A serious discussion needs to happen!

[wildcatglenn]

Football is dieing a slow death because of "player safety". Yes i want players to be safe and healthy but we are ruining what football is. It is a hard contact sport.
MPO that was a good hit by Bowden. The sefensive player lowered his helmet. How is defense supposed to be played?

 

[JBHolmesfan]

I believe that football won't be the most popular sport in America. It may take a few decades, but with these rules making it less fun to watch and with less people playing because of the concussions I think football will did out eventually.

 

[Lempface]

Agreed. There was helmet contact but the majority was shoulder to shoulder and the helmets little more than grazed each other. But CTE and lawsuits.

 

[PokerCat67]

I quit watching basketball years ago because all the subjective fouls, now I'm starting to lose interest in football. Last week the refs gave Southern Miss a first down that was obviously short, and today we had a jumping the shield call and a targeting on a good block. Not fun anymore, I'm going to watch The Blacklist on Netflix.

 

[LowCountryCat]

Does nobody on the internet know how to spell 'dying?'

 

[cardkilla]

Football in 5-10 years might be more of a 7 on 7 type game. Football is a violent game and that will ultimately be its downfall. It's been proven that even a small number of hits to the head can cause permanent damage. It's unfortunate but I'm not sure how you can make it safer without doing away with some of these collisions we love to see.

But that Bowden hit was legit, even by today's standard that should not have been called. Two weeks in a row we've gotten horrible calls against us.

 

[spotter34]

Political correctness has made its way into this sport and it will ultimately diminish its popularity and participation. The PC police are out in force.

 

[MychalG]

To suspend Bowden for the rest of the game for that hit is nothing short of BS.

 

[wildcatglenn]

Does nobody on the internet know how to spell 'dying?'

Does anyone know how not to be an ahole

 

[cardkilla]

Has nothing to do with political correctness. Serious brain injuries and unnatural death from football should not be a political issue. It's a fact. The science just finally understands it better and you're starting to see old, but not real old football players dying from it. Not to mention they are finding evidence of trauma in younger players as well.

Sorry, you can't blame everything on PC.

 

[TBCat]

Football is dieing a slow death because of "player safety". Yes i want players to be safe and healthy but we are ruining what football is. It is a hard contact sport.
MPO that was a good hit by Bowden. The sefensive player lowered his helmet. How is defense supposed to be played?

That was simply a bad call. A Georgia or Florida player won't get call for that. Stoops needs to throw a fit in the post game press conference over that crap. He really does. That an officiating crew trying to figure out how to eject a player.

 

[LordEgg]

Does nobody on the internet know how to spell 'dying?'

Bunch of loosers.

 

[ram1955]

I believe that football won't be the most popular sport in America. It may take a few decades, but with these rules making it less fun to watch and with less people playing because of the concussions I think football will did out eventually.

It won't be the most popular sport because soccer moms won't let their snowflake sons play Football.

 

[spotter34]

Football in 5-10 years might be more of a 7 on 7 type game. Football is a violent game and that will ultimately be its downfall. It's been proven that even a small number of hits to the head can cause permanent damage. It's unfortunate but I'm not sure how you can make it safer without doing away with some of these collisions we love to see.

But that Bowden hit was legit, even by today's standard that should not have been called. Two weeks in a row we've gotten horrible calls against us.

It's been proven? By whom? Hollywood producers and directors? Scientists whose funding is predicated on a pre-determined outcome? Give me a break. Football has become too big and financially lucrative for the "powers that be" not to get their hands on it or cut it down to size, so to speak.

Football is a violent sport. It's been a violent sport for a long time. It was a lot more violent in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and early 90's. Where are the endless line of players suffering from the effects of having played football? Are there some? Yes! Are there enough to demand this assault on the sport? No!

More people started watching with the increase in popularity and a small, powerful segment of the audience saw the sport as barbaric and decided to do something about it. They have and will continue to do so until the diehard fans barely even recognize the sport.

