Risk Taking and Aggression On and Off the Field: Evidence from the National Football League

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi Ge
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
National Football League ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Repeat Offenders ◽  
Behavioral Traits ◽  
Field Evidence ◽  
Career Span ◽  
Career Performance ◽  
Detailed Record

Abstract We study the behavioral link between NFL players’ off-field misconduct and their on-field infractions by matching a comprehensive dataset of players’ off-field arrests with detailed record of on-field penalty calls. Results from Poisson regressions indicate that players with arrest record are likewise observed to have significantly higher tendencies for aggression-related penalties, implying their inherent preferences toward risks or aggression. Such association is particularly salient among repeat offenders. We also find that repeat offenders boast stronger overall career performance and longer career span compared to non-offenders and one-time offenders, suggesting that the related behavioral traits can be instrumental to job performance in professional football.

scholarly journals Jones Fractures Identified at the National Football League Scouting Combine: Assessment of Prognostic Factors, Computed Tomography Findings, and Initial Career Performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. 232596711879074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert C. Spang ◽  
Daniel B. Haber ◽  
Brendin R. Beaulieu-Jones ◽  
Kristen L. Stupay ◽  
George Sanchez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
National Football League ◽  
Treatment Method ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Specific Performance ◽  
Incomplete Healing ◽  
Bony Healing ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Career Performance

Background: Jones fractures result in subsequent dysfunction and remain an issue for athletes. Purpose: To (1) describe the epidemiology, treatment, and impact of Jones fractures identified at the National Football League (NFL) Scouting Combine on players’ early careers and (2) establish the value of computed tomography (CT) to determine bony healing after a fracture in prospective players. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: All players who attended the combine between 2009 and 2015 were retrospectively reviewed to identify their history of Jones fractures. The playing position, treatment method, and number of missed collegiate games were recorded. The mean overall draft pick number, number of games started and played, snap percentage, and position-specific performance scores (fantasy score) over the first 2 years in the NFL were compared between players with fractures and controls. An imaging classification system was applied based on grading of each quadrant of the fifth metatarsal (plantar, dorsal, medial, lateral), with a score of 0 for not healed or 1 for healed. Results: Overall, the number of Jones fractures identified was 72 in 2285 athletes (3.2%), with all treated via intramedullary screw fixation. The mean overall draft pick number for players with fractures was 111.2 ± 67.9 compared with 99.0 ± 65.9 for controls ( P = .12). Performance scores for players with fractures were lower than those for controls across all positions, with a significant difference in running backs (2.6 vs 4.0, respectively; P < .001) and defensive linemen (1.4 vs 2.3, respectively; P = .02). The mean CT score was 2.5 ± 1.3. Of the 32 athletes who underwent imaging, 16 Jones fractures (50.0%) were healed or nearly healed, 12 (37.5%) were partially healed, and 4 (12.5%) showed little or no healing. The plantar cortex demonstrated the least healing (18/32; 56.3%), followed by the lateral cortex (15/32; 46.9%). Players with a mean score <1 were found to have fewer games started (2.7 ± 2.5) than those with 1 to 3 cortices healed (17.4 ± 10.4) or all cortices healed (8.7 ± 11.2). Conclusion: Based on CT, 50% of all players with a previous Jones fracture demonstrated incomplete healing. Moreover, position-specific performance scores over the first 2 years of a player’s career were lower across all positions for those with fractures compared with controls. Players with CT scores <1 were found to start fewer games and were drafted later than controls.

No Football Fans, Just Football Intellectuals

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse Berrett
Keyword(s):  
National Football League ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
Football Fans

This chapter explores how official National Football League publications encouraged and attempted to manage a range of interpretations of professional football. These books set out a playing field and opened it for discussion. Even as liberal social observers worried about pro football’s rising appeal, conservatives celebrated its meritocratic traditionalism, radicals found it terrifying, and journalists increasingly made fun of its pretentions to gravitas, David Boss’s books conveyed the broad notion that football mattered in the broader culture and was worthy of serious intellectual consideration. Without centering on a particular meaning, they emphasized the idea that football mattered in the wider culture.

scholarly journals Increasing Incidence of Pectoralis Major Ruptures in NFL Players

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (7_suppl5) ◽  
pp. 2325967119S0039
Author(s):  
Patrick Wise ◽  
Robert A. Gallo
Keyword(s):  
Bench Press ◽  
National Football League ◽  
Relative Strength ◽  
Pectoralis Major ◽  
Definitive Treatment ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Professional Football ◽  
The Past ◽  
Playing Time ◽  
Performance Enhancing

