwise never have the opportunity to attend Princeton, and implements a program that allows them to become a real part of the school. His investment in his student-athletes goes deeper than football. When a teammate of mine made the choice to retire from football because he had suffered concussions, Surace made him a student assistant, continued to invite him to various career-building opportunities with alumni, and asked him to stand on the sideline with the team for every game. That young man, who would not have otherwise gone to Princeton, now works for Amazon in Seattle. Surace has had three student-athletes fight life-threatening medical battles that were not football-related in his tenure. Every time he is the first to the hospital, and has stayed with the young men until their families could arrive, once from as far away as Atlanta. Surace throws no bull, he supports the young men he builds relationships with on the field and off, and even when a young man decides that football is not worth the medical risk any longer. Not only that, Surace takes calculated steps to ensure that players themselves are aware of the neurological risks associated with football. Our team doctor, Margot Patukian, is one of the foremost experts on concussions as they relate to football in the country. Because the team is so well trained in recognizing the symptoms of brain injury, as a direct result of education implemented by Surace, we were able to save the lives of two teammates, one who presented with a stroke, and another with an aneurysm. To attack a man about whom you know nothing lacks the very courage you implore Princeton football players to display in quitting football. I stand firmly behind Bob Surace, as do his former players. If you took the time to ask, I'm sure you would hear the same from President Eisgruber himself. Yours in Princetonian brotherhood, Tom Moak '13

Jimmy von Thron '15 Says:

2015-10-22 16:23:04

No.

John C. Few '84 Says:

2015-10-22 17:27:09

The time has come to finally end ice cream! It is now undeniable that this high fat "food" contains greater than 10 percent milk fat, and milk fat is largely cholesterol. Rising levels of cholesterol result in higher blood pressure and plaque build-up. Plaque restricts blood flow and can lead to weight gain, heart disease, stroke and death. Please ignore all the positive things that ice cream provides and the fact that many people actually enjoy ice cream. Please only pay attention to the negative effects, no matter how overstated or exaggerated. President Eisgruber '83 should take the lead on this and assume that the brightest and most informed body of undergraduates in the world need to have their minds made up for them. Stop serving ice cream at Princeton. One day he will be hailed as the great savior and canonized for his foresight! If you are an ice-cream-eating undergraduate, don't wait for the University to stop serving it to you. You should just quit eating ice cream now! You are already damaged beyond repair and hopelessly alone in your battle against imminent death.

Chris Hallihan '91 Says:

2015-10-22 17:33:25

It is obvious that whoever wrote this piece never played football. I am a member of the Class of 1991, and some of my fondest memories (and yes I do still remember them even now!) are those that I spent on the gridiron playing for Princeton and the friendships and camaraderie I shared with my teammates - many of whom I still consider some of my closest friends. I was fortunate enough to experience the joy of winning an Ivy League championship in 1989 and to represent Princeton in the Epson Ivy Bowl in Yokohama, Japan, after the following season. These are memories I will cherish forever and experiences that I never would have been able to experience without my time spent playing football for Princeton University. So believe me when I say I most certainly WOULD have regretted ever even considering quitting. I am now entering in my 20th year of practicing veterinary medicine after graduating in 1995 from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Both my mind and body are still handling the rigors of full-time veterinary practice just fine if I say so myself! If anything, my time playing football helped me develop both good exercise and eating habits that have kept me in reasonably good shape these many years later. You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but realize that there are MANY Princeton football alumni, myself included, that wouldn't trade the time they spent on the football field playing for the black and orange for anything in the world!

Josh Chambers '88 Says:

2015-10-23 09:24:23

The reports of football's death have been greatly exaggerated. As long as coaches like Bob Surace exist, football will live at Princeton University and similar institutions.

Bianca Reo '12 Says:

2015-10-23 09:29:00

In my opinion, if Princeton got rid of football, then they might as well change the mascot to a declawed kitten. Athletes know the dangers of sports and yes, some sports are more dangerous than others, but everyone that plays football is not "damaged." I'm married to a football player and ironically, I'm the one who could be considered "damaged" as I suffered a serious concussion pole vaulting for the University in 2009. I still chose to pole vault after that injury, fully aware of any risks. I chose to do this because I am the type of person who does not shy from a challenge or hide when the going gets tough - champions rise to occasions and "catch fire" (Peter Farrell Princeton women's T&F). Those are the types of traits that athletics instill in players, and they are lifelong. I would not be the person I am today without athletics, both my own with track and field and going to football games with friends. If Princeton did cut football, then lacrosse would be next, then soccer, and hockey, and field hockey. Pretty soon there would be no Princeton athletics, and this is something no one, athlete or not, should be able to abide. Athletics are an important part of a University experience. Athletes choose to play their sports (Princeton does not offer athletic scholarships); they can walk away at any time (as many have). However, athletes should continue to have the right to make that decision for themselves and not have it taken away from them by cutting programs because of inherent risk. We cannot actually live in an orange bubble, as Mr. Doar would like. Food for thought, motor-vehicle accidents are the top cause of brain trauma; by Mr. Doar's logic, the University should also eliminate all parking lots so as to not support such a dangerous activity.

Ed Donnelly '94 Says:

2015-10-23 15:38:12

Mr. Doar, while we are at it, I think we also need to eliminate ANYTHING that causes stress since it has been scientifically proven to negatively impact the hippocampus, brain structure, and cognition as well. Princeton could be at the forefront of this issue and eliminate assignments, exams, junior papers, and even the senior thesis. Princeton could further exert leadership by eliminating study-abroad programs in any location or geography deemed dangerous. I think we are just starting to scratch the surface here, and in addition to Bianca's suggestion to do away with parking lots, there are additional places we can look to eliminate potentially harmful activities.

