It begins - war on football
- Thread starter WoadBlue
- Start date
Texas has the right idea: "Texas has also worked to reduce head injuries by offering junior high school and high school coaches seminars on rugby tackling, where the focus is on leading with the shoulder instead of the head."
I am old. but not old enough to have played even as a kid without a facemask. I was trained always to keep my head up for all parts of the game, especially tackling, because seeing what you do and its immediate aftermath is important.
That is form tackling. It needs to be retaught, and I would back a rule to penalize all tackles made with the head down if that stops laws like in NJ.
I am old. but not old enough to have played even as a kid without a facemask. I was trained always to keep my head up for all parts of the game, especially tackling, because seeing what you do and its immediate aftermath is important.
That is form tackling. It needs to be retaught, and I would back a rule to penalize all tackles made with the head down if that stops laws like in NJ.
It's kinda sad, but football is going to change.
Like the article says, it's the repetitive impacts that are the problem, not the major concussions. Even during blocking assignments away from the ball there are head impacts... better form tackling isn't going to eliminate all the jostling of your noggin that occurs on every single snap of full-contact game and practice.
Like the article says, it's the repetitive impacts that are the problem, not the major concussions. Even during blocking assignments away from the ball there are head impacts... better form tackling isn't going to eliminate all the jostling of your noggin that occurs on every single snap of full-contact game and practice.
I have read that there are as many concussions in girl's soccer as in youth football. I assume headers would be part of that, but guys are more likely to head that girls. That's what I see when I watch World Cup and Olympic soccer.
I assume the primary reason for the girl concussions is the female skull and brain. But I doubt that could be discussed, even to help girls.
What is the next move? Going to stop kids from driving home after practice? Potentially much more dangerous. What about walking down steps? One could trip and get hurt. Unfortunately, we live in a PC world where everyone wants the world to be in a protective bubble. Can't happen. People get hurt in this life doing everyday things. So it is with football. Yes, learn how to tackle the right way, but the example in New Jersey just shows how soft our society is becoming.
Life in general is all about risk...We risk our lives when we head out to work each day....When we walk across the road....As mentioned, when we walk up or down steps...A lot of us have risk on our jobs each day, yet we know that the bills must be paid, so we keep going...
It's sad to see Football disappear, but it's heading in that direction, and seems to be ending much quicker than most of us expected....I figured that the West Coast would be the first part of the country where football was abolished, and that still may be the case....Was somewhat surprised that the corrupt state of New Jersey would be the first state to pull the plug on football...
Football may still exist in the future, but it will likely be a game that I and many others care much less about than we do now....
Oh well, I'm at least glad that I seen the pinnacle of the sport before the demise began!
It's sad to see Football disappear, but it's heading in that direction, and seems to be ending much quicker than most of us expected....I figured that the West Coast would be the first part of the country where football was abolished, and that still may be the case....Was somewhat surprised that the corrupt state of New Jersey would be the first state to pull the plug on football...
Football may still exist in the future, but it will likely be a game that I and many others care much less about than we do now....
Oh well, I'm at least glad that I seen the pinnacle of the sport before the demise began!
Couldn't agree more. Toughness is a lost art these days because the lefty elites are so scared any adversity, or even an injury, would harm someone mentally. Let's outlaw skateboards. I would venture to say they have caused more serious injuries than football. My son is a young coach at the high school level. Prides himself on how physical they are. I've told him he better study up on 7 on 7 skills a bit more, because that is what the high school game is going to become within 10-20 years. NFL and college? No. Will never see it there. Too much money to be made.
This entire thread is a cesspool of ignorance. Comparing a full contact sport to walking down a flight of stairs?
“Lefty elites?”
FFS...
“Lefty elites?”
FFS...
Absolutely. Sound like you want to be one. Guess you are one of those that wants everybody to be in a bubble insulated from danger. Was I being a bit sarcastic? Of course. But still doesn't change the fact that if we are so concerned about someone wanting to play a sport of their own free will, let's just ban any activity where there is the slightest chance that anyone can get hurt. I could care less if they never play another soccer game, but saw an article how some leagues are starting to ban heading the ball. Please.
i'm confused. seems to me the proposed safety rules are designed to save football, because if evidence continues to mount re: the cognitive repercussions of repetitive mild impacts then any caring parent will forbid their kid from playing, and then football is dead.
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How many skateboarders committed suicide or a have severe mental problems due their injuries? The ''potential" prob with fball is that it isn't immediately obvious that kids might be damaging their brain. In skateboarding it is pretty obvious when you are bleeding, limping or cradling your broken arm, etc. Like hidden dangers of smoking - seems harmless til you're on chemo.
Concussions aren't the only problem though.
When you rapidly decelerate the body, the internal organs keep moving until something stops them. So they hit bone. Every single hit produces rapid deceleration, which causes the brain to move inside the skull, which causes some amount of damage. The accumulation of even small amounts of damage eventually adds up.
