天博体育

Tomorrow聽night at 6:30 p.m.,聽tens of millions of television sets will be turned on as聽Americans聽sit down and participate in that unofficial national holiday called 鈥渨atching the .鈥�

For many, it鈥檚 an excuse to see聽funny and聽the half-time show and to eat (how many of those聽spanking new will be broken?), drink, and socialize.

But for聽those of us who do like to watch the game, the聽fun and聽excitement聽(as long as it鈥檚 a聽close game) isn鈥檛 quite so simple any more. There鈥檚 a cringe factor, some guilt. The controlled violence聽of football is a big part of its appeal, but聽now we know that serious brain damage聽can occur聽as a result of the聽 suffered because of that violence.聽聽And the evidence is piling up that playing pro football puts聽players at risk for聽early, disabling dementia聽and聽perhaps other kinds of聽neurocognitive deficits.

Autopsies of retired聽football players with those kinds of problems have found聽brain damage similar to that suffered by boxers. In boxers, the condition is聽called .聽The less formal (and unkind) way of聽putting it is to say they鈥檙e聽punch drunk. Researchers are using the term for football players (and wrestlers), but both the injury to the brain and the symptoms appear to be similar.

Concussions in Instant Replay

The game tomorrow is聽between the聽Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.聽Even people who don鈥檛 follow football may聽be聽aware of the聽team from northern Wisconsin聽and聽its聽coach in the early 1960s, . The聽Super Bowl trophy is named for Lombardi, and there鈥檚聽currently a聽based on his life.

And one聽of the best鈥攊f not the best鈥攆irst-person聽accounts of playing professional football came from聽Jerry Kramer, the right聽guard聽on聽many of those Lombardi teams. Kramer used a tape recorder to keep a diary during聽the 1967 season, which culminated in Green Bay鈥檚 winning the second Super Bowl (this year鈥檚 game will be the 45th).聽 A sports writer who went on to have a broadcasting career,聽, helped Kramer聽shape his recordings聽into a best-selling book, Instant Replay. Right guards and other offensive lineman tend to labor in near total obscurity. But聽as luck would have it, Kramer earned聽his聽15 minutes of fame, and then some, when he threw a block in the聽1967 鈥溾�� championship game against the Dallas Cowboys that allowed the Green Bay quarterback, Bart Starr, to score the聽winning touchdown on a as time was running out.聽The winning play and Kramer鈥檚 block were shown over and over again on television, thus the title of the book.

Instant Replay聽 holds up more than 40 years after it was published, and re-reading it is a聽nostalgic experience, the proverbial window into a simpler time.聽聽The players aren鈥檛 rich: Kramer is paid $27,500 for the season, plus聽an聽extra聽$25,000 when the team聽wins the Super Bowl.聽They聽go hunting聽and bowling聽together. There are team sing-a-longs and volleyball games.聽Kramer paints a picture of deeply felt camaraderie and admiration聽for Lombardi, although part of what makes the book successful is that it鈥檚 not overly sentimental.

Concussions are mentioned several times.聽In聽a game against college all-stars, a Green Bay fullback聽gets hit, wobbles back to the huddle, and then 聽passes out. In聽the same game,聽, the聽team鈥檚 fun-loving聽 wide receiver, is concussed聽and clings聽 to聽Kramer鈥檚 jersey to聽stay standing up:

He laid his head on my shoulder, looked up at me and kept saying, 鈥淚 knock out. I knock out.鈥� His bell had been rung, as we say, so we ushered him off the field.

Kramer聽mentions聽having had four or five concussions over his college (he played for the University of Idaho) and pro careers.聽During聽the聽1967 season, Kramer got a concussion from聽being kneed in the head during the first half of a聽game against the Chicago Bears. Here鈥檚 an excerpt of his聽diary entry about that game:

I remember very little about the game. I have a vague recollection of half-time, of trying to get some plays straightened out. I couldn鈥檛 remember the plays. I mean I could remember the real old plays, the ones we鈥檝e used for six, seven years, but the new plays, the ones we put in during the last two years, I just couldn鈥檛 remember. I drew a complete blank. I don鈥檛 even know how long I played today.

Talking to Jerry Kramer

A few days ago,聽we tracked down Kramer for a phone interview.聽聽He鈥檚 75, does聽speaking engagements, and is co-founder of聽an Arizona聽company that聽promotes ways to聽maximize聽a healthful lifespan.聽 He was聽open, talkative and down-to-earth: older,聽 yes,聽 but it was聽very much聽the animated, companionable voice of the Instant Replay diarist.

His mother and brother had Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, so Kramer said he is 鈥渁cutely aware of the situation,鈥澛燼nd the possibility of brain damage and dementia from聽multiple concussions.聽So far, though, he said, his recall聽is pretty solid. He can still summon up 聽passages from Thoreau, one of his favorite authors, and聽can recite the poem聽鈥淚nvictus.鈥� In our conversation, he talked vividly about the聽scoring drive that led up to his famous .聽Sometimes there are momentary pauses in his thinking, but they don鈥檛 last long: 鈥淭he computer is sometimes a bit slow, but it鈥檚 still working pretty good.鈥�

Attitudes about concussions have changed completely since his playing days, said Kramer. 鈥淵ou just got dinged and dinged.聽That was old school.鈥澛營f you got a concussion, he said, the answer to the trainer鈥檚 question about how many fingers he was holding up was always two, because the trainers would always hold up two fingers.

But聽blocking done by the offense line has also changed,聽Kramer explained. Offense lineman are now allowed to use their hands much more,聽so 鈥渋t is much聽more of pushing contest.鈥澛犅燱hen he was playing, the聽linemen had to keep their hands clenched close to their chest or they would be penalized for聽illegal use of the hands. So Kramer and other linemen charged head-first聽into聽opponents, usually aiming for聽the chest but not avoiding helmet-to-helmet contact, either. In聽Instant Replay, Kramer聽describes his helmet as the best weapon he鈥檚 got.聽聽

Leading with your head聽鈥渨as the best way to block鈥� in his day,聽Kramer told us.聽鈥淚t was the best way to get the job done.鈥� Yet interestingly,聽Kramer says that most of the聽concussions he suffered came from being kneed or kicked, not from聽head-first blocking.聽聽

Kramer is very much in favor of the National Football League鈥檚 recent 聽efforts to聽limit聽concussions and some of the most violent聽helmet-to-helmet collisions.聽Today鈥檚 players are bigger and faster than they were when he was playing, he said:聽鈥淕reater mass and greater velocity mean greater energy at the point of contact.鈥�

And Kramer聽has seen what has happened to some his former teammates.聽

McKee, who died four years ago from a fall off the roof of his home,聽was demented in his later years; someone had to watch Max聽if聽he came to Packer alumni events or autograph signings, Kramer said.聽His good friend and fellow lineman, Fuzzy Thurston, 鈥渟truggles a bit.鈥� Hall of Fame defensive back lives in a nursing home. There are others whom Kramer didn鈥檛 want to name.聽Kramer said that聽there has been聽some聽improvement in the pension and disability benefits for retired players, and he mentioned the聽special fund for demented players called the .

He聽was聽planning on going to the game tomorrow and聽predicted it聽will be聽close. It鈥檚聽a safe bet that Kramer will聽be rooting聽for the Packers.聽

And all football fans should be聽rooting for聽rule and equipment changes聽that protect players from聽brain damage that causes dementia聽long after the games are over and our聽cheering has stopped.