Bob White '65 Says:

2015-10-23 16:55:29

I agree fully with Fred Doar. The problem is that many people enjoy watching football, and they would be sad to not be able to drink beer and scream. What do with the stadium? My suggestion is to play other sports (soccer, rugby, field hockey etc.) But again, the people to convince are the fans - who except for beer bellies are not being injured.

Fred Doar '77 Says:

2015-10-26 09:32:01

Thank you for your spirited responses to my letter. All change starts with a conversation. I am just the messenger, so please do your own research. I am not making this stuff up. I am from a Midwestern football family. I learned how to bet on games at age 10. I played 10 years of organized football, including two years at Princeton. When my father played, all players had leather helmets. They did not hit with these helmets. They weren't made for that. The only study I have seen from this era showed NO increase of dementia from these players. When helmets were plasticized, the head became the weapon of choice. No one thought to study what the effects of this critical change in the game had on the brain. We didn't know our brains were being damaged. But now we do know! Study after study has shown that football collisions are causing irreversible brain damage. The fact that many players go on to be extremely successful in life shows that handicaps can be overcome. If you played, the damage has already been done. Make the best of it, Tiger! I am most concerned about the generation of young men who sign up for peewee leagues with the promise that changes have been made and football is now "safe." It's not.

Kevin R. Fox '77 Says:

2015-10-27 16:23:25

I served as a lineman at Princeton for four years in the 1970s, when Princeton football was noted largely for its mediocrity, and when the Ivy League, wisely, had begun its descent into the lower echelons of college football as part of its collective acknowledgment that we had more important things to do. The pain at the base of my skull, and my relative inability to flex my left ankle (a gift of a broken leg from Harvard in 1974) are daily reminders of that time served. I am grateful for the opportunity, insofar as I am perpetually aware of the fact that were it not for the game, I would have never gained admission to Princeton, and I, if confronted with the decision, would most certainly do it again. The game has never been without risk. Our increasing understanding of some of those risks, particularly the neurological ones, and the anecdotes that accompany them, make for great drama, but do not change, for a moment, the larger issue. Our culture is replete with dangerous games. Individuals who engage in them, particularly young men and women who have the wherewithal to gain admission to Princeton, are capable of making some assessment of risk before and during their participation. The game of football is only one of them. The game, for all of its inherent lack of intellectual purpose, is imbedded in the history of the University and imbedded further in the collective consciousness of millions, and while it may ultimately go away, will not do so quickly. President Eisgruber, allow individuals, and at most, their parents, to make responsible risk assessments, and let them play their games. It's a game. I hold no one accountable, no coach, no institution, no parent, for my aches and pains. My gratitude to the game, and to Princeton for allowing me to play it, knows no boundaries.

Tom Huckin '64 Says:

2015-11-04 14:50:11

I've been a football fan all my life. Unlike some fans, I enjoy it for its artistry, not its violence. But as Fred Doar correctly points out, it's a deliberately violent sport that has been shown to cause serious brain damage for many players. Thus it's a good question as to whether Princeton, which prides itself on its cultivation of the mind, should continue sponsoring a sport that often harms the mind. Other sports such as track & field, soccer, and field hockey, though not without certain risks of their own, do not promote violence the way football does. I think that's an important distinction to keep in mind in this interesting and worthwhile conversation.

Ron Grossman '67 Says:

2015-11-09 17:24:59

As a retired physician who specialized in sports medicine and played football at Princeton, I hear Mr. Doar's concern about concussions. I am no less concerned about concussions in basketball, soccer, lacrosse and rugby, let alone eye injuries in field hockey and women's lacrosse. The point is that all sports have injuries associated with them and the role of sports medicine is to decrease the risk of these injuries, whether it is torn ACLs in women's sports or concussions. With the new protocols in place, we are achieving this goal in regard to traumatic brain injury, which has become more common with the increase in mass times velocity equaling impact. That is, with bigger players who can run fast, the force of impact is increased. Ending football is not an appropriate response to this issue or any other sport, but continuing education, rule changes and investigation will do more to decrease chronic traumatic brain injury in all sports. -- Respectfully, Ron Grossman '67

Fred Doar '77 Says:

2015-11-30 10:42:08

From the spirited responses to my letter recently published in the Princeton Alumni Weekly, I am hopeful that I have started a dialogue that will continue until football is either highly modified or banned entirely. Many people spoke out emotionally in favor of this brain-damaging sport. Why is it so hard to accept this new reality? Hitting your head 10,000 times is bad for you. Many attacked me personally as the messenger without doing any research. I challenge you to watch the video that I reference and read the articles I link and then write another letter once you know the scientific truth. Football causes brain damage from the moment you make contact with your head, which is basically every play. http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/09/18/dead-football-player-study-brain-damage-disease-cte-concussions [ ] http://www.bu.edu/today/2015/pee-wee-football-brain-injury/ [ ] http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/01/28/youth-football-linked-to-long-term-brain-damage-in-nfl-players [ ] http://content.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,64253995001_1957921,00.html [ ] http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/75487104/football-concussions-traumatic-brain-injuries-nfl [ ] http://pediatric-house-calls.djmed.net/football-causes-brain-damage-without-concussions/ [ ] http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/21/new-brain-changes-found-in-football-players/?_r=0 [ ] http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/7061/20140515/college-football-players-smaller-hippocampus.htm