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Americans are projected to bet $1.39 billion¹ on the Super Bowl this weekend on everything from who the MVP will be, to whether a coach or a player will cry during the National Anthem to whether or not a player will have to leave the field — and not be able to return — due to concussion symptoms.
A 30-second ad in this year’s game costs $7 million.²
There’s a lot of money to be made off men who might get permanently injured.
The Super Bowl is the cathedral of American violence where we worship competition. We love our dichotomies — good and evil, us and them, home team and rivals. From gladiators to bullfights to Bolivian Cholita wrestlers, many cultures consume violence as entertainment. Humans like violence so much they even pay to watch simulated violence. But we prefer it when it’s real — and even deadly.
In American football, the research is unequivocal — traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) are threatening the long-term cognitive, physical, and psychological health of football players. Side effects and permanent symptoms can include: memory loss, depression, impaired judgment, impulsivity, suicidal ideation, headaches, irritability, slurred speech, balance problems, dementia, and even death.³
Some gruesome facts:
- The likelihood of a CTE diagnosis increases by 15% for each additional year of…
