Sports injuries

In a big win for workers, Oklahoma’s Supreme Court has ruled that state law allowing businesses to opt out of traditional workers’ compensation is unconstitutional. At ProPublica, Michael Grabell writes that the ruling now leaves Texas as the only state that lets employers pull out of workers’ comp in favor of creating their own alternative plans. Last year, Grabell, along with Howard Berkes at NPR, investigated the new opt-out trend, finding that such workers’ comp alternatives typically come with fewer employee benefits, more restrictions and no independent oversight. In reporting on the…
Alpine skiiers Heidi Kloser, 21, (US); Rok Perko, 28, (Slovenia); Brice Roger, 23, (France); and Maggie Voisin, 15, (US), are some of the athletes whose dreams of an Olympic medal have come to an end. All suffered serious injuries during training or qualifying runs, which will prevent them from competing for medals. Kloser, Perko, Roger, and Voisin have something else in common. Their injuries are now part of the 2014 Olympic’s official injury and illness surveillance system. The International Olympic Committee initially established the system for the 2004 summer games in Athens. It was…
Every four years, I am inspired by the Olympic portrayal of the best of human strength and spirit that brings together nations unlike any other event. Thanks to Canadian sprinter Jenna Martin, I found this astounding example of an Olympic Fall. It is a race emblematic of the value of falls, and failures in our life. It is a must see!
Tim Tebow Foundation Tim Tebow with Jacob Rainey, one of the many people dealing with health problems Tebow hosted at Broncos games this season. Photo source. Denver Broncos Quarterback Tim Tebow has become a popular culture phenomenon not only because of his extraordinary athletic skills but because he lives out the values of his religious faith - displayed publicly and shamelessly - everyday (more on that later.) But something that has not received much coverage in the news media is that three years ago, Tim Tebow had a "mysterious pain in his throwing shoulder" and he sought out some…
Photo source. Happy New Year's! Today my son and I are anticipating the match between the NY Giants and the Dallas Cowboys, and I am reminded of the risk that all football players accept when they battle on the field. Head injuries are of particular concern because of the quantity and force of head strikes, sometimes approaching that of a severe car crash. What is the best design for protection? One NY Giants player, Chris Canty, uses a unique design to minimize risk of head trauma and eye injury, because of a severe eye injury he suffered off of the playing field. From today's NY Times…
Source. It is no surprise that anyone playing football risks physical injury. More and more data is pointing to brain injuries caused by high speed collisions to the player's helmet. I once had the pleasure of dining with Michael Strahan who played for the New York Giants for fourteen seasons. Our conversation was engaging and covered a range of topics, but we didn't talk much about football. Interestingly, he spoke about how proud he was of his sister, who has an interest in science - particularly biochemistry. He is fortunate to have sustained minimal injuries while playing on the…