Remember When Football Was a Contact Sport?

[HuskerShark]

Well, it's a good rule

Do you want football to exist in a modified form or do you just want no football at all?

I choose the option you didn't list: I would like football to exist without the ridiculous rules that are being put into play today.

People are literally dying.

You can use the "they know what they're getting into" drivel all you want; the truth is they don't. Only recently do players have proper and thorough information on the dangers that they didnt' know about before, but even with that information, we as humans tend to make shortsighted decisions. If you're a 22 year old about to get millions, are you focused on the cash or are you focused on the possibility of developing fatal brain damage 20 years down the road?

This is hyperbolic, but the same idea. Imagine your brother is tragically addicted to heroine. Do you let him do what he's going to do, under the justification of "he know's what he's getting into", or do you step in and say, "No. This is not happening."

Lives are more important than entertainment. The general spirit behind American Football is not very many steps away from the spirit of Roman gladiator events. This is seriously troubling.

I don't see how a person playing football can compare to a heroin user.

I really do sympathize for people who get seriously injured or sustain long-term brain problems from multiple concussions. What I don't have much sympathy for is people who have brain problems after retirement and see it fit to sue the NFL as a result. The NFL didn't force you to strap on the pads and helmet. That was a personal choice made by each individual each and every day.

And for your last point about entertainment value, it's not like these NFL (or college) players are being forced to play at all, let alone for entertainment value. Most of these guys play football because they either really love it, they can make loads of money doing it, or a combination of those two.

I'm sorry, but common sense alone should tell you that if you get hit on the head several thousand times, it is probably going to affect your brain in a negative way.

 

[wildman]

I agree player safety needs to be taken into account here. With players getting stronger and faster the hits are only going to get harder with more damage on the body. Just wish there was a way to do it and keep the integrity of the sport the way it is. But player safety of all levels is a major issue.

 

[The Dude]

Well, it's a good rule

Do you want football to exist in a modified form or do you just want no football at all?

It's not about there being any real danger of football being banned (there's not). It's about the NFL protecting itself from lawsuits. It's about money, nothing more.

 

[sd'sker]

Well, it's a good rule

Do you want football to exist in a modified form or do you just want no football at all?

It's not about there being any real danger of football being banned (there's not). It's about the NFL protecting itself from lawsuits. It's about money, nothing more.

when has the nfl been about anything else other than money? and i disagree. a simple (relatively) waiver could protect them from lawsuits. this is about moms not letting their kids play football and the talent pool drying up.

 

[tschu]

Well, it's a good rule

Do you want football to exist in a modified form or do you just want no football at all?

It's not about there being any real danger of football being banned (there's not). It's about the NFL protecting itself from lawsuits. It's about money, nothing more.

It's not about it being banned, it's - like sdsker (and myself...) have pointed out, about lawsuits primarily. But also about negative publicity, even outrage, among the general public and this growing sentiment that football is dangerous which would slowly cause a decrease in the number of people playing football and watching football. Not one snap banning of the game, but a gradual decline. (See: boxing)

 

[HuskerShark]

Well, it's a good rule

Do you want football to exist in a modified form or do you just want no football at all?

It's not about there being any real danger of football being banned (there's not). It's about the NFL protecting itself from lawsuits. It's about money, nothing more.

It's now about it being banned, it's - like sdsker (and myself...) have pointed out, about lawsuits primarily. But also about negative publicity, even outrage, among the general public and this growing sentiment that football is dangerous which would slowly cause a decrease in the number of people playing football and watching football. Not one snap banning of the game, but a gradual decline. (See: boxing)

That's one thing that our country lacks, and the world for that matter: the ability to look "those types of people" in the eye and tell them to screw off.

If the hard helmet is such a huge concern, then don't ruin the game with the types of rules that they have been coming out with for 5-10 years now. Find better technology for helmets. There's got to be a way to make the outside of the helmet a little more pliable and not so hard. Working on that would be a much better solution than ruining the best thing about an entire sport.

 

[Malth]

Find better technology for helmets. There's got to be a way to make the outside of the helmet a little more pliable and not so hard. Working on that would be a much better solution than ruining the best thing about an entire sport.

They are. But there's no reason to blindly believe that that will be the sole cure of all problems.

 

[HuskerShark]

Find better technology for helmets. There's got to be a way to make the outside of the helmet a little more pliable and not so hard. Working on that would be a much better solution than ruining the best thing about an entire sport.

They are. But there's no reason to blindly believe that that will be the sole cure of all problems.

I don't, but there's also no reason to blindly believe that these rule changes are making players safer. I would actually go the other way and say that these rule changes are making the game more dangerous in certain instances, as well as ruining it as a spectator sport.

 

[JJ Husker]

Take their helmets and shoulder pads away. That'll reduce the impact the players are willing to impart on opposing players. It might be bloodier but I'm pretty sure the serious life changing injuries would greatly reduce. jk-sort of.

And for whoever mentioned boxing; did that decrease because of public sentiment about it being too dangerous or was it because much more violent MMA sports picked up the slack and then some?