This isn't some "liberal elite" conspiracy to NERF the world. The studies are clear. They autopsied the brains of 111 deceased NFL players, and 110 of them had CTE.
Nobody is trying to stop adults from playing football. But the question of children being able to consent to the risk of brain damage is a serious one that needs to be discussed. We don't let 16 year old kids buy cigarettes, booze, or join the military because their brains aren't developed to the point where they can make informed, mature decisions about serious issues that can/will affect their futures. Why would choosing to play football be any different?
I don't have the answers to solve this problem. But I know that trying to make this a political issue is dumb.
Or maybe its just the "righty elites" choosing to ignore science like they do on climate change or basically any other issue... /s
Cam Newton would end Butkus’ career if Dick tried to tackle him.
Lol at senile idiots like you.
What are the long time effects of babies falling and hitting their head....The brain is still developing, and the skull is not as protective then as it becomes as kids get older....Has there ever been a study done on the long term impacts that those falls that we all had when we first learned how to walk?
Fact is: we all have hit our head on something from the time we were born, and we weren't wearing helmets when that happened, so what is the impact on our brains from those accidents?
Fact is: we all have hit our head on something from the time we were born, and we weren't wearing helmets when that happened, so what is the impact on our brains from those accidents?
I don’t get why you guys don’t understand this. The issue isn’t just hitting your head. You don’t have to hit your head to cause the brain to move inside the skull.
That is the assertion, but the less you practice full contact, the less you can learn how to block and tackle most effectively and safely.
But that is the worst.
Steelers C Mike Webster developed a blocking technique of using his head to batter - he would drive his helmet into opponents - he made his head a weapon.
"When you rapidly decelerate the body, the internal organs keep moving until something stops them. So they hit bone. Every single hit produces rapid deceleration, which causes the brain to move inside the skull, which causes some amount of damage".
In other words, even a repetitive collision of shoulders-only is *probably* problematic.
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I think you can eliminate the "probably." This is basic physics. The law of inertia states the organs will keep moving until an outside force causes them to stop. That outside force is your own skeleton.
I get it. People love football, including myself. I miss playing football every day. But if I had young kids they would not be playing full contact football. Just like they wouldn't be boxers or anything else that involves repeated head trauma.
I don't really understand why people deny the cte issue. You can admit it exists and still love football. It's not like acknowledge the science prevents you from watching it.
I think that’s the first big change we’ll see in college, then pro football. The new league, AAF, is doing this already. Teams start possessions on the 25yd line.
Would be interesting to see a study of rugby players brains and see how it compares to football players.
good point.
Something different about rubgy is that are there no downs. So trying to stuff someone for a yard loss, or to prevent an extra yard pickup doesn't happen... so the collisions are probably a little different from that regard too (in addition to the fact they have less helmet and pads which change the velocity of collision/deceleration)
Also it's all backwards passing, so no "receivers" are ever blind to the fact that some defender is bearing down on them. So that "defenseless receiver" situation doesn't really happen either.
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Ya, I don't get it either. CTE pretty clearly exists, and can certainly be caused by football.
They shouldn't change the game at all at the NFL level. These guys are getting paid millions of dollars in exchange for years of their lives. If they aren't willing to make that trade, then don't play, there will be someone out there who is. But the entertainment (and thus why they're getting paid so much) is for the big hits, and bone crushing tackles. There's a reason why 7-on-7 touch football isn't the #1 sport in the country.
At the youth levels, yes - they should limit some of the potential for concussions and CTE causing activity, because they aren't paid. Parents, as the kids' guardians, should be able to make the call if their kid will play or not.
A little off subject,but someone needs to scan the brains of MMA fighters.Now that`s a barbaric sport!
Everybody wants to live in a bubble where nobody ever gets hurt. Want wars without collateral damages. Sounds great. But it isn't life. People can get hurt playing any sport. Can get hurt working in the yard, or crossing the street. That's life. And sports is a voluntary activity. It isn't like anyone is putting a gun to anyone's head. I have a friend of mine who is 50. He had dementia and slowly slipping away. Never played a sport in his life. Things happen. Now I am all for making things as safe as you can, but the assault on football is as politically motivated as anything. Why? Because it is played by the most evil of creatures. Males. If we are going to strive for this protective bubble to live in, there are many other bad choices folks make that probably need to be addressed first. Alcohol, automobile accidents, tobacco, etc., have damaged far more people than any sport ever has. Are we going to eliminate all of those? No. So develop the equipment. Teach proper technique. Be as safe as you can. But life is a risk every day. Can't get your panties in a was about every little thing
This is an absurd take. The doctor who initially found the connection between football and CTE was a man.
Of course you can get hurt playing any sport, or playing no sports. But it is a scientific fact that playing football increases the probability of getting traumatic brain injuries, and CTE.
Everyone here loves football enough to post on an internet forum about college football. So it’s pretty safe to say nobody is waging a political war against football here.
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