Reframing concussions, masculinity, and NFL mythology inLeague of Denial

Concussions and Capital: Tom Brady, CTE, and the NFL’s Crisis of Identity

“…145-153). This “masculine warrior narrative” demands “self-sacrifice” (Anderson & Kian, 2012, p. 152), employing a heavily militarized “rhetoric of service” (Maxson, 2017, p. 283) that justifies the casualties of football by insisting upon the consent of the “informed soldier” (Furness, 2016, p. 51). Yet the NFL’s history of “disavowed violence” (George & Leonard, 2016, p. 1) calls into question the extent to which players have been informed of the dangers of traumatic brain injury, as well as the varying degrees of agency that they possess in mitigating the “signature wounds” of their sport (Morrison & Casper, 2016, p. 160).…”

“…171-173). If league partners are involved, any “critical counter-narrative” to dominant football mythologies (Furness, 2016, p. 56) is subject to a “complicated web of corporate connections where existing or potential partnerships constantly threaten the viability of these projects and shape their tone” (Oates, 2017, p. 165).…”

“I Don’t Think It’s Worth the Risk”

“…Other researchers have analyzed the counterframes that are emerging through media productions and reports that center on concussions risks in football. Furness (2016) examined the League of Denial documentary and posited that the film challenged dominant discourses around hegemonic masculinity and the warrior mentality by engaging in discussion about the relationship between football and head trauma. Furness also contended that the resistance offered by League of Denial further challenged the mythology of football and produced a significant outcome in that head trauma and brain injuries resulting from football would not simply disappear from the public consciousness but instead continue to be discussed.…”

“…Nevertheless as scholars have noted (Furness, 2016;Petric, 2013;Sanderson et al, 2016), there appears to be some fracturing of the hegemonic masculinity narratives surrounding football and injuries. In that vein, the current study examines how challenges to these narratives may be continuing to unfold by exploring how media outlets framed the Chris Borland's decision to voluntarily walk away from the game of football and its impact.…”

“…In recent years, concussion issues in sport, particularly the National Football League (NFL), have become a prominent talking point in sport media as well as in mainstream news outlets (Sanderson, Weathers, Snedaker, & Gramlich, In Press). This discursive spike arguably has been fueled by documentaries such as Head Games (Sheridan & James, 2012), which highlights concussions and their effects in football and other sports such as hockey and soccer, and League of Denial (Kirk, Gilmore, & Wiser, 2013), which takes a critical look at the NFL’s alleged withholding of information about concussions and their consequences from players (Furness, 2016). Additionally, these conversations also have been influenced by the feature film Concussion (Scott et al, 2015), which chronicles the NFL’s treatment of Dr. Bennet Omalu, after Omalu diagnosed the disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the brain of former NFL player Mike Webster.…”