Evidence keeps mounting and now: Mark Pavelich

Can we overlook glory of sports?

Has all the news about head injuries in sports had an impact on you yet? I began weighing 4-5 years ago if I should start withdrawing sports interest. That's easier said than done. The sobering thoughts about head injuries were in the back of my mind. But it took time to break some longstanding habits.
For a time I was trying to proclaim it was mission accomplished, yet I digested sports news with a fair amount of interest, for the standard reasons. It is so tempting to be entertained by the fast-moving bodies on the TV screen.
The famous doctor behind the initial revelations about CTE admitted there was a beauty in these sports - "like ballet," he said. Will Smith played the doctor in the movie.

Perspective: words and intent
People used to boast about how they'd ignore Howard Cosell or turn the sound off when he was on. To refresh: Cosell was the guy with a rather bombastic image who graced our TV screens for Monday night football. Monday night football became nothing short of an entertainment rage in the 1970s, those disco '70s. Football entertainment was not as readily available then. That's why the weekly Monday broadcast became such an absolute sensation, and there was the verbose Cosell holding his microphone.
So, people claimed he was irritating and all that, but the truth really was that he was part of the winning entertainment chemistry. People claimed to be trying to ignore him, to be turning the sound down or even off! They might claim to be throwing objects at the TV screen in protest. Hardly any of that was true of course, maybe none of it. It was a pop culture notion.
By the same token, fans today might say they're trying to pay less attention to football or hockey. They try to convince us that the health risks in these sports aren't worth it. And they are so right. But when you come across these events on TV, the events seem to have all the luster and popularity they always had. So when we hear talk of how the football Gophers might be Pasadena-bound, hey, we feel the "rush," right? Don't we feel like pinching ourselves, even.
I mean, when I was a kid, the Gophers weren't in the discussion of Rose Bowl candidates. I remember the sober and scowling faces of father figure coaches Woody Hayes of Ohio State and Bo Schembechler of Michigan. St. Paul newspaper columnist Don Riley joked about "the Big 2 and the Little 8" in the Big 10. Didn't seem like much fun. The Gophers were a step or two below, in position to be buried most of the time by the national powers. So today we see a quite changed complexion with Minnesota in the upper tier while Nebraska - gasp! - is among the pedestrian group.
Yes, "they don't win because of the uniforms." That expression always amused me. When I used to tune in and see the crimson-trimmed Nebraska uniform, there was a sense of awe. These were the "big boys." The U of M seemed often to be an also-ran, at least in terms of competing for the Rose Bowl. Now that we're up there, I feel a tinge of sadness because I can no longer admire or really follow Big Ten football any more. It has become unconscionable. And truly I have succeeded in accomplishing this. I'm not just posturing or pretending.
I'm only generally aware of the Gophers' successes because I continue subscribing to the Star Tribune (which I buy for our senior center in Morris) and I can't help but notice the headlines. Am I at least happy? No, because the physical price paid by the young men in these games is too much. There is no longer any doubt about the conclusions to be drawn.
You insist on portraying me as a stick in the mud? As someone who takes certain things too seriously? Who can't let his hair down and just enjoy the Gophers' new-found glory? How can I not jump up and down? Well, in perusing the state news section of our venerated state newspaper, we see another big and scary exhibit of what sports does to people. Some of these injured souls can be a hazard to other people.
It isn't enough to tell parents to show caution or just "be informed." Keep your sons out of these activities, let them harness those energies in other things. Don't be blinded by the shallow entertainment value of players sprinting into the end zone or scoring a goal in hockey (although I have never been entertained by hockey, nor have I ever understood its appeal at all).
  

Mark Pavelich (WTIP image)

Very fresh news
The news in the Tuesday Strib was about Mark Pavelich. He was one of the "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic hockey players. Remember the movie about that, starring Kurt Russell? Russell played coach Herb Brooks who I got to know when he came to Morris to promote hockey's expansion in our community. I'm amused to remember how he gave me a hard time when he realized I was "press." He saw me taking notes! By the end of his stay, we had an amicable relationship.
Brooks ended up dying on our highways in what I believe was an accident caused by falling asleep at the wheel. Incredibly sad.
Brooks and Pavelich helped give us an amazing chapter in sports history. But we're saddened at present to learn of the price Pavelich is now paying for his time in the rugged sport of hockey. A badge of manhood? Forget all that. With what we now know about the health dangers of football and hockey, we might well cite a badge of stupidity or ignorance. Keep your children out of these Neanderthal games. Don't be tempted to watch them on TV, even if they exude a "siren song" appeal. I once felt that.
Pavelich is just 61 years old. I repeat: just 61. He might be civilly committed to a mental health facility. This results from a determination that he is incompetent to stand trial. Should this "Miracle on Ice" guy be judged "mentally ill" or "mentally ill and dangerous?" Those are the questions being weighed.
Sports agents often tell their clients the reality about their position in life. In other words, don't be fooled by the cheers and adulation. The fans know nothing about you, the realities of your life and how you'll get by the rest of your life. Pavelich played hockey hard while fans screamed their approval, reinforcing the commitment to the game.
And where is Pavelich's life at now? Are the fans truly concerned about him now? Are we willing to make any sort of investment in him now, like how we once bought tickets and watched TV broadcasts full of ads for things like beer? All that commercial activity, just because so many of us ere entranced by those fast-moving bodies on the TV screen - men seeking "victory." So what? Who gives a hoot now?
Just look at Pavelich's life now. How will he spend the rest of his days? Look how Pavelich hurt another human being: he beat James T. Miller with a metal pole after a day of fishing. Miller suffered cracked ribs, a bruised kidney and a vertebrae fracture. The criminal case has been put on hold. Cook County Social Services entered the picture. The agency wants the court to commit Pavelich to the state as "mentally ill and dangerous." There will be a pricetag for the care and treatment of both Pavelich and Miller.

The cost of playing a game
Pavelich's family members assert that Mark suffers from CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, after repeated concussions and blows while playing in the National Hockey League. He began showing evidence of this condition several years ago. The family sought help for him but he refused.
The NHL has been accused of moving too slowly on adjusting the game to make it safer. You might say football is in the same position, but how can either of these games really be made fundamentally safe? A realistic assessment would suggest they can't be.
So where do we go from here? It's just a long slog toward eventual phasing out of these sports, if you can envision that at all. Maybe Howard Cosell with his voice of gusto could persuade us. He was a very intelligent man. He'd understand.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com