It looks like popular culture, namely American television,\u00a0has finally gotten the message about the long-term effects of concussions on the brain. And that is apparently going to be one of the dramatic elements of FX network’s new boxing drama, “Lights Out.”<\/p>\r\n
The series, which debuted Tuesday, is about a one-time champ boxer, Patrick “Lights” Leary,\u00a0who has been retired from the ring for several years.\u00a0In the opening scene we find out why: His wife told him\u00a0she couldn’t take seeing him get hurt anymore and she wanted him to quit.<\/p>\r\n
We learn this during a\u00a0flashback scene,\u00a0when we see\u00a0the wife Theresa\u00a0tending to Lights’ bloody face, stitching up his split eyelid after a fight where he has lost his title.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
“You blacked out,” she tells him. “You have a concussion.”<\/p>\r\n
Flash forward about five years.\u00a0We see that Lights is having problems with his memory. At one point, he is asked his Social Security number and he can’t remember it.<\/p>\r\n
Lights goes to the doctor, and we see him reciting the “Hail Mary” as he glides\u00a0into the MRI chamber.\u00a0Next we see him standing with his physician, looking at a scan of his brain.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
Apparently, Lights didn’t quit boxing quite soon enough.<\/p>\r\n
His doctor gives him the grim diagnosis, saying, “It’s called chronic\u00a0traumatic encephalopathy, otherwise known as pugilistic….”<\/p>\r\n
“…dementia,” Lights finishes the sentence, adding, “I know what it’s called.”\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
CTE is the progressive brain disease\u00a0that\u00a0recent research has shown is afflicting NFL players, young and old, now. Concussions take their toll over the years, for not only boxers but football players.<\/p>\r\n
“Now in this case, we’re looking at symptoms that could eventually lead to Alzheimer’s,” the doctor tells Lights.<\/p>\r\n
“How long?”\u00a0\u00a0Lights asks.<\/p>\r\n
“There is so little\u00a0we understand about the brain that’s impossible to predict,” the doctor says.<\/p>\r\n
“Just give me a ballpark,” Lights says.<\/p>\r\n
“It could be two years. It could be 10.\u00a0It could be never,” the doctor replies.<\/p>\r\n
“If it’s not never, what happens?” Lights asks.<\/p>\r\n
“Symptomatically, \u00a0disorientation,\u00a0loss of memory, anxiety, loss of body control,” the doctor says. “You do understand, this is all speculation.”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
“Yeah,” Lights says. But you don’t\u00a0believe that Lights thinks it is just speculation.<\/p>\r\n
This new TV show has the potential to teach Americans a lot about the impact of concussions.\u00a0Perhaps some parents will stop their\u00a0kids from boxing, rather than have them risk brain damage. After all, the whole point of boxing is to give your opponent a concussion.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It looks like popular culture, namely American television,\u00a0has finally gotten the message about the long-term effects of concussions on the brain. And that is apparently going to be one of the dramatic elements of FX network’s new boxing drama, “Lights Out.” The series, which debuted Tuesday, is about a one-time champ boxer, Patrick “Lights” Leary,\u00a0who […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[725,727,730,729,726,728],"class_list":["post-1056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-lights-out","tag-boxers-and-brain-injury","tag-boxing-and-concussions","tag-chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy","tag-fx","tag-pugilistic-dementia"],"yoast_head":"\n