Objectives: Pectoralis major ruptures are considered an uncommon injury in football. A previous study showing that only 10 compete ruptures occurred in the NFL between the years 2000-2010. The purpose of the study is to report the incidence of pectoralis ruptures in National Football League (NFL) players from 2010-2017 and identify any characteristics that could have contributed. We hypothesized that incidence of pectoralis major ruptures would increase over the past eight years. Methods: Using publicly available reports from websites such as ESPN.com and NFL.com, pectoralis major injuries in professional football players were identified during the years 2010-2017. Details about age, position played, injury setting, performance enhancing drug (PED) suspensions, and combine performance were obtained from NFL Combine and compared to peers at the same workout. Results: During the eight years analyzed 51 separate NFL players suffered a total of 55 pectoralis major ruptures. Defensive players accounted for 82% (42 of 51) of the injured players. The ruptures happened at the average age of 26±1 years, and 76.4% (42 of 55) of them occurred during games. After the rupture, 87.3% (48 of 55) required surgery, while definitive treatment could not be determined for the remaining seven injuries. For athletes that received playing time before injury and had their rupture occur prior to the most recent 2017 season, 85.4% (41 of 48) returned to play in a game. When comparing athletes at the combine who later ruptured their pectoralis major to peers at their position, those who tore their pectoralis major tendon on-average ranked in the 63 rd percentile for bench press (N=40), 50th percentile for arm length (N=14), and 52nd percentile for 20-yard shuttle (N=20). When the NFL suspension records were examined, only 5.9% (3 of 51) of players with a pectoralis major rupture had been suspended for (performance-enhancing drug) PED use before or after the injury. Conclusion: The total number of pectoralis major ruptures has drastically risen from 10 cases between 2000-2010 to 55 cases from 2010-2017. The reason behind this increase remain uncertain but appears to be independent of relative strength, agility, and arm length, and suspension for PED use.

Within-Individual Age-Related Trends, Cycles, and Event-Driven Changes in Job Performance: a Career-Span Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 643-662
Author(s):  
Guido Alessandri ◽  
Donald M. Truxillo ◽  
John Tisak ◽  
Corrado Fagnani ◽  
Laura Borgogni
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Event Driven ◽  
Career Span

scholarly journals Jones Fractures Identified at the National Football League Scouting Combine: Assessment of Prognostic Factors, Computed Tomography Findings, and Initial Career Performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (7_suppl4) ◽  
pp. 2325967118S0012
Author(s):  
Robert C. Spang ◽  
Daniel B. Haber ◽  
Brendin Beaulieu-Jones ◽  
Kristen Stupay ◽  
George Sanchez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
National Football League ◽  
Treatment Method ◽  
Jones Fracture ◽  
Major Injury ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Early National ◽  
Specific Performance ◽  
Playing Time ◽  
Career Performance

Objectives: Jones fractures, which result in loss of playing time and subsequent dysfunction, remain a significant issue for elite contact athletes. The objectives of the present study are to (1) describe the epidemiology, surgical treatment, and impact on early National Football League (NFL) career of Jones fractures identified at the NFL Scouting Combine and (2) establish the value of computed tomography (CT) to determine healing following a Jones fracture in prospective NFL players. Methods: All players who attended the NFL Scouting Combine (2009-2015) were retrospectively reviewed to identify those who previously sustained a Jones fracture with position of play, treatment method, and number of missed collegiate games recorded. Overall mean draft pick, number of games started and played, snap percentage, and position-specific performance scores (Fantasy Score) were compared between Jones fracture athletes and controls without any major injury prior to the NFL Combine and during first three years of NFL career. A classification system, based on the grading of four individual quadrants (plantar, dorsal, medial, lateral), was applied by three orthopaedic surgeons. Results: Overall, the number of Jones fractures among athletes who attended the NFL Combine (2009-2015) was 72/2285 (3.2%) with all athletes treated via intramedullary (IM) screw fixation. Position-specific performance scores for players with a previous Jones fracture were lower than controls across all positions with a significant difference in running backs and defensive linemen. Subgroup CT scan analysis demonstrated a mean overall score of 2.5±1.3 with kappa values of 0.6 and 0.64 for inter- and intra-observer reliability, respectively. 16 Jones fractures (50%) were healed or nearly healed,12 (37.5%) were partially healed, and 4 (12.5%) showed little or no healing. The plantar cortex demonstrated least healing (56%), followed by the lateral cortex (46.9%). Conclusion: Although infrequent, Jones fractures are encountered at the NFL Combine with the highest prevalence at the tight end position and lowest at the running back position. Based on CT, 50% of all players with a previous Jones fracture demonstrate inhealing with least healing at the plantar and lateral cortices. Moreover, position-specific performance scores demonstrate worst performance at all positions for players with a previous Jones fracture versus controls.

Embodied Capital and Risk-Related Traits, Attitudes, Behaviors, and Outcomes: An Exploratory Examination of Attractiveness, Cognitive Ability, and Physical Ability

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 949-964
Author(s):  
Nabhan Refaie ◽  
Sandeep Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
State Model ◽  
Behavioral Risk ◽  
Risk Propensity ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Relative State ◽  
Field Evidence ◽  
Related Personality ◽  
Embodied Capital

The relative state model posits two nonindependent pathways to risk. The need-based pathway suggests people take risks when nonrisky options are unlikely to meet their needs. The ability-based pathway suggests people take risks when they possess resources or abilities making them more capable of successfully “pulling off” risk-taking. Growing laboratory and field evidence supports need-based risk-taking. However, little is known about ability-based risk-taking. We examined whether three indicators of embodied capital (attractiveness, cognitive ability, and physical dexterity) were associated with risk-related personality traits, risk-attitudes, behavioral risk-taking, and outcomes associated with risk-taking. Among 328 community members recruited to maximize variance on risk-propensity, we demonstrate that embodied capital indices predict various instantiations of risk-propensity consistent with the relative state model.

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