 

[Lempface]

If we can sanction sports where you can kick your opponent in the head with no padding on the foot/leg nor head of the opponent... just put the research out for everyone to know and if people still choose to play, let them play the football I grew up with.

 

[TBCat]

If that call is the standard then we will never be able to complete a football game. You can literally eject 20 players on each and every play for less than that.

 

[LowCountryCat]

Bunch of loosers.

That was a fast paste reply.

 

[LowCountryCat]

Does anyone know how not to be an ahole

Not on this board. It's share and share alike here.

 

[bthaunert]

If we can sanction sports where you can kick your opponent in the head with no padding on the foot/leg nor head of the opponent... just put the research out for everyone to know and if people still choose to play, let them play the football I grew up with.

I agree with this. Let it be known that football can cause brain injury and let people make a decision if they want to play.

 

[spotter34]

Has nothing to do with political correctness. Serious brain injuries and unnatural death from football should not be a political issue. It's a fact. The science just finally understands it better and you're starting to see old, but not real old football players dying from it. Not to mention they are finding evidence of trauma in younger players as well.

Sorry, you can't blame everything on PC.

I'm not saying there aren't significant injuries from playing football but the numbers of those just don't support the knee jerk decisions and reactions that have taken place over the last decade.

Think of how many people have played high school, college, and professional football over the last 60-70 years. With the way football has been changed you would think graveyards would be littered with tombstones saying "Killed on the football battlefield". It's a CROC, and a complete over reaction to the few significant and highly publicized injuries sustained from football. The way football is changing is a direct result of the PC culture that dominates society today.

 

[gojvc]

If we can sanction sports where you can kick your opponent in the head with no padding on the foot/leg nor head of the opponent... just put the research out for everyone to know and if people still choose to play, let them play the football I grew up with.

That's fine for adults but you don't let kids make decisions like that.

 

[trav55]

I quit watching basketball years ago because all the subjective fouls, now I'm starting to lose interest in football. Last week the refs gave Southern Miss a first down that was obviously short, and today we had a jumping the shield call and a targeting on a good block. Not fun anymore, I'm going to watch The Blacklist on Netflix.

Of course I'm biased, but that jumping the shield penalty was stupid. He jumped in between them. So we can't try and block punts anymore? Is that where football has taken us?

Just take the damn pads off and give them all flags for gods sake. This is ridiculous.

 

[Shavers48]

Bunch of loosers.

your kidding, right?

 

[JBHolmesfan]

It won't be the most popular sport because soccer moms won't let their snowflake sons play Football.

Yea, how dare those moms not want their kids to get severe brain damage.

 

[spotter34]

Yea, how dare those moms not want their kids to get severe brain damage.

This is an example of how successful they've been in getting their agenda driven message out.

 

[ram1955]

Yea, how dare those moms not want their kids to get severe brain damage.

Yeah, I've seen some brain rattling hits delivered in PeeWee football. Wonder what percent of all the people who've ever played Football have suffered brain injury?

 

[StubbornPenny]

As CTE research advances, football as we know it will not exist. Enjoy the next 12-15 years, this is it.

 

[ram1955]

Since the speed of the game adds to its violence, maybe they should do something to slow players down...like adding weights the way they do to race horses or modifying uniforms so as to provide more cushion while slowing them down..

 

[TBCat]

Since the speed of the game adds to its violence, maybe they should do something to slow players down...like adding weights the way they do to race horses or modifying uniforms so as to provide more cushion while slowing them down..

I'm pretty sure weights would cause worse issues.

 

[Bank Cat]

Political correctness has made its way into this sport and it will ultimately diminish its popularity and participation. The PC police are out in force.

With all due respect, "political correctness" is much different than trying to limit the amount of 50-year old former football players from asking their spouses where they left their tricycle or what their children's names are. Wouldn't you agree?
Being politically correct can sometimes still be correct.
I loved watching Ronnie Lott try to decapitate people and watching Earl Campbell lower his helmet into a linebacker's sternum. But I think their quality of life outweighs what I want to watch. (Sorry if that sounds too liberal.

