Concern about the effects of even small blows to the head on football players is fueling questions on whether a “pitch count” for cranial trauma be developed to stave off serious brain injury. MIT’s Technology Review details an NIH study that could have far-reaching impact on the demands placed on football players’ noggins:
Do Football Players Need A ‘Pitch Count’ For Head Injuries?
↵The researchers discovered that some players receive 1,400 to 1,500 hits to the head (the study calls them “head impact exposures”) in a season--on average about six per practice and 14 per game, but typically more for linemen and linebackers who absorb the most; running backs get hit less often [...] The study, now in its fourth year, has yet to take the next step and correlate the number of hits a given player received to the condition of his brain. Even so, specialists in the field say the data offer important insights into the toll football takes.
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