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How sports have changed our culture
How sports have changed our culture
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Chasing the American Dragon: The Conclusion to One of Wrestling's Most Spectacular Careers
The professional wrestling industry has been maligned at various points throughout its century's long history, as seedy, underhanded, low-brow, and scruple-less. From the exploitation of the Von Erich deaths, to the steroid, sex, and drug scandals of 1980s/1990s WWF, and the most recent exploitation of the death of Reid Flair, and references to hurtful racial stereotypes. Wrestling, particularly in the United States, at times struggled to come to terms with its identity within sports, entertainment, and society as a whole.
And yet, despite the ugly veil of negativity that befalls major players in the business on occasion, and by proxy the industry
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Furthermore, for as low a score as Danielson apparently received on a WWE “ambition test”, his true goal – beyond money, fame, or television exposure – was to be one of the very best wrestlers in the world – a goal that many would agree has been met many times over. But, beyond his working legacy, numerous changes within WWE and the business at large, both present and future, owe their existence to Bryan. It was CM Punk's original success that opened the door for him, but Danielson with his winning personality, work ethic, real life underdog story, and working ability aided in a further widening of the corridor between the independents and WWE. Further still, his retirement itself is the first in a possible series of reforms, which could alter the way in which American wrestling is presented, worked, and evaluated.
The fact that one of the greatest performers in company history was forced into retirement, unable to deny worrying neurological evidence despite his will to carry on, will change the way that concussions are handled in professional wrestling. The previous epoch began with the introduction of the modern wellness policy following the deaths of Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero, the second will begin shortly. The next won't be brought forth entirely by Bryan's health record, but will certainly emerge far sooner as a
“When a great democracy is destroyed, it will not be because of enemies from without, but rather because of enemies from within.” During the late 1940s and early 1950s, these words of Abraham Lincoln were all on the minds of Americans (McCarthyism). After fighting against Communism for decades, the fear of it taking down the country terrorized people’s thoughts. Even more so, people were extremely frightened of the idea that there could be Communists within the spotlights of American influence that were plotting the destruction of the United States. A fear swept the country for almost a decade, and it transformed every aspect of American culture. This transformation began in the entertainment industry and hit here the hardest. The fear of Communism completely spun the industry upside down and distorted everything that made American showbiz so distinct. Even today, the controversies of the 1940s and 1950s have left an impression on the current entertainment industry.
Surprisingly, many Americans share my point of view and enjoy this sort of entertainment. The WWF’s core market personality is an American male, between the ages of 12-35, very similar to professional football. The WWF provides high flying action, crushing hits, and exciting finishes; not much different than the NFL. Vince McMahon is attempting to extend the short NFL season and capture America’s passion for football while marketing more of his merchandise - not the best business idea in my view.
Football is something as American as apple pie. It is thought of as gritty, physical, and all around fun just as most Americans like to be thought of. For decades the NFL has dominated the world of football. However, Vince McMahon, the founder of the WWF, has introduced a new and controversial professional football league called the XFL. Much of the controversy is about whether the XFL is a force to be reckoned with or just another of McMahon’s clever marketing ploys. Although the XFL’s survival has been questioned by many, it promises to be a league full of the smash-mouth, trash-talking, fan-oriented football every fan deserves.
What has changed the way America’s pastime is looked at forever and prompt worldwide discussion? Joe Jackson and his seven teammates changed the face of baseball forever during the intimate scandal of 1919. No other time in baseball history did Americans question the state of the game. Pete Rose had also brought a debate like no other before in baseball. Since his banishment in 1989 the country has been split on the issue. Gambling by these men and others has caused great problems in baseball. The game of baseball has been destroyed by gambling.
Wrestlers would be away from their family for the majority of the year. They would only return home when and if they were injured. Former wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper has been mentally affected by everything at once .According to Piper, "I experienced what we in the profession call the silent scream” (Behind Fun Façade…). The silence scream involves loneliness, drugs and pain. It has been overwhelming for wrestlers, mentally and physically to be able to accept everything that was going on in and out of the ring. The amount of pain that the wrestlers were in physically affected them mentally.
Injuries are a huge part in professional sports. When playing a professional sport athletes do not always take into consideration that their bodies are vulnerable to injuries. One of the leading injuries that can end athlete’s career is concussion. According Kia Boriboon author of the article “Concussion Management In Football: Don 't Shake It Off” concussion occurs when the brain repeatedly collides with the skull. Concussions are serious and cannot be taken lightly they are detrimental to a person’s athletic career as well as life. Players who have suffered from a concussion or like symptoms of a concussion are at risk and should not continue playing their sport until cleared by a medical doctor, who is an expert in concussions. If concussions are not treated with the appropriate medical care, it can cause physical and mental health problems for athletes well after their professional career have ended. In
Today I am taking a break from the series of articles I usually write, to bring you a subject I have thought about for a long time. I only started paying attention to wrestling in my teen years, so the "Attitude Era" was what I considered wrestling. I won't go into what made the era special, because that would be insulting to your intelligence, everyone knows what made the era successful, and why some fans still pine for it. Needless to say, it was "cool", it suited the times, and it broke the mold formed over the previous decades.
