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Get rid of football helmets?

Discussion in 'Sooner Football' started by tommieharris91, Dec 20, 2009.


  1. tommieharris91

    tommieharris91 SoonerFans.com Elite Member

  2. John Kochtoston

    John Kochtoston CEO, Devastation, Inc.

    There's been a similar argument made about boxing gloves. I'm not entirely sure I agree a helmetless game would be safer, but it's also not as crazy as it sounds.
     
  3. VA Sooner

    VA Sooner SoonerFans.com Elite Member

    That would be interesting.

    I could see the point... of taking away the feeling of invulnerability which would lead to harder hits.

    But oh so challenging to introduce this to the system. There would be a lot of problems in the beginning.
     
  4. Crucifax Autumn

    Crucifax Autumn SoonerFans.com Elite Member

    They should play naked and increase female viewers and hilarious crotch injuries.
     
    King Barry's Back likes this.
  5. Bonehead

    Bonehead New Member

    Only if the cheerleaders were included also.
     
  6. sooner59

    sooner59 SoonerFans.com Elite Member

    Do you really want to see Terrance Cody naked?

    Ask yourself this......then the point is moot.
     
  7. PLaw

    PLaw Well-Known Member

    Hmmm, let's see, other manly sports such as rugby and Australian rules football play without helmets.
     
  8. swardboy

    swardboy SoonerFans.com Elite Member

    Then there would be a flood of children out of football to soccer....wait,
     
  9. mojohornfan

    mojohornfan <img src="http://bfcfgof.com/fark/6314.jpg">

    I believe neck injuries would go away, as players wouldn't want to go in a head down position when they make a tackle.
     
  10. rwryne

    rwryne New Member

    I would just feel bad for any quarterbacks view.
     
  11. NormanPride

    NormanPride SoonerFans.com Elite Member

    They'd need some sort of protection for if they got stepped on with cleats, but I agree that the padding has made the hits harder and the game more dangerous.
     
  12. soonerx

    soonerx Active Member

    Not just view, they'd also have to worry about grabbing the wrong "ball" on a snap.
     
  13. KantoSooner

    KantoSooner SoonerFans.com Elite Member

    It would utterly change the game as you simply would not have the oblique blows that define American Football. Rugby or Aussie Rules are very physical games, but very rarely feature blunt impact.

    Try this: put padding on the outside of the helmets.
     
  14. badger

    badger Vacuums eat while yelling

    Maybe go back to facemask-less, leather helmets?

    Oh, and since you boys seem to love the idea, that's the only thing they wear. :D
     
  15. TUSooner

    TUSooner SoonerFans.com Elite Member

    I've often thought I'd like to see some exhibition games where players wear leather or some sort of softer, padded helmets, without facemasks. Of course, that would all but eliminate those violent highlight-reel crashes that get us all jacked up. As long as there are hard-shell helmets, they will be used as weapons.
     
  16. BoulderSooner79

    BoulderSooner79 SoonerFans.com Elite Member

    I remember the external padding they tried on helmets that was mentioned in the article. When they say it "didn't catch on", they mean teams didn't want to be at a disadvantage in the weapons department. (helmet gap in Dr. Strangelove terms).
     
  17. Jacie

    Jacie SoonerFans.com Elite Member

    The NFL and NCAA better rethink something to make the game safer and combat the rise of crippling injuries to current and former players (see thread: Former Pro Bowl D-lineman: "I wish I never played football.") or the title of the next article will be: Get rid of football?
     
  18. cvsooner

    cvsooner Well-Known Member

    Is it me or have there been WAY more helmets come off during play this season? Seems like it's at least two or three per game. I don't remember helmets coming off in the '70s or '80s, or if so, very rarely.
     
  19. goingoneight

    goingoneight I said Biiiiiiiitch--

    Yes. It's because guys don't fasten them properly. Much like the cats who don't tie their shoes very tight and they always fly off. And receivers who don't understand exactly why there is Velcro on their gloves.
     
  20. RedstickSooner

    RedstickSooner New Member

    I don't see any reason why the sport would suffer if we switched to soft-shell helmets that incorporated a facemask. Modern materials technology could handle something like that with no problem, and as soon as the helmet isn't a weapon, players will stop using their skulls to make plays. It'll still be plenty violent, with great collisions. I think players have shown themselves too willing to deliberately inflict injury for us to go to a facemask-less system, but we could absolutely do away with the hard-shell helmets we've been using for so long now.
     

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