At least we are headed that way.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaa-su...10--ncaaf.html
At least we are headed that way.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaa-su...10--ncaaf.html
And on another note: Players will not be allowed to drive or ride in cars.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-...185446375.html
As evidence grows of the impact and long term risks associated with concussions and microconcussions there will be serious changes to not only practices but the way the game is played.
It is fundamentally too violent as it exists now and in the future children will be hesitant to play it and schools will be fearful of lawsuits and medical liability.
The game as it exists now is not going to last.
What the NCAA is suggesting is really no different than what the NFL currently does. I really wouldn't mind that change, and I think the coaches would openly accept that. Nothing worse than losing players to injuries suffered in practice.
While I think some parents will be more discouraged to let their kids play, I don't think the game is going away.
With this news coming down regarding the NFL settlement of concussion related injuries, I wouldn't be surprised if former college athletes who suffer from ill health effects file a similar class action against the NCAA.
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/other...5af633b37.html
The game might not "go away" immediately but there will be a strong push to change it to make it safer and if it can't be made safer then it will "go away."
In fact I hadn't realized that there already were suits filed.
http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefoot...ussions-111913
As this suit moves forward I would expect the litigation to grow in size and scope.
This is only the tip of the iceberg.
Gee, who knew Mack was so prescient...Originally Posted by Mazeppa
Everything progressives do is aimed at weakening democracy, capitalism and the social and cultural institutions that support those things...... They are about subjugating people and being a ruling class.
This will be the downfall of America. One reason we are so great and our military was so good was our team player mentality of football and a person's ability to make changes to get to the end zone...
Everything progressives do is aimed at weakening democracy, capitalism and the social and cultural institutions that support those things...... They are about subjugating people and being a ruling class.
I'm not sure that analogy holds.
WWII was won by a generation that was steeped in baseball not football.
One can learn team skills without concussions.
The ill health effects of football are going to be its demise, unless they come up with a foolproof helmet. Or perhaps no helmet. I don't know. The suggestion that they remove face masks and go away from the hard shell helmet might actually reduce concussive injuries to the brain.
Perhaps the leather helmets of yesteryear were actually safer. Science seems to think so.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sport...ion/51070952/1
Does anyone know the comparative stats on concussions in rugby? No one could rationally argue that it is any less violent/manly/rough than football....and they play without helmets at all (yes, I know they have those thingies that keep your ears from being torn off, but they're not really helmets).
The contact rules there might offer a hypothetical future path for football. We wouldn't necessarily move in that direction, but it would be a possibility.
"I don't know karate, but I know ka-razor!" - James Brown
It appears the international rugby association wants to study it, though is having a hard time getting enough of a sample size to make a true assessment.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/16/sp...pate.html?_r=0
Another knee-jerk reaction. We are always trying to take away any risks of injuries in EVERYTHING! All I ask is how many ex-football players DO NOT have any brain injuries. Probably more than anyone can count. Also, many people have inherited diseases, or other factors (drinking, comes to mind, and drugs). But, maybe it is the hard plastic protective gear that makes more injuries, that is why natural turf came back. They found that cement under the turf caused too many injuries. Going back to leather MIGHT make a difference, but the PLAYERS like to play rough. That is the nature of the ones that truly enjoy the game. I have watched Australian football, and talk about rough! They wear no pads, run around in shorts and tees, and it looks the only rule is NO BITING, all in the winter time!
Can't bite in rugby.
Can't bite in soccer.
Can't bite in boxing.
What's the world coming to?
People need to toughen up!
I agree that there is/will be a strong push to make it safer. With new technology and rule changes, that will happen.
Football will never "go away". Just like boxing, race car driving or MMA will never "go away". They're all dangerous, but there will always be people that want to participate and an audience to spectate.
The "Oklahoma" drill may be a thing of the past soon.
"You get no moral credit for forcing other people to do what you think is right."---Penn Jillette
"It's what I do, I drink and I know things."---Tyrion Lannister
And you forgot the biggest carrot of all: $$$. Owners, players, coaches, agents and many others down the line make massive amounts of money on the game. The game may well mutate to adapt to the legal threats and we already see that, but it won't go away.
Safety, Safety, Safety! They make bicyclists wear helmets, but if a car runs over you, I doubt the helmet will do you much good. LIFE is a gamble, you can be doing everything right, and still bad things happen. Players are NOT forced to play the game of football, and they know they will get hurt playing, but they play any way. Remember Rocky Calmus playing with a broken arm, Tiger Woods playing golf with a torn ACL, and they said that Micky Mantle always played with injuries. It is the competitive nature of the athlete that we like to see. I have seen players "dog it" and it is a disappointment. We saw Bradford just walk of the Rams field, and slipped on the protective sheeting, and tore his ACL. How can anyone predict injuries to others?
I didnt' go to that link but I will say that the NFL deserved to lose a suit - at least for anyone who played between the time information first came out about CTE and the time where the NFL stopped denying that it existed. For a good decade they denied it, told the players in pamplets it did not exist, and even funded sham research in scientific journals.
For older guys, I'd just say that the NFL had no way to know the specific danger of CTE and all knew it was a violent game.
For newer guys, the NFL is now open about the dangers. If you want that risk/reward then it is up to you.
(There are other issues of course like playing injured players, etc.)
The nature of the games are very different. American football is described as a collision sport not a contact sport. If you want to be successful on defense, you must collide with your oppenent to stop any forward motion. That's not so important in rugby as there isn't a concept of 10 yards and first downs. Rugby also has fewer blind hits and what we call blocking is illegal.
As for the helmet, it is both a cure and a problem. Rugby players aren't going to slam their heads together like in football. Some argue to get rid of the solid helmets but I'm not sure that is possible because of the way the game is played.
The game as we know it may wimp away. But what will replace it will be even more exciting. Just as boxing became boring some guys put up a cage and said, 'no rules'! Can't wait for the MMA version of football! Only then will those with the 'fire in their bellies' be able to shine!
" Ok children put your hands on your heart... and face Norman."
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