Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger came under criticism from teammates and the media for not playing Sunday night's game against the Baltimore Ravens. Apparently, a concussion is not a "manly" enough reason to sit out a game for an NFL quarterback.
This all reminds me of research showing that when men's masculinity is challenged, they go to greater lengths to be more "manly" as compensation. This work shows that, for instance, when a man is classified as feminine from a bogus test, they then become more aggressive.
The NFL clearly has a macho image. But further, it has a culture of playing hurt and "sucking it up." According to several NFL players I watched today give interviews, it doesn't seem that uncommon for them to lie about injuries to team doctors. This may not seem so severe if it is an ankle injury, for instance, but when it comes to concussions, this could be very, very serious.
The ironic thing is though, that I suspect if Rothlisberger had a more visible injury, then his teammates would have been more accepting of him sitting out the game. Research consistently shows that when judging other people's intentions and attitudes (and it seems injuries), we rely more on their overt behavior than their thought process. In other words, you can't see a concussion, but you can see a broken ankle.
So even though few would argue that a concussion isn't a more serious injury than most other injuries, few people would have been as harsh on Roethlisberger had he had those other injuries.
The NFL view on concussions is clearly changing to protect the players. But it seems like decades of "play unless your arm is hanging off" attitude has permeated the NFL culture to such an extent that it could be decades before sitting out over a concussion is accepted in this macho culture.
Another interesting thing is that I suspect if a female athlete had had a concussion and sat out a game, few would think twice about it. Part of it would be because women's sports are far less popular, but part of it would also be that women aren't expected to be as macho.
To the average NFL fan (and player), a player has no future or life after football. It is ignored, or not thought of. But it is time for people to realize that there is life for these players after football.
Choosing to sit out to protect your ability to think and reason properly (basically, what makes you, you) should be applauded, and not deemed unmanly or as turning your back on your teammates.
