The Devastating Side Effects of a Beautiful Sport
How the sweet science can turn sour
Everybody says “all it takes is one punch,” but is that really true? Muhammad Ali might have never been knocked out cold, but his brain suffered fight after fight. Ali’s speech patterns slowed down long before he was even diagnosed with Parkinson's, a disease that contributed to his passing. One study showed Ali’s speech slowed down by “16 percent” after a hard fought war with heavy handed Earnie Shavers, where Shavers landed 266 punches on Ali in 1977. It wasn’t until years after this fight that Muhammad Ali was even diagnosed with Parkinson's, but his brain had deteriorated long before this diagnosis. Most fighters can seemingly recover in a few weeks from a brutal knockout, but what happens when they they accumulate damage over many years?
CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is one of the most common results of repeated brain trauma. It is often grouped together with other neurological disorders, and fighters that suffer from these are often called “punch drunk,” a phrase meant to encapsulate the drunken, slowed ways in which they act and speak after long careers in the sport. A study published by Adam Townsend in 2020, states that CTE and other neurodegenerative diseases can even lead to brain shrinkage. “…disease processes related to repetitive head injuries may be attacking the gray matter together, the study states.” This research is key in understanding the severity of taking punches to the head, and the long term effects. According to the same study, “shrinkage was more pronounced among retired fighters.” Years in the ring only worsens the effects of these terrible conditions. Fighters need to know the toll that their career takes on their body, and take precautions to preserve their brains.
Furthermore, Dr. Charles Bernick of the Cleveland Clinic believes that the brain can suffer symptoms like “memory loss” and changes in “cognitive function” even before detectable symptoms are apparent. Fighters in the study that had fought for less than 12 years didn’t have the visible effects head trauma, but fighters with lengthy, damaging careers did. studies on long-time boxers like this one could review crucial details on how to prevent neurodegenerative conditions. It makes it clear that we can’t always tell when action needs to be taken to prevent a fighter from suffering irreversible damage.
The importance of this topic cannot be understated, and goes far beyond even the sport of boxing. Muhammad Ali is a perfect example of a boxer who had an amazing career but a life cut short by the tragedies brought on by his success. While beautiful to watch, learning more about the sport’s devastating after effects can leave a bitter mark on a sweet science.
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