The issue of concussion-caused brain damage among sports players has been avoided for too long. Until recently.
PBS just produced documentary League of Denial addressing the problem.
PBS had originally partnered with ESPN - until the sports network suddenly withdrew from the project. It is alleged that it was due to pressure from the National Football League.
The sports network ESPN, which has covered the issue of athletic concussions in the past, was set to partner with PBS' Frontline program to produce a documentary called League of Denial. Then, late last week, the Frontline site released a notice saying that ESPN had suddenly pulled out of the project.
Shortly after, The New York Times reported that this pull back was a product of pressure from the National Football League, which (probably rightly) feared that a documentary with that title would not put it in a positive light.
The NFL quickly issued a denial, while ESPN claimed that it simply asked that its name be removed from a project that it had little editorial control over. (In light of the public spat, ESPN's ombudsman analyzed the situation at length.)
The documentary will go on regardless of ESPN's involvement, and researchers will continue to work to define the parameters that lead to long term damage then (hopefully) craft those into advice on how athletes of various ages can preserve their brains. Having a major sports broadcaster amplify the message might have helped raise awareness of this issue. A public controversy like this, however, might serve equally well.
Read more - http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/08/pbs-documentary-on-concussions-leaves-espn-black-and-blue/
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