Don't get me wrong, I don't know what is exactly right. I know they have to do all they can to limit brain and spine injuries but it is having a drastic effect on the game we love to watch. We (good fans) do not watch it for the violence or in the hopes anyone gets hurt but we also appreciate good, clean hard hits. Problem is the players keep getting bigger and faster and physics is a b!^@h. I think it would really help the cause if they would apply the rules in a better and more consistent fashion. We're leery of these changes because we know players and teams are going to be penalized for non-malicious hits. Any running back that doesn't lower his pads, bringing his head down with them, is going to get lit up like a Christmas tree. Maybe coaches, teams, and fans are going to have to get used to being penalized more. These big fast guys can't protect themselves properly if they don't anticipate and deliver better than they get. These rules look good on the surface but I don't think you'll get the players to start playing slower and delivering 80% of a blow. At some point it has to be accepted as an inherent danger of the game.

 

[Landlord]

Take their helmets and shoulder pads away. That'll reduce the impact the players are willing to impart on opposing players. It might be bloodier but I'm pretty sure the serious life changing injuries would greatly reduce. jk-sort of.

And for whoever mentioned boxing; did that decrease because of public sentiment about it being too dangerous or was it because much more violent MMA sports picked up the slack and then some?

Don't get me wrong, I don't know what is exactly right. I know they have to do all they can to limit brain and spine injuries but it is having a drastic effect on the game we love to watch. We (good fans) do not watch it for the violence or in the hopes anyone gets hurt but we also appreciate good, clean hard hits. Problem is the players keep getting bigger and faster and physics is a b!^@h. I think it would really help the cause if they would apply the rules in a better and more consistent fashion. We're leery of these changes because we know players and teams are going to be penalized for non-malicious hits. Any running back that doesn't lower his pads, bringing his head down with them, is going to get lit up like a Christmas tree. Maybe coaches, teams, and fans are going to have to get used to being penalized more. These big fast guys can't protect themselves properly if they don't anticipate and deliver better than they get. These rules look good on the surface but I don't think you'll get the players to start playing slower and delivering 80% of a blow. At some point it has to be accepted as an inherent danger of the game.

Taking away the helmet and shoulder pads would be....well, we don't really know. I remember reading an article on the subject with a doctor that suggested it, but then he turned around and said that 80+% of the real mental damage doesn't come from the slobberknockers but the repeated incidental dings and dents, and those would still happen without helmets and shoulder pads.

But I think that is actually a legitimate avenue that should be looked down if things keep progressing. You don't see nearly the same backlash against rugby. People think helmets/pads make the game safer, but I would submit that they make it more dangerous by giving aggressors the perception that they are invincible and entirely fearless of damage to their own body while trying to inflict it on someone else.

 

[The Dude]

I think you're onto something there, Landlord. But I have a slightly different view on it. The repeated dings and dents don't really occur in rugby, because that sport doesn't have the down and distance system that football has. The pads didn't make football more violent. The sport is just inherently more violent because of the rules.

It's like boxing and MMA. MMA fighters aren't going to be subjected to the thousands and thousands of jabs to the head that a boxer would be throughout his career.

Based on that knowledge, I think most of these rules the NFL drums up are a little unfounded. It's just something to point at and say "hey we're trying to protect the players!" when the lawsuits start flying. This new rule they came up with is just the dumbest one yet. I have a hard time seeing how it's really going to protect anyone from brain injuries.

 

[Landlord]

I think you're onto something there, Landlord. But I have a slightly different view on it. The repeated dings and dents don't really occur in rugby, because that sport doesn't have the down and distance system that football has. The pads didn't make football more violent. The sport is just inherently more violent because of the rules.

It's like boxing and MMA. MMA fighters aren't going to be subjected to the thousands and thousands of jabs to the head that a boxer would be throughout his career.

Based on that knowledge, I think most of these rules the NFL drums up are a little unfounded. It's just something to point at and say "hey we're trying to protect the players!" when the lawsuits start flying. This new rule they came up with is just the dumbest one yet. I have a hard time seeing how it's really going to protect anyone from brain injuries.

Hopefully our East Stadium medical facilities will be helping pave the way towards legitimately new and significantly safer technologies to keep these guys protected while playing the sport we all love.

 

[The Dude]

Indeed.

 

[HuskerShark]

The repeated dings and dents don't really occur in rugby

Tell that to my buddy who played rugby for a couple years at Wayne State and got so many concussions that his doctor essentially told him he needed to quit or he would sustain long-term brain injuries.

I'm one that's not in favor of removing the pads. It might make people stop the big hits for a little while, but eventually it would turn out more violent than our current model of football. People would see the dollar signs that the NFL offers and continue to get more violent with their collisions.

The answer to this problem lies in the equipment IMO. Not in the rules, and not in doing away with pads and helmets, but rather finding a better, safer material or design to make the pads and helmet.

 

[The Dude]

The repeated dings and dents don't really occur in rugby

Tell that to my buddy who played rugby for a couple years at Wayne State and got so many concussions that his doctor essentially told him he needed to quit or he would sustain long-term brain injuries.

Give me his email address.