 

[ktbug]

It's been proven? By whom? Hollywood producers and directors? Scientists whose funding is predicated on a pre-determined outcome? Give me a break. Football has become too big and financially lucrative for the "powers that be" not to get their hands on it or cut it down to size, so to speak.

Football is a violent sport. It's been a violent sport for a long time. It was a lot more violent in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and early 90's. Where are the endless line of players suffering from the effects of having played football? Are there some? Yes! Are there enough to demand this assault on the sport? No!

More people started watching with the increase in popularity and a small, powerful segment of the audience saw the sport as barbaric and decided to do something about it. They have and will continue to do so until the diehard fans barely even recognize the sport.

Since the NFL agreed to a billion dollar settlement, and agrees with the findings, whose agenda is driving it?

 

[shutzhund]

Political correctness has made its way into this sport and it will ultimately diminish its popularity and participation. The PC police are out in force.

What has pc ever made better?

 

[kritikalcat]

I don't expect large numbers of former players to show significant long-term effects because the number to move up each level gets smaller and smaller. The higher the level the greater the exposure to higher velocity impacts between larger players.

96% of retired NFL players autopsied of in a study showed CTE however keep in mind that this is 96% of those who died and were part of the study, not 96% of all players.Former NFL players actually have a longer lifespan than American males as a whole, but are three times more likely to die from neurodegenerative disorders.

There have been massive reductions in catastrophic brain and spinal injuries in football since the 1970s without ruining the sport. The changes Teddy Roosevelt forced in 1906 didn't destroy football. I'm not ready to write it off yet.

 

[qwesley]

Wondering why some of you aren't refusing to follow and support something you feel is too violent? And cardkilla talking about brain damage, lol.

 

[FtCampbellCat]

What world am I living in where trying to prevent injuries that have been documented to the point that the NFL has paid over them is "liberal"?

And, as far as the people claiming that call was too PC, we all know if the teams were reversed and the same exact hit occurred, there would be 9 pages of how dirty the hit was and how much the offending player needed to be ejected, if not suspended for the season.......

 

[kritikalcat]

Potential solutions that should be discussed

- weight limits - size and speed are the biggest culprits (with artificial turf) in acute and chronic injuries. Also high BMI is unhealthy after playing days are over. Limit players to say 225 in HS (plenty of lower classification teams play with linemen in this range and smaller), 250 college, 275 NFL. To those who say what about the kids who are just naturally large young men this isn't fair, maybe you could have a certain number of exemptions.

- reduce protective equipment. This may seem counterintuitive but players tend to be more aggressive and risk-taking if they are overprotected.

- limit collisions away from the ball. I believe this is a rule in rugby. While big hits off the ball can be impressive and inspiring I'm not sure that most of them are necessary versus more fundamentally sound blocking techniques

Just throwing out a few ideas

 

[spotter34]

Since the NFL agreed to a billion dollar settlement, and agrees with the findings, whose agenda is driving it?

When these people target you and focus all there attention on you the best way to minimize the damage is to settle and TEMPORARILY get them off your back.

 

[southindycat]

It is still football, even with the new emphasis on player health and safety. If you really want to kill the game, try to return to the status quo ante. Me being able to explain new player safety rules and the Heads Up Football initiative to my "soccer mom" wife is what has our 8 yr old playing his first season of tackle football, dropping soccer after playing it since pre-school. I don't see anything wrong with trying to avoid spinal injuries or degenerative conditions from repeated head trauma. Some of you guys are too tough for a Lee Marvin flick.

 

[Shavers48]

Joe Reeves ruined this game forever when they let him strap on that mole skin for his game against army. never's been the same since.

 

[Bill Derington]

The issue with football is the use of performance enhancing drugs.