The Healthcare Policy Podcast ®  Produced by David Introcaso
The Healthcare Policy Podcast ® Produced by David Introcaso
Prof. Daniel Goldberg Discusses His Recently Published, "Tackle Football and Traumatic Brain Injuries"
0:00
Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -36:10
-36:10

Prof. Daniel Goldberg Discusses His Recently Published, "Tackle Football and Traumatic Brain Injuries"

The public health costs of five to six million children and tens of thousands adults playing collegiate and professional tackle football are enormous.

Beyond roughly 1,700 NFL players, five to six million children participate in tackle football.  As a collision sport, brain (or TBI) and other neurological, bone, joint, ligament, muscle, organ and tendon injuries are commonly occur and frequently develop into long-term chronic conditions, particularly chronic pain.  Not surprisingly, the avg life expectancy of an NFL lineman - who played as few as one game - is just 55 years of age.  Prof. Goldberg’s book examines how the NFL has for decades masterfully, successfully employed a set of strategies or scripts termed the “Manufacture of Doubt,” to avoid governmental regulation.  The NFL’s success constitutes a an ongoing serious public health problem in it circumvents the precautionary principle upon which the entire field of public health is based - that is precautionary measures should be taken in the presence of a high stakes human health hazard even if definitive proof is lacking.  

Information concerning Prof. Goldberg book is at: https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/authors/daniel-s-goldberg.

Discussion about this episode