Skip to main content

Concussion: A Review


This is a movie about a committed, gifted physician who takes a stand against a powerful bureaucracy.  No, Concussion is not about Dr. Ben Carson but Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith), the gifted forensic pathologist who fought against efforts by the National Football League to suppress his research on the brain damage suffered by professional football players.

On many levels, this is a story about faith.  Omalu is a man of faith but he is also a man of science.  He clearly sees no conflict between the two and when he finds truth in science, he must share it with a religious fervor.   In doing so, he takes on a uniquely American expression of faith—football.

As one character points out, Omalu is attacking an industry (not just a sport) that “owns a day of the week, one that used to belong to the church.”  Another character describes football as a “blessing,” “salvation,” and “the beating heart of the city.”  Strong words for a secular entity that is essentially a business but has all the trappings of a spiritual movement.

Perhaps this is the place to say that I am a football fan, but one who has become concerned about what appears to be increasing injuries to players at all levels of the sport.  In fact, one young man
experienced a traumatic injury in a high school football game in our county this year.   The son of a Christian minister, his recovery is still in the balance.  Would I want my grandsons to play the game?  No.

Can one love the sport and fear its consequences at the same time?  In the film, Dr. Julian Bailes (Alec Baldwin), a former team doctor, expresses this dichotomy.  A good old boy from Louisiana, he loves the game but he feels the guilt of what it is doing to the players.  He becomes an unlikely ally  for Omalu.

David Morris delivers a stunning performance as Mike Webster, a former player for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs.  He personalizes the tragedy of a man suffering the consequences of being the best at what he does and taking the risks that involves.  His death starts Omalu on his search for truth.

Omalu excels in his own way as both a man of faith and a man of science, but he also exhibits a certain self righteousness when he thinks he is the only one who can communicate the truth.  This leads to a dramatic confrontation with Bailes, who has worked with him to make his research public.  When Omalu finally addresses the NFL Players Association, he has toned down his zeal and expresses his concerns with an attitude of humility and an attempt to understand what some see as good in the game.  Smith is excellent in his portrayal of Omalu.  Despite his action hero personae, he is one of the best actors in film today.

Concussion will contribute to the ongoing debate about the danger of debilitating injuries connected with sports, especially football.  Although the NFL reports that as many as 28 percent of former players may experience some type of cognitive dysfunction, has worked out a financial settlement with the players association,  and has taken steps this season to be more cautious about returning  possibly concussed players to a game, the organization still seems to be in denial about the dangers involved.

The final scenes of Omalu watching a high school football practice in his hometown force us to consider how difficult it will be to change a particular sporting culture.

Concussion shows us that a person of faith can still speak truth to power and find allies along the way, but simply being correct does not assure change or resolution.  The Old Testaments prophets are a testimony to the difficulty of pursuing such a path.

Comments

Check these out

Confessions of a Recovering Southern Baptist

I am grateful for my heritage as a Southern Baptist.  I was exposed to the Bible and worship from a very young age.  I grew up in a church in south Alabama that supported the Cooperative Program of missions giving.  This meant that our church had the benefit of being part of a supportive group of local churches and the educational opportunities that afforded. Our state convention provided varied and effective ministries with groups like orphans, ethnic groups, and college students.  We supported missionaries at home and abroad.  We had good Bible study and training literature (which we paid for, of course).  I went to an accredited seminary and paid a remarkably low tuition.  Wherever you went on a Sunday morning (in the Southeast and Southwest, at least), you could find a church that sang the familiar hymns and studied the same Bible lesson. In hindsight, I realize that this Southern Baptist utopia was imperfect.  There were significant theological differences, often geograp

The Bible Tells Me So

As I read the story of the Good Samaritan during my devotional today, I was reminded of the times that I have heard the story in the Christian education setting of the local church--as a youngster in primary and intermediate classes (old terminology), as a young adult in college classes, and then as an adult, often teaching the passage myself.     The characters and story line are very familiar due to these experiences of Christian education. These are challenging times for Christian education in the church.  Like so much of what is happening in the church today, the old forms do not seem to support present needs.  What once worked no longer seems to be effective.  Christian education or the formation of believers is in a state of flux. In an article on ethicsdaily.com , retired professor Colin Harris addresses this issue. He points out that the period of the 60’s and 70’s  “saw the beginnings of a loss of vitality within the educational dimension of church ministry, as the

Metaphors of the Kingdom of God

In a recent blog , consultant Seth Godin addresses the power of metaphor.   He points out, “The best way to learn a complex idea is to find it living inside something else you already understand.”   In other words, “this” is like “that.” “When you see a story, an example, a wonderment,” says Godin, “take a moment to look for the metaphor inside.”   Jesus turned this around.   In the use of parables, he told a story or provided a metaphor and challenged his hearers to see the truth within. For example, in his teaching on the Kingdom (or Reign) of God in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom to such things as a mustard seed, yeast, a hidden treasure, a net, a king, and a landowner.   His hearers are encouraged to use their imaginations to understand something that they had never experienced.   He also attempted to shift their perspective so that they might see signs of the Kingdom breaking into their present reality.  These are metaphors for the Kingdom. Where do w

The Tragedy of Willow Creek Community Church

File photo of Steve Carter, Heather Larson, and Bill Hybels As Christian brothers and sisters, we need to pray for Willow Creek Community Church.   On the eve of the Global Leadership Summit, a worldwide conference sponsored by the church in cooperation with the Willow Creek Association, church leadership imploded as a result of further allegations against former pastor Bill Hybels. Last year, Hybels introduced the team who would assume church leadership upon his retirement--lead pastor Heather Larson and teaching pastor Steve Carter.  Although the founding pastor planned to stay on to assist in a time of transition, reports of sexual impropriety involving Hybels surfaced early this year.  He accelerated his departure from the church and left the board of the Willow Creek Association. When other charges emerged last week, teaching pastor Carter resigned. On Wednesday evening, Larson and the entire elder board--lay leaders who provide accountability on behalf of the congreg

A Future for the Global Leadership Summit?

Craig Groeschel, the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church. The Global Leadership Summit which began as a project of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and its founding pastor, Bill Hybels, over 25 years ago was held this week without Hybels. For several years, the GLS has been now produced by the Willow Creek Association, a spin-off organization and a loose network of churches but Hybels has been its driving force. Attended by thousands at the church facility in South Barrington and broadcast to thousands more at satellite locations, the annual meeting brings together not only evangelical leaders but outstanding speakers from business, charitable organizations, politics, and business.  For the first time, Hybels did not appear due to allegations of sexual impropriety brought against him over the past year by former employees, staff members, and business associates.  He has already left the church and resigned from the board of the association.