To be Iron Mike or to not be Iron Mike

For the purpose of this blog I chose to examine retired athlete Mike Webster.  In 1974 the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Mike Webster in the 5^th round. From that moment on Webster’s career skyrocketed. In his first year with the Steelers, they won the first of four Super Bowls for the Steelers (HallofFame, 2014).  In his second year Webster began sharing time on the field with Ray Mansfield who at the time was coming to an end with his professional career in football (HallofFame, 2014).  Within Webster football career he completed 15 seasons and 220 games with the Pittsburgh Steelers, which happens to be more than any other player in the Steeler’s history (HallofFame, 2014). Within his career, Webster became known as “Iron Mike” (Villanova Sports & Entertainment Law Journal, 2008). Webster has also been selected all pro-choice seven times, All- AFC five times, and has played in nine total pro bowls (HallofFame, 2014).  

As his career began to slow down and retirement approached Webster’s body and mind were wore out. Webster struggled to maintain a job after his football career. He encountered failed business ventures, an arrest, period of homelessness, (Marks, 2008). and drug abuse (Garber, 2005).  Once Webster and his family moved back to Wisconsin, his will to provide for his family decreased in which he began spending his retirement savings and began relying on selling autographed memorabilia as a source of income (Marks, 2008).With his life taking a turn for the worst Webster began getting into legal trouble, which forced him to use his four Super Bowl rings as collateral (Villanova Sports & Entertainment Law Journal, 2008).Webster would not eat for three to four days and would sleep in his beat up truck  (Garber, 2005) or motel room if he could afford it (Marks, 2008). His financial decisions and lack of motivation led him to lose his family and face is battles alone.

Iron Mike was not as invincible as many thought. Webster’s football career left him with many long term injuries such as Loss of hearing, back pain, a chronically damaged right heel, loss of cartilage in both knees, loss of range of motion in his elbow (Garber, 2005) and brain damage (Marks, 2008). The most significant injury that altered his life completely is that he suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) (Cantu, 2007).  To dull the pain and agony from these injuries Webster took a variety of pain medications such as Ritalin, Dexedrine to keep him calm, Paxil for anxiety, Prozac for depression, Klonopin to prevent seizures, Vicodin, Ultram, Lorcet for pain, and Eldepryl for Parkinson’s Disease (Garber, 2005) which all would be paid out of pocket (Marks, 2008). And if worst came to worse, Webster would use a taser gun to himself to fall asleep (Marks, 2008).  In his mind the drugs were way to try to make him feel better but thoughts of suicide were constantly going through his head (Marks, 2008).  At the age of 50 Iron Mike suffered from a heart attack, which eventually took his life (Marks, 2008). 

By looking at Mike Webster’s story it is challenging to understand how someone with so much prestige, struggle with issues like this. One would think that Professional athletes would have the best and life-long health care once retired.  However, that was not the case for Webster and his family fought for his retirement rights. His family wanted more than just a disability check, which only covered over a span of three years. The family went to court in hopes they would receive an additional $1.142 million in disability payments, legal fees and expenses 

(Estate of Michael Webster vs. Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle NFL Player Retirement plan and NFL Player Supplemental Disability Plan) (Garber, 2005).

In this social justice case the power relations between the National Football League and their players are very unbalanced. The players and their families are ultimately the ones who are oppressed in these types of circumstances. They are the ones who have to deal with the daily issues and struggles of what their husband’s profession put him through and ultimately these affects are negative and life threatening.

I believe that is important that professional leagues continue to be responsible for their athletes in terms of providing extended health care options, helping them find career opportunities off the field and or help them go back an get a higher education during retirement. If these options were more available to the players like Webster back then, maybe he would have been able to save his marriage and been a better father figure or he would have been able to receive therapy and care before his CTE symptoms got worse. Players like Mike Webster literally put their life at risk for this league and it is only right that the league take on the responsibility of their player’s injuries long-term affects.

References:

Cantu, R. (2007). Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in the National Football League.  Retrieved April 28^th, 2014, from www. Neurosurgery-online.com

Garber, G. (2005, January 24). Garber: A tormented soul. ESPN.com. Retrieved April 28, 2014, from http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1972285

Hall of Famers, (2003) Mike Webster. Retrieved April 28, 2014, from http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PLAYER_ID=227&print=y

;Marks, D. (2008). One for Twenty-five: The Federal Courts Reverse a Decision of the NFL’s Disability Board For First Time Since 1993 in Jani v. Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle NFL Player Retirement Plan. Villanova Sport & Entertainment Law Journal. Vol 15 (1).

