Study Finds Reports of Domestic Violence Rise 10% After NFL Upsets
NIH researchers suggest unexpected disappointment may underlie loss of control and violent behavior
Calls to the police reporting men’s assaults on their wives or intimate partners rose 10 percent in areas where the local National Football League team lost a game they were favored to win, according to an analysis of 900 regular-season NFL games reports researchers in a paper in The Quarterly Journal of Economics.
Football games are emotionally laden events of widespread interest, typically garnering 25 percent or more of a local television viewing audience. The disappointment of an unexpected loss, the researchers concluded, raises the risk that football fans may react inappropriately.
In contrast, co-authors David Card, Ph.D., and Gordon Dahl, Ph.D., found no decrease in reports of violence following an unexpected win by the local team or by the team’s loss in a game that was expected to be close.
“Our results suggest that the overall rise in violence between the intimate partners we studied is driven entirely by losses in games that matter most to fans,” Card said. The timing of the calls to police also indicated that violence occurred within a narrow window roughly corresponding to the final hour of a game and the two hours after. Read more
Rebuilding Together Joins Choice Hotels to Support the NFL Player Care Foundation to Assist NFL Alumni In-Need
Rebuilding Together Greater Dallas, an affiliate of the nation’s leading nonprofit working to preserve affordable homeownership, has joined Choice Hotels International to support the NFL Player Care Foundation and deliver critical home renovations to a member of the NFL family, Dallas Cowboys’ Alumni Robert Newhouse.
Robert Newhouse was a notable Dallas Cowboys running back for 12 years, and helped his team play in three Super Bowls over the course of his career. His success was celebrated throughout the Dallas and NFL communities, and Mr. Newhouse ended his career as the third all-time leading rusher in team history. Mr. Newhouse, although now retired, still loyally dedicates his time and works with the Dallas Cowboys. He has recently suffered serious health complications, which require him to use a cane or wheelchair to walk, and is in need of assistance to rehabilitate his family’s home.
Choice Hotels, the official Hospitality Sponsor for several Rebuilding Together events, is supporting Rebuilding Together’s partnership with the NFL Player Care foundation in sponsoring the refurbishment of the Newhouse family’s home needs as Mr. Newhouse recovers from recent health obstacles that have kept him from making improvements to his home. The work scope includes a new bathroom, appliance upgrades, and other exterior and interior improvements.
“Choice Hotels is thrilled to partner with Rebuilding Together and support the NFL Player Care Foundation on such an important project,” said Kelly Kane, executive director of the Choice Hotels International Foundation and senior director of corporate communications for Choice Hotels. “It’s great to see both Mr. Newhouse’s Dallas and NFL peers unite to make sure his family continues to live independently and safely, and pay tribute to a fabulous Dallas citizen. We are also happy to continue our ongoing work with Rebuilding Together; our program ‘Room to Rebuild’ has served hundreds of homeowners across the country.”
Choice Hotels is mobilizing the volunteers for the rebuild project, as well as providing the necessary funds to complete the entire project. The NFL Player Care Foundation, dedicated to serving NFL Alumni in need, is engaging current and past NFL players to assist a fellow teammate on this home project.
“We are very appreciative of Rebuilding Together and Choice Hotels support and dedication to helping retired players in need and look forward to working with them on future builds and refurbishments,” said Belinda Lerner, Executive Director, NFL Player Care Foundation.
Are Players Really Prepared for NFL Lockout #10?
Nation’s Top Insurance Lawyer Offers Best Play Against Insurance Lapse
With a $9 billion dollar pie to carve up and no one agreeing on how to slice it, NFL players have more at stake this week than just their salary. Insurance might not be at the top of their play list, BUT IT SHOULD BE. “Lockouts can linger and professional players must stay in shape; their livelihoods depend on jumping back into the game whenever this battle is over,” says Frank N. Darras, the nation’s top disability insurance attorney. ”They can’t risk an illness or serious injury during lockout. Players need to secure the right insurance protection individually during this period.”
Continuing health insurance is crucial and can be accomplished by purchasing COBRA coverage if a lockout occurs. Even though the cost may run 800 to 900 a month, a lapse in coverage raises ugly pre existing condition limitations which could be catastrophic. Under the new healthcare reform act, insurance companies are required to allow dependent children to stay on their parent’s insurance policies until age 26. The restrictions state: you can’t have a job which offers insurance (which during lockouts players don’t) and they must be claimed as dependents on their parents’ taxes for that year. This might be a stretch for some players who are not yet 26, however, it is worth investigating. See www.darraslaw.com.
More important, is securing enough individual disability insurance to maintain your lifestyle if a career ending injury or illness occurs during the lockout. “Injuries or severe illnesses during this lockout time are deemed ‘non-football related’ and will not be covered under whatever coverage the league or the owners had provided,” states Darras. “Now is the time to consider private individual disability insurance so they aren’t dependent on the team or the union.” Read more
Super Bowl XLV Champion Greg Jennings to Participate in ESPN The Weekend 2011
Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver #85 Greg Jennings is on a nation-wide tour celebrating the Super Bowl XLV victory. So far, the tour has included an interview with George Lopez on Lopez Tonight, participation in the Cartoon Network’s Hall of Game™ Awards, working with the NFL Network, and making his debut on The Mo’Nique Show. Jennings is now in Orlando, Florida March 4th through the 6th celebrating with his family among legendary athletes and loyal fans at ESPN The Weekend 2011.
GREG JENNINGS:
Greg Jennings is a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers and founder of the Greg Jennings Foundation for Underprivileged Children and Families, established in 2008 to provide self help initiatives and programming to help the disadvantaged achieve personal, professional, and financial goals. Jennings was chosen for the NFL All-Rookie Team in 2006, and named a Pro Bowl receiver selection in 2010. He contributed two touchdowns to the Green Bay Packers’ Super Bowl XLV win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jennings is a graduate of Western Michigan University, where he became just the 11th player in NCAA Division I history to record three career 1,000-yard receiving seasons (2003-05), and enjoyed a record-breaking senior year, leading the nation with an average of 8.91 receptions per game. A native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Jennings currently resides in his hometown, with his wife Nicole and three daughters. www.GJ85.com