Based on the case, and any additional research you choose to do, discuss at least three potential causes of the problem you identified in the first question. Be sure clearly articulate how each one of these potential causes is related to the problem you identified in Question 1.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

RICHARD G. HAMERMESH MATTHEW G. PREBLE The National Football League and Brain Injuries The National Football League (NFL) was both the most popular spectator sport in the U.S. and a major economic entity, taking in roughly $10 billion a year in revenue. Its annual championship game, the Super Bowl, was a hugely popular television event. Super Bowl XLVIII, held in February 2014, was watched by 111.5 million people, making it "the most-watched television event in U.S. history," according to the NFL..? Injuries were expected in the NFL due to the game's physical nature, and players routinely missed games or an entire season while recovering. However, beginning in the late 20th century and accelerating through the 2000s and 2010s, there was an increased interest in the long-term effect of head injuries on NFL players. Medical professionals and some retired players were particularly concerned about the number of deceased football players found to have chronic traumatic encephalo- pathy (CTE), a brain disease that caused behavioral problems, dementia, and depression, among other potential health issues. One former player died of a drug overdose at age 45 and was later found to have had CTE and Alzheimer's disease. His wife described the changes she saw in her husband: "The most obvious was the depression.... Then he was having difficulty engaging. He wasn't keeping in touch with his childhood friends, his college friends, people that he had maintained very strong relationships with.... When this all began and when it became extreme, and when it became severe is really hard to go back and know for sure.... He just really stopped engaging in life."5 In June 2012, over 2,000 retired players sued the NFL over head injuries." "The NFL. must open its eyes to the consequences of its actions.... The NFL has the power not only to give former players the care they deserve, but also to ensure that future generations of football players do not suffer the way that many in my generation have," said one former player. The lawsuit alleged, in part, that "[t]he NFL, as the organizer, marketer, and face of the most popular sport in the United States, in which [mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI)] is a regular occurrence and in which players are at risk for In this case study, football refers to American football and not to the sport known in the U.S. as soccer. b Dementia was "a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. Memory loss is an example. Alzheimer's disease] is the most common type of dementia." Alzheimer's Association, "What Is Dementia," http://www.alz.org/what-is-dementia.asp, accessed June 2014. Professor Richard G. Hamermesh and Case Researcher Matthew G. Preble (Case Research & Writing Group) prepared this case. This case was developed from published sources. Funding for the development of this case was provided by Harvard Business School and not by the company. HBS cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management. Copyright 2014, 2015, 2017 President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800- 545-7685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to www.hbsp.harvard.edu. This publication may not be digitized, photocopied, or otherwise reproduced, posted, or transmitted, without the permission of Harvard Business School.