Sport & PEP's

Incidences with the use of PEP:

The Nike Project technology was designed to help elite distance runners to improve their performance (tracktownusa.com, 2014).  In 2001, Nike Executive Alberto Salazar developed the Nike House which was a house created to mock a high altitude atmospheres that would allow elite runners to be acclimated to the climate and have the ability to train at lower altitude.  Research has been collected around theory that if a distance runner  “Lives High, Trains Low” they are more likely to deliver the best race results (tracktownusa.com, 2014).  Another reason why the Nike house was created was because Salazar thought that distance runners who are from the African countries have an advantage because they carry higher counts of red blood cells and as a result their bodies have a different relationship with oxygen in which Americans do not have that (tracktownusa.com, 2014).  And Because of these reasons, the five-bedroom 3,000 square-foot bungalow that assimilates altitudes 9,000 to 14,000 feet was created to give American elite distance runners a fair chance to compete (tracktownusa.com, 2014).  And with much success the Nike Project has created a team of top-notch distance runners such as Mo Farah who after began training at the Nike House won two gold medals in 2012 (Oregon Project, 2014).

Twelve years ago Alain Baxter, was Britain’s first Winter Olympic Medalist to receive the Bronze medal in the slalom in Salt Lake City, Utah (Thompson, 2014).  After all his hard work and achievements Baxter was erased from the history books due to failing a drug test (Thompson, 2014). Baxter tested positive for methamphetamine, which was ingested by an over-the-counter Vicks nasal inhaler (Thompson, 2014).  Even though the amount of methamphetamine in his body was not significant enough to enhance his performance the International Olympic Committee continued to reinforce their liability rule that all athletes are one hundred percent responsible for what they ingest in their bodies (Thompson, 2014).

The Court of Arbitration for Sport by the British Olympic Association supported Baxter’s appeal however their support was not enough to help get Baxter’s medal back.

Another similar story like Alain Baxter, all-around gold medal gymnast Andreea Raducan from Romania was striped from her medals because of a failed drug test (Zanca, 2000).  The sixteen year old gymnast took two cold medicine pills that she received from the team doctor which lead her to be suspend through the 2002 winter games in Salt Lake and the 2004 summer games in Athens (Zanca, 2000). The cold medicine contained pseudoephidrene and because of her petite size she tested positive for one the banned stimulants on the IOC’s banned list (Zanca, 2000).  Yet again another innocent athlete was punished for taking a supplement to help decrease typical cold/flu symptoms. 

Level Playing Field:

When looking at these incidences of the use of performance enhancement practices at face value seem like harmless practices. However the issue that becomes problematic in these cases is the conflicting values between the governing bodies associated with the elite level of sports and the athletes themselves and the power that these governing bodies have over the athletes. In both cases of the failed drug tests by Alain Baxter and Andreea Raducan both athletes were innocently trying to get rid of an illness however, The IOC did not find that a good enough excuse to appeal their case and allow them to redeem their medals. The IOC holds a significant amount of power when it comes to making decisions around issues of this sort leaving no chance for athletes to prove their innocence. In these two cases it was clear that the governing bodies have strong values towards the use of drugs, and even though the drugs that the athletes used could not significantly enhance their performance it didn’t matter.  

 However if looking at the first performance enhanced practice mentioned, of the Nike House it is seen as acceptable for athletes to use this technology to help them develop and become better athletes. Because of the dynamic growth of knowledge and technology the sport figuration is engaging in, it has become more challenging to prove that these practices are enhancing athletes performances more efficiently than taking drugs. One aspect, which makes it difficult to prove that these types of technology practices do enhance an athlete’s performance, is because there is limited money and knowledge to create a test to ban such technology and performance practices.  Because of the dynamic growth of knowledge around such technologies it will be very difficult to have that true human athlete. Fans and spectators of sport thrive to see the athletes who break records and make diving catches to save a perfect game. And because of those demands innovators are going to continue to research to develop the best performance enhancing practices to produce the best athletes.

