Edited by Matt Chaney, ChaneysBlog.com<\/p>\n
Posted Sunday, January 29, 2017<\/p>\n
While news of the NFL and NCAA dominates contemporary discussion over \u201csafer football,\u201d the juvenile game poses critical questions of ethics and legality, historic for the institutions of medicine, government, education and religion. Talking points and base evidence of today\u2019s dilemma over juvenile football in America aired publicly more than a century ago. Controversy followed college football at turn of the 20th<\/sup> century, but the collision game for boys was roundly condemned<\/a>. Girls tackle football was utterly disallowed. \u201cAmericanized\u201d football was established tradition for the colleges, but debate over juvenile players divided authorities of institutions, including news media. A segment of college-football insiders believed juveniles shouldn\u2019t play the collision sport. By 1900 medical specialists could adequately diagnose injuries and exertion problems of football players\u2014including brain trauma and lasting disorder<\/a>\u2014but treatments were primitive. No antibiotic was yet known and emergency care was limited. Common injury like deep bruising, internal laceration and bone fracture posed significant risk for complications, especially infection, and bedridden patients, unable to rise for too long, simply died. Festering skin abrasion grew lethal in some cases, septic, and catastrophic injury to brain or spinal cord was a death sentence. But football advocates said the game was becoming \u201csafe\u201d and \u201csane\u201d for players from boys to men. Football officials and supporters touted concepts such as medical supervision, proper training\u2014including tackling with head placed aside\u2014and leather helmets<\/a> to prevent \u201cconcussion of the brain\u201d in varying severity. Prep and school football had been organized since the 1880s<\/a> by male figures acting as coaches and trainers, commonly principals and teachers. Advocates of boys football said \u201cbenefits outweigh risks\u201d for lessons in teamwork, chivalry, warrior courage, and Muscular Christianity. Famed politician Theodore Roosevelt extolled football<\/a> although he hadn\u2019t played in college at Harvard; \u201cTeddy\u201d believed the sport exemplified his personal mantra<\/a>, widely renowned of a speech: The Strenuous Life.<\/em><\/p>\n The historical texts and notes on football issues previously posted here in timeline were publicly available only for a term. The collections are now in reserve by the researcher for future use. The following remain posted:<\/strong><\/p>\n Chaney, M. (2016, Dec. 21).\u00a0<\/span>\u2018Safe Football Failed in 1880s, Talking Points Lived On<\/a>. ChaneysBlog.com<\/p>\n Chaney, M. (2015, July 28).\u00a0<\/span>The 1890s: Brain risks confirmed in American football<\/a>. ChaneysBlog.com.<\/p>\n Chaney, M. (2016, Jan. 30).\u00a0<\/span>1900-1912: \u2018First Concussion Crisis\u2019 for beloved football<\/a>. ChaneysBlog.com.<\/p>\n Chaney, M. (2016, May 11).\u00a0<\/span>\u2018Heads Up\u2019 theory, football helmets and brain disease, 1883-1962<\/a>. ChaneysBlog.com.<\/p>\n Chaney, M. (2016, May 31).\u00a0<\/span>Teddy Roosevelt loved football, except when it brutalized his son<\/a>. Sports.Vice.com.<\/p>\n Chaney, M. (2016, Nov. 29, 2016).\u00a0<\/span>\u201cSlaughter of the innocents\u201d: When D.C. considered banning high school football<\/a>. Sports.Vice.com.<\/p>\n Matt Chaney is a writer, editor, researcher and consultant on public issues in sport, specializing in American football for three decades. Chaney, with an MA in media studies, is a former college football player and coach whose books include\u00a0<\/em>Spiral of Denial: Muscle Doping in American Football<\/a>,\u00a0from his Four Walls Publishing\u00a0in<\/em>\u00a02009<\/a>.\u00a0Chaney\u2019s study for graduate thesis, co-published with the University of Central Missouri in 2001, analyzed print sport-media coverage of anabolic substances\u00a0in football from 1983-1999. Email him at\u00a0<\/em>mattchaney@fourwallspublishing.com<\/a>\u00a0or visit the website for more information.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Edited by Matt Chaney, ChaneysBlog.com Posted Sunday, January 29, 2017 While news of the NFL and NCAA dominates contemporary discussion over \u201csafer football,\u201d the juvenile game poses critical questions of ethics and legality, historic for the institutions of medicine, government, education and religion. Talking points and base evidence of today\u2019s dilemma over juvenile football in … Continue reading Boys Football Debate and Medical Remarks, 1899-1904<\/span>