When a crowd at a stadium or arena erupts into raucous cheers and standing applause one of two things has happened, a big score or a bone-crushing hit.
For Todd Ewen, the former NHLer and a member of this city’s hockey elite, the latter defined his career. When he pasted his opponents against the boards or dropped the gloves to go toe-to-toe with an opposing enforcer, he was doing his job – whether that was to protect his teammates or help stoke the fire in the crowd. Today many are asking if that job, given by coaches and fuelled by the mobs in the stands, ultimately led to his suicide last weekend.
Outside the fight rings, hockey and football venues stand in as our modern-day Colosseum. While we all admire the finesse of the stars, watch dazzled as they weave and dance through the defenders, it is the reaction to the fights and the hits that demonstrates the truly primal draw of the games.
In hockey, some call it goon violence. Others see it as necessary enforcement to prevent injury from dirty play. While the social conversation continues around fighting in hockey, science is beginning to weigh in on the issue and it is pointing the microscope at the brains of athletes involved in contact sports.
That science is looking into the growing evidence that players, like Ewen, are being scarred for life by the hits and fights that rile the fans into frenzy. But, it’s not just the fighters, although they bear the brunt of many of the blows, there is growing evidence that all players in contact sports are at risk.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), also known as pugilistic dementia because it was first noticed in boxers, has been garnering ample media attention. A recent study showed 97 per cent of 91 NFLers whose brains were donated for study tested positive for CTE. An upcoming feature length film starring Will Smith will also shine the spotlight on the issue. So worrisome is the growing evidence that it has caused some, like NFL rookie and San Francisco 49ers linebacker, Chris Borland, to walk away from multi-million-dollar contracts for fear of future health concerns.
It is also raising questions about how contact sports can be made safer and whether athletes are putting their health on the line by ignoring injuries out of fear of losing their place on teams. It’s no secret that over the years the risks have compounded as athletes, thanks to advances in training and nutrition, have become bigger and stronger. That not only means harder hits, but also more competitive play. That increased competition means the journey to the pro leagues is tougher and as a consequence we are now also seeing CTE injuries and deaths creeping into high school sports, adding even more urgency to finding solutions to this tragic problem.
Unfortunately the answers to these questions will come much too late for Ewen and the growing list of athletes who have died from the effects of CTE. If one glimmer of good can be found in Ewen’s death it is that it will not have been in vain. His brain has been donated to help further the research into CTE and hopefully will add to growing awareness that something needs to change in professional sports.
Our deepest sympathies go out to the Ewen family.
