Posted on 02/15/2012 5:36:05 AM PST by Colonel Kangaroo
If the sport of football ever dies, it will die from the outside in. -- Jonah Lehrer
If an increasing number of economists and trend analysts are to be believed, we may one day look back at something like Colt McCoy's concussion against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011 as one of many galvanic events that blew football apart, and reduced the country's most popular sport to a marginal pastime. It's unlikely that such a colossal financial concern as football could be killed off entirely, but as Malcolm Gladwell first wrote in the New Yorker in 2009, it's not crazy to think that an increasing number of player concussions -- and the NFL's real lack of concern about those injuries despite its public face -- could have Americans looking at football very differently down the road.
Gladwell's article, which compared football to dogfighting and revealed some truly horrifying information about the effects of concussions on the minds and bodies of football players...
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
The Australians now say that doing any of this stuff without helmets has a lower concussion rate. SEE: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704402404574527881984299454.html
Both of my nieces had to have their ACL’s replaced from soccer game injuries. I’m shocked that the Feds who police lunch boxes brought from home & packed by moms aren’t out on the kids’ soccer fields ‘in force’ to halt a game that causes injury to kids. /s
That makes sense too. Rule changes could make a safer sport that would more resemble rugby with forward passes, more like football looked like 80 years ago.
American football, however, takes on the cast of chess ~ a Russian favorite, particularly during the era of the Soviets!
Maryland may be nanny-state central, but they did recently pass a law that while it is still government over-reach, it’s one I can let pass because it’s frankly just common sense codified into law — anyone coaching youth sports (whether through schools or private leagues) is required to receive training on how to recognize and handle concussions.
See, the real problem with the Colt McCoy situation wasn’t the concussion itself — all sports carry a risk of injury, after all — it was the fact that he continued to play after the concussion. Whether that was ineptitude on the coaching and medical staff or indifference may be arguable, but he should not have been allowed to take the field while suffering from a concussion.
“Better still - Rugby!!!!”
My gut feeling is the perceived protection of a helmet allows players to stick their heads where they do not belong. No doubt there are some benefits to helmets but I do believe such a study would show the advantages/disadvantages of helmets.
Obama will cut Federal funding to school districts that play football.
Basic rule was UPRIGHT STANCE ~ NO HELMETS!
Another rule, contact only with the hand.
So, that worked great for years, and as we moved into our 30s and got more worried about minor injuries turning into major problems we ended our team, and the league when one guy slipped on some leaves and broke his femur!
School districts should use it as an opportunity to get the Feds out of education .... but that will never happen.
You are onto something I pointed to yesterday. School districts where football is a big time sport will actually hold kids back in kindergarten and grammar school just to give them extra eligibility time in their late teens in highschool. SEE Yesterday’s Debate over what I believe is an attempt to do this statewide in three states: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2846104/posts
Snapped Achilles tendons, blown out knees, broken collarbones, broken wrists, concussions, etc.
My sons have played soccer since they were 5. I'm amazed at how much a contact sport it is.
My soccer as a socialist sport was a tongue in cheek comment on a couple of aspects of soccer (the lack of risk reward in the sport compared to most, the low scores that don’t hurt feelings, and the smarmy holier than thou aspect of the hard core soccer elitist.
I wrote this article almost two years ago, but I re read it last night as research for some ghost writing I am doing. Ironically you post this story today and its fresh on my mind:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/06/soccer_the_perfect_socialist_s.html
1. Return to leather helmets. That will stop players leading with their heads to tackle.
2. Impose weight limits on players. Over a certain weight, you can’t play.
You raise some good points. I wonder if any research has been done to see what might happen if football were to become more of an aerobic sport. As it is now, it’s a very anerobic sport played in short, intense, bursts of action. This is what basically enables the game to be played by people of such enormous stature.
The league is going to have to institute game officials with medical knowledge who have to approve any injured player returning to the game.
Apparently you haven't studied the game. I thought the same before my sons started playing.
In the 15 years since I've grown to understand and appreciate the skill and intelligence involved. They call it "The Beautiful Game" and I have to agree now. Watching teams at the level of the English Premier League or the Spanish La Liga is an amazing experience.
Just look at boxing. Remember how huge boxing was during the era of Ali. Look at boxing now, it’s a fringe sport.
The "boys" would then have the fields to themselves, and given that it's always hot in the afternoon anywhere in Africa, no adults were around to bother them.
That's what soccer is ~ something impoverished people with no money can play in their youth. Only needs one ball.
My buddy didn't think soccer had any purpose other than that. On the other hand he loved American basketball and driving cars.
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