Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Lou Gehrig May Not Have had Lou Gehrig's Disease

Caught this article today and obviously it piqued my interests for many reasons. The first and most relevant to this forum is that Lou Gehrig is a huge part of the Yankee heritage and the idea that his streak might have actually led to his demise would change a lot in the way that the legend that is Gehrig is understood.

Another reason that this drew my attention and should draw the attention of just about every sports fan, is that concussions have a huge impact on the human brain and maybe this study and the facts it brings forth will change the standard male axiom of sucking it up. Perhaps athletes - football players in particular, I'm looking at you Hines Ward - will start to realize the impact that these injuries can have on themselves and their teammates and how they can ruin your life in a number of ways if not properly addressed.

Though it can never be proven that Gehrig didn't have ALS, hopefully any doubt that arises from this study doesn't negatively impact the awareness that Gehrig's name lends to those who fight the disease. And maybe now the NFL and other sports organizations at every level of athletics will begin to take head injuries more seriously.

No comments: