As I watched the Super Bowl last night (unfortunately it was incredible boring this year with the exception of Prince), I couldn't get out of my mind that 50% of the players last night were going to get concussions. Concussions end many a football career and Troy Aikman is a recent example that comes to mind who retired after suffering his 10th reported concussion.

Of course it's not surprising that the football industry has come up with their own solution to the problem: helmet technology improvements (or "more of the same"). This will only result in "fewer" concussions but it will never eliminate them because of the actual culprit: the helmet itself. The wearing of the helmet, which I believe is mostly for decorative purposes like the rest of the so called "uniform", gives the player the false confidence to use his head as a battering ram. I speak from experience. Part of the "training" I received in recreation department and junior high football was running at another player header first, battering ram style, and seeing if you could remain standing.

Simply put, Rugby isn't as dangerous as Football because of the lack of padding but even Rugby isn't without its concussions though they occur less. You would never think that you could use your head as a battering ram if you had no decorative "safety" helmet. In fact, all of the so called "safety" padding is mainly decorative and give the player a false sense of confidence and makes the game more risky - and dramatic. I was disturbed during one game when my teammate's foot was dislocated and he was screaming as it dangled from the end of his leg. I have yet to hear of such an injury in any other sport and seeing it first hand as a youngster greatly disturbed me and led eventually to my quitting football in early junior high. I suppose I'm a wimp, huh? I should've shook it off like half of the players that get concussions and continue playing in the game. Maybe we all should grow up a little but I know that's not likely as long as this all makes money.

Sure, it's all macho posturing and the pad and uniform are for dramatic effect but when you consider what an actual concussion is the glamour just isn't there anymore. Andre Waters recently committed suicide after suffering brain damage due to multiple concussions. Now, suicide isn't directly linked to concussions but common sense tells you that it certainly didn't help matters. When I see Muhammad Ali I'm sad because I know boxing caused his condition or at least obviously exacerbated what may have been genetic. Getting hit in the head innumerable times will obviously have consequences.

Football, or the current exploitative version of it, shouldn't exist and neither should boxing because they're barbaric - no different from the lion's den of the Roman times with traumatic, long-term injury replacing actual death, and disproportionately afflicting the poor. There aren't a lot of middle class and above boxing stars and there never will be and football's not far behind statistically.