Not the same thing. They were referring to the injuries that occur in football.
Your logic shows how tightly gripped gambling has on the image of pool. You play pool, you must play for money, drink, and do drugs.
Hence the reason to stop glorifying hustlers, gamblers. The current image of pool does not help.
Pool could be the sport to replace youth football.
I look at that young girls eyes, and the twenty dollars....and I see something more long term than the current smile. I've seen the effects, and environments and mindsets one must endure in the states to ''get better''. I see the probable injuries to the body/soul. Not your normal sports injury, but permanent. In Europe there's structure and acceptance, that's where true players live.