There are other sports that have similar issues.
The problem with football is that there is to much padding. As Dikta said, take away the face masks and they will stop leading with their heads.
I have seen other people who left sports suffer from depression. It is actually very common. Did the head trauma have an effect? It may. But leaving the game they love and have dedicated their life to is very upsetting.
Last I heard, soccer was almost as safety as shuffle board. All sports activities have some physical risks, but football is by far the worst. Especially with the competition for an NFL position.
Do what your want, but I wouldn’t allowed a child of mine to play football, and would discourage them from watching. Football is a pure blood sport that is as vicious as gladatorial games in rome.
I agree. Football players nowadays use their bodies as missiles and too often lead with their heads. That’s not the way the game used to be played. It’s the product of up-armoring the players.
Football has always been a rough game, but I’d bet that if one could find reliable comparative statistics from 1930 through the 1960’s or so, one would not find nearly the modern incidence of brain injury. A comparison with rugby players would also be instructive.
And no more face masking penalties. However, a lot more broken noses, black eyes etc. Better those though than concussions. My father played four years of college ball in the days when you played both defense and offense (center and linebacker)....all with a leather helmet. His only injury was a broken leg while coaching.
When you play rugby, you have to be very careful where you put your head when tackling people. There is another caution about dirty play in rugby. You are on the field for 80 minutes. That is a long time for your opponents and their mates to get even!