Malcolm Gladwell calls for ban on university football

Malcolm Gladwell, a journalist and best-selling author, is advocating for the banning of university football on the grounds that research has increasingly linked the head-injuries that football players regularly suffer to neurological disorders. One such research study showed evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease with similarities to Alzheimer’s, in the brains of former university and professional football players. It also revealed that, contrary to popular belief, it isn’t just head injuries that cause concussions that can cause long-term brain problems, but a series of “pre-concussive hits that football players endure several times per game.” Gladwell is calling on high-profile universities with successful football programs to set a precedent for other institutions by banning the wildly popular sport. Forbes Magazine