Sport And Exercise Psychology: A Critical Introduction

(John Hannent) #1
Figure 9.1 Injury is almost inevitable

in sport

Source: courtesy of Inpho Photography

sudden-impact injuries, however. Thus it is increasingly evident that certain types of
long-term physical deterioration can occur as a consequence of habitual sporting activity.
For example, degenerative joint conditions in rugby players can take up to twenty years
to develop (Lee, Garraway, Hepburn and Laidlaw, 2001). In a similar vein, cases of
chronic brain damage have been detected in former professional soccer players. Some of
this damage has been attributed to repeated heading of the ball. For example, in
November 2002, a coroner in England ruled that Jeff Astle, one of the most famous
football strikers of his generation, had died at the age of 59 from a degenerative condition
that had probably been caused by his prowess in heading. Apparently, the twenty years
which Astle had spent in heading rapidly delivered, water-sodden leather balls had
damaged his brain irrevocably (McGrory, 2002). But as Box 9.1 shows, we must be
careful to avoid uncritical acceptance of the claim that heading in soccer causes brain
damage. After all, in Astle’s era, leather footballs were more likely to cause head injuries
because they became about 20 per cent heavier than normal during wet conditions. By
contrast, modern footballs are not only lighter but also waterproof and hence do not
absorb rain as a match progresses. Thus it appears that available evidence is not adequate
to justify the claim that deliberate heading (as distinct from accidental collisions
involving the head) causes brain damage.


Box 9.1 Are footballers heading for injury? Thinking critically about
...the link between heading and brain damage

The ability to head the ball accurately while standing running jumping or diving is a


Sport and exercise psychology: A critical introduction 242
Free download pdf