AFL & CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy)

[Baloo]

No thread that I could see on this but with the Polly Farmer news today, CTE is well and truly part of the AFL landscape. I haven't seen an official response from the AFL yet which is odd. The people who did the study on Polly's brain seemed to suggest they couldn't engage the AFL before nor after.

I wonder if a study has occurred on soccer players. Particularly defenders from the days when long balls into the box was the only way to play. Those balls in winter were bloody hard and heavy.

 

[TigerForce]

Is this another coronavirus...

 

[Baloo]

It's a really hard one given the need for a post-mortem examination to diagnose.

The opportunity to access player's brains in this way is so limited it is impossible to draw any conclusions. The AFL would have to fund a study, as other competitions around the world have, but it would hardly be in their best interests to do so.

It seems this group who did Polly's brain have managed to get a few more ex-players offering theirs when they pass away. *smile* of a way to do further research but the AFL really should get on the front foot here.

 

[Midsy]

I wonder if a study has occurred on soccer players. Particularly defenders from the days when long balls into the box was the only way to play. Those balls in winter were bloody hard and heavy.

It’s gaining traction here as well with various studies linking heading soccer balls to dementia.

Kids under 11 here in the UK have been banned from heading balls at training, and I think up to about age 15, they’re only allowed one session per month on it.