References:

Track Town USA. (2014). Nike Oregon Project. Retrieved 18th April, 2014, from http://www.tracktownusa.com/track.item.5/the-oregon-project.html.

Oregon Project (2014). Oregon Project: Project. Retrieved 17th April, 2014, from http://nikeoregonproject.com/

Thompson, A. (2014). Sochi 2014: Alain Baxter on winning & losing Olympic bronze. Retrieved 18th April, 2014, from http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/winter-olympics/26156603.

Zanca, S. (2000). Romanian Gymnast Loses Gold Medal. Retrieved 18th April, 2014, from http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=100424.

Pain and Injury in Sport

In this blog I will be viewing the social issues of pain and injury in sport through a coaching perspective. Through my engagement in sport I have seen and experienced many injuries and symptoms of pain as an athlete and as a coach. In the social figuration within sport playing through pain and injury is glorified and the risk of potentially putting your body in pain has become normalized (Nixon II, 1994).  As a former player being a part of the sport figuration you accept the risks of playing and would do anything no matter how much pain your body felt to continue to play. This notion of “shake it off” has become the most important part of the sport’s culture, where toughness, aggression, and bravery is most valued (Beaver, 2013) However now as a coach it is important to know when an athlete is in pain and or is injured.  Pain can be perceived as an unpleasant sensory and emotional sensation (Killick, Davenport, & Baker, 2012).  As for injury can be described as the physical damage to the body caused by mechanical stress (Killick, Davenport, & Baker, 2012).  In the sports figuration not everyone experiences the same pain when injured.  Also there are many different ways an athlete can experience pain from their injury which can be through physical pain, mental pain and emotional pain.  No matter what type of pain or injury an athlete may experience those moments shape their identities and no matter what hurts them they still strive to be that “real athlete”.  However as a coach it is important to understand the difference between pain and injury to help protect the well being of the athlete.  In some cases, when coaching it is hard to determine when an athlete is truly injured and or experiencing pain due to the normalization of pain and injury.

In 2013, fullback Derek Sheely football player from Frostburg State University was know for smashing through the drills without complaint in which he then developed a reputation among his teammates for not going down (Fenno, 2013). Sheely’s drive to play through the pain would soon cause him to lose his life. During practice Sheely was participating in a drill that simulated a fullback blocking a linebacker, however the fullback position would run as hard as possible to tackle the defenseless/ non-moving linebacker (Fenno, 2013). It was this drill that eventually left Sheely to sustain a fatal head injury leaving him unconscious (Fenno, 2013). The rest of the week Sheely complained about his head aching in which, he was told by coach Schumacher to shake it off, stop being a pussy and to continue playing (Fenno, 2013). Six days later, Derek Sheely died from “brain herniation, an acute subdural hematoma and massive vascular engorgement”(Fenno, 2013).

When first reading about this incident it was not surprising that Sheely had sustained a concussion injury. However, what did come to a surprise was the lack of concern from the coaches and supporting staff to examine this injury and allowing Sheely to continue to participate in practice. Because Sheely’s injury did not show any visible damage to the body, and only symptoms of a head ache the coaches and supporting staff attitudes towards Sheely’s injury reinforced the rhetoric of what it means to be a real athlete.  Hence, to let something like a headache or slight dizziness interfere with playing in this case was not acceptable which is probably a reason why a number of concussions have never been reported (Beaver, 2013).  It is alarming to know that 15.8 percent of football players who sustain a concussion severe enough to lose consciousness return to play the same day (Clearedtoplay.org, 2013). This culture within coaching is not surprising within the football environment which is scary because now youth football coaches have developed the win at all costs attitude and the safety and well-being of the athlete comes second.

 As a former soccer player and now coach, I understand the pressures the sport ethic places on athletes. When working with youth athletes I try to instill that it is important to take care of the body because you only have one. It is still difficult to determine if my players are injured or in pain however, no matter the issue I always try to make sure that they are okay and try to determine the severity of the injury before they begin to engage in practice. I try to make sure I stay aware of the athlete’s body movement and expression while playing if the athlete has previously complained about being in pain.  And if I see that the athlete is having a difficult time participating due to the injury there is no sense in pushing through the pain if the athlete can injury themselves more.

References:

Beaver, W. (2013). Future of Football. Springer Science + Business Media. New York.

