Letters

The best defense against injuries is fear. If the NFL wants to reduce them, it should outlaw helmets, pads, cleats and artificial turf.
LAWRENCE A. DANTO, M.D., Davis, Calif.

Football Injuries
Your concern about head injuries in the NFL is well founded (Halt the Head-hunting, Dec. 19). I learned about head injuries as a surgical fellow to Marvin A. Stevens, an orthopedic surgeon who was a pioneer in sports medicine. Stevens was a fullback at Yale in the days before special teams, when players played 60 minutes. He coached football at both Yale and NYU and went on to train as an orthopedic surgeon. In that capacity he served as a panel physician for the New-York State Athletic Commission.

Stevens's rule was that any player who suffered a concussion did not return to play in that game. It was a wise rule. Even a brief period of unconsciousness is a serious event in the life of the brain.

As long as team physicians believe it acceptable to return a concussed player to the game within 10 to 20 minutes of the injury, we will be seeing more and more punchy players with brain damage.
ROBERT B. BRENDZE, M.D. Chestnut Hill, Mass.

The culprit is the face mask, not the helmet. I have little doubt that before introduction of the face mask—particularly the cage—football injuries other than broken noses and teeth were relatively minor. I suggest removal of the face mask.
PAUL LAGOMARSINO, M.D., Fort Bragg, Calif.

The hard shell of today's football helmets provides protection against neck injuries, which arc at least as frightening as head injuries. The rigid shell allows the helmet to slide off objects it strikes. Padding the outside of the helmet tends to make it stick, transferring force to the neck. Thus, contrary to your statement, there is a downside to padded helmets.
JAMES G. GARRICK, M.D., San Francisco

Take the face masks off of everyone but the quarterbacks.
DICK LASTER, Tulsa

One cause of vicious hitting is cleated shoes. Before a blocker or tackler can unload on an opponent, he must firmly plant one foot, which he can't do if he's wearing uncleated shoes. Banning cleats would result in fewer neck and knee injuries. The emphasis would be on agility, balance and speed, not bulk.
COLIN MEYER, Vicenza, Italy

Not a word about mouthguards? Without a mouthguard, force that is applied to the chin transmits from the lower teeth to the upper teeth and then to the brain. When a mouthguard is worn, the forces are dissipated, the mouthguard working like a shock absorber. Mouthguards are required for high school players, and the NCAA has required their use since 1973. With a little practice, players can speak well enough to be understood while wearing them. After wearing mouthguards all through high school and college, players should be used to them by the time they reach the pros.
ROBERT B. STEVENSON. D.D.S., M.S. Columbus. Ohio

Another cause of head injuries is the play clock. With the clock visible to the defense as well as the offense, blitzing linebackers and safeties pretty much know when the ball is going to be snapped. Why not turn off the display of the clock at 10 seconds and leave everyone guessing?
CRAIG D. GEBERT, Laguna Niguel, Calif.

Strike
I couldn't agree more with the Point After by Jerry Kirshenbaum (Dec. 19). The arrogant disregard of baseball owners and players for the fans is disgusting. Yeah, I'll probably come back. But however long the strike lasts is how long I plan to stay away from the ballpark once the matter is settled.
RICHARD NEWTON, Concord, Calif.

Bowl Bonuses
In your charts of schools' bowl expenses, I was amazed to see that coaches are given bonuses for going to a bowl game (Small Change, Dec. 26). I can't imagine giving a coach extra money to do what he was hired to do—win games. Does the chair of the English department at Florida receive a bonus if a student is selected as a Rhodes scholar? Will the chair of the chemistry department at Kansas get a little something extra if one of his students goes on to win a Nobel Prize?
MARK FREERKS, Victoria, Texas

PHOTO

AL TIELEMANS

For safety's sake: The mouthguard (top) is said to prevent injuries, but the clock, cleats and cage come in for blame.

PHOTO

DAVID WALBERG

[See caption above.]

PHOTO

JOHN BIEVER

[See caption above.]

PHOTO

MANNY MILLAN

[See caption above.]

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