Thompson, Teri, and et al. American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America's Pastime. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. Print.
If you have the brains when you start, you are aware that banging your head into people is not the best thing for your body,” stated Chris Cooley, tight end and a 2 time Pro Bowler with the Washington Redskins (Do No Harm, 2). Research over the years has gathered extensive data on the mental and physical illnesses of retired NFL football players. It has proved that players who accumulate numerous concussions are at a higher risk of health problems after their football career than players who’ve sustained fewer. This data is proven by various studies that have caused worry for many retired NFL football families. The examples of deaths resulting from past concussions are astonishing, and the stats that show high risks for the possible problems can prove why they possibly died. Countless retired players are now frightened by the potential hazard of destructive health problems.
As common as concussions were during the late 1970s and 1980s, they were often swept under the rug, as they were seen as insignificant injuries. Researchers and doctors had little information on the proper management and care of someone who sustained
The number of concussions in professional and amateur football has been rising and has sparked much controversy in recent years. These concussions are most likely linked with disease and even the deaths of some pro and semi-pro football players. New research is attempting to solve the problem but the issue is still prevalent in football today.
Not many sports are as physically demanding on the human body as football. The physical toll that football players pay is almost impossible to comprehend unless one has actually played the sport for a significant amount of time. However, until recently any connection between the hits taken by football players and their health down the road was largely ignored. A common, yet difficult injury to detect in football is a concussion, the most common traumatic brain injury (Pearce). A concussion is defined as “a brain injury that is caused by a sudden blow to the head or the body. The blow shakes the brain inside the skull, which temporarily prevents the brain from working normally” (Heiner pa.5). Reports and studies have surfaced shedding light on just how much damage is inflicted upon the brain due to crippling hits. These studies suggest that NFL athletes who received concussions suffered lasting damage to the brain, which opens the gate to a multitude of other health issues such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and clinical depression (Pearce). This is an aspect of the game that not many are aware of and it is a serous issue that needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later. There have been too many heartbreaking stories such as that of Justin Strzelcyk who heard voices and died in a crash while fleeing police or that of Andre Waters who shot himself in the head after struggles with depression (Zarda pa.1). Many current and former players are suffering in silence; this shouldn’t be the case. The National Football League needs to extend a hand to former players debilitated by head injuries. The problem of concussions and other head injuries in the NFL is one that needs to be tackled head on.
Even though the devastation of concussions is just rising to the surface, they have always been around. In 1994, the NFL started a committee called the MTBI (Mild Traumatic Brain Injury). Dr. Elliot Pellman was appointed as chair, and he was quoted saying, “We think the issue of knees, of drugs and steroids and drinking is a far greater problem, according to the number of incidents” (Ezell). This quote shows how concussions did not hold much importance, even though it should have been the committee's main focus. This is ironic, because in today’s sport world concussions are a highly talked about topic. They hold such significance that some rules are even being changed to lower the risk for players.
While doing research on how concussions affected the brain, they came upon SIS. SIS raised concern in the sports community, they found that they need to be more cautious with the care and d management of athletes the suffered head injuries. '" occurs when an athlete who has sustained an initial head injury, most often a concussions, then sustains a second head injury before symptoms associated with the first have fully healed (Cantu and Voy 1995).'" Michael Bay was a athlete that got a concussions, shortly after he was hit again while being in practice. Mr. Bay die in a deep coma, after the medical examiner perform the autopsy it was found that Michael cause of death was a massive cerebral edema ( a cerebral edema is "the accumulation of fluid in and resultant swelling of the brain that may be caused by trauma, a tumor, lack of oxygen at high altitudes, or exposure to toxic substances." MedlinePlus). The next one is the intracranial injury, there are four major types of intracranial injuries: epidural hematoma, subdural hematoma, intracranial hematoma, and cerebral contusion. The epidural hematoma is a bleeding that develops between the dura and the cranial bones. Subdural hematoma is also a bleed, but it develops below the dura mater. The intracranial hematoma is a bleed that happens within the brain tissue. And the last one the cerebral contusion is
Crafting the national pastime's image: The history of major league baseball public relations William B Anderson. Journalism and Communication Monographs. Columbia: Spring 2003. Vol. 5, Iss. 1; pg. 5