Clearedtoplay.org,  (2013). Concussions By the Numbers. Available:

http://www.clearedtoplay.org/concussion-information/concussions-by-the-numbers Retrieved 13th April, 2014.

Fenno, N. (2013) The Washington Times. Available: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/aug/22/death-frostburg-state-player-derek-sheely-due-egre/?page=all Retrieved  13^th April, 2014.

Killick, L., Davenport, T., & Baker, J. (2012). Pain and Injury in Sporting Cultures of Risk. Managing Sport: Social and Cultural Perspectives, 128.

Nixon II, H.  (1994). Coaches’ Views of Risk, Pain, and Injury in Sport with Special Reference to Gender Differences. Sociology of Sport Journal.

Disrupting the Cycles of Heteronormative Socialization

Activity occurs once

Throughout my involvement in sport I have not experience many micro- aggressions that made me really step up and take action. Growing up playing youth and competitive soccer I never was educated on what micro-aggressions were which is probably why I never noticed how harmful and inaccurate phrases harm others. It wasn’t until I entered college where I first played soccer with an openly lesbian and bi-sexual teammate.  As a freshmen being the ‘newbie’, I wanted to make sure that I built friendships with all of my teammates.

My first initial thoughts while in the locker room with my team were, are my teammates going to be checking me out when I change in front of them or shower in front of them. But after two weeks of double days those thoughts quickly were removed. In that first week of double days I began to really get to know my teammates on a more personal level. During those beginning weeks we shared our stories and really had the chance to get to know each other on and off the field. I realized that because my two teammates had attraction to girls didn’t change their ability to play soccer and didn’t change who they are as people. As the school year went by, I had taken a few classes that educated me on providing a more equitable and inclusive learning environment. By taking these classes they began to provide me more background on situations that I might encounter.  

During college I have developed a larger understanding about the ‘queer community’ and would like to say that I am on my journey to becoming an allie. I have always been open to meeting new people and accepting who they are and their beliefs. I was never aware how strong the use of personal pronouns could affect people until our class on Wednesday. The rest of the week I tried to be more conscious of my use of personal pronouns when referring to people. It is very difficult to identify my use of personal pronouns because certain personal pronouns are so ingrained in my language it was difficult to catch. Within the time frame given for this blog, I was not able to have the chance to ‘step-up’ when I heard micro-aggressions because I was never in a situation where could have made a difference. While watching TV over the weekend, I heard many micro-aggressions. When I heard these micro-aggressions it was challenging to disrupt the cycle because the actors on television weren’t going to be able to hear what I say. I found it very frustrating that I could not ‘step-up’ and address the situation.  And I think even if I did try to address the situation the actors are in character and the show does not reflect who they really are.

Since trying to address the issues that were occurring on television were going to be impossible to disrupt. I had conversations with my family and friends about the use of personal pronouns using the example of “you guys” when referring to a group. I wanted to know their opinions about the use of personal pronouns. The conversations that I had were very interesting and eye opening. The conversations would begin with the idea of using the phrase ‘you guy’ which lead to many different conversations around the ‘queer community.’ I did get into conversations where family and friends disagreed and had strong opinions about the ‘queer community’.  Such as one conversation lead to how they don’t think it is right that some states are allowing multi-sex restrooms. The person that I spoke with spoke strongly on how they think it is wrong and that this change can lead to higher rape crimes. I tried to guide the conservation around transgendered individuals but that became a even more touching subject with even more disagreement.

In my journey now I struggle to understand how people have such strong opinions and think that it is a “choice to be like that.” Hearing the word that is a ‘choice’ is really troublesome for me.  When I heard that phrase ‘it is a choice’ I just wanted to ask, how do you know it is a choice? I wanted to challenge those I talked with by asking,  ‘so it is your choice to be straight?’ and the question of ‘how did you know when you were straight?’ During my conservations I had these thoughts just running through my mind but did not have the courage to ask. I was fearful of causing an argument and causing tension with friends that I have had for many of years. At this stage of my journey disrupting the cycle I find most challenging for myself. I feel more comfortable talking about the social issue but when it comes to people disagreeing and some of the reasons why they disagree, I have a hard time accepting their point of view.  In the end, even though I did not witness incidences of "micro-aggression"/"causal oppression.” I do feel as if I did create some awareness of the social issue topic.