

Will PBS Deliver the Death Blow to the NFL? - selmnoo
http://www.vice.com/read/league-of-denial-documentary-review?utm_source=vicefbus

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smoyer
This reminds me of watching Ray "boom-boom" Mancini pummel Duk Koo Kim. When
Kim died, I decided I really didn't care to watch boxing anymore but even
Howard Cosell's boycott of boxing didn't have much impact on viewership.

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mathattack
With the exception of one or two superstars, boxing has died on it's own. (Or
is it the UFC that killed it?)

When I was young, Football was the only sport that my parents forbade me from
playing. Hockey - ok. Wrestling - ok. Football, no. While their reasoning was
different (knee injuries) I'm very happy that they stepped in.

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smoyer
I'm not sure whether it's died ... it used to be on main-stream sports shows,
but now it seems that it's owned by HBO. Since I have no interest in watching
it, I couldn't say how widely it's followed.

As an aside, another sad moment was watching a punch-drunk Muhammad Ali try to
give a coherent interview.

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wnevets
punch drunk Ali? Doesnt he have parkinson's?

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mathattack
Yes. I have no medical training, but it's hard to imagine all the hits to the
head didn't accelerate the brain damage.

Here's more on Dementia Pugilistica:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dementia_pugilistica](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dementia_pugilistica)

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wnevets
perhaps however a better example would have to be george foreman. The brain
damage he suffered by getting punched by ali quite scary

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mathattack
True. And it's not just the fights, it's the training. Ali used to train
without headgear, as he wanted to prepare in as realistic a situation as
possible. Even with the headgear, you can get a lot of small concussions.

It is sad to see punch-drunk boxers who have started to slur.

I did a little bit of boxing several years back. It was all fun and games
until I went into the ring. After two sparring sessions I decided it was a lot
more fun to go after bags that don't hit back.

