Costas...Football destroys people's brains...

[orangecuse]

Bob Costas on the future of football: 'This game destroys people's brains'

 

[orangenirvana]

A pretty pessimistic point of view. Maybe it's intentional on their part to help force people's hands to make it more safe immediately as opposed to waiting for a gradual evolution.

I've always been an advocate for a game that more resembles flag football. I don't need huge collisions between oversized, brain-damaged giants. I love football for the chess-like strategies/schemes, individual athleticism, and ultimate teamwork. You don't need a sport that risks each individual player's livelihood for that. A slightly rougher form of flag football gives you all of it.

Maybe I'm alone in this point of view and 99% of fans just watch it for the violence.

 

[tipphill]

football in its present form will self destruct.parents will stop kids from playing pop warner etc etc . what happening now in football, reminds me of the days when stop smoking started. it slowly gained peoples attention,credibility and legal attention. that is what is beginning to happen in football now.
the game will need to be modified to survive.

 

[OrangePA]

A pretty pessimistic point of view. Maybe it's intentional on their part to help force people's hands to make it more safe immediately as opposed to waiting for a gradual evolution.

I've always been an advocate for a game that more resembles flag football. I don't need huge collisions between oversized, brain-damaged giants. I love football for the chess-like strategies/schemes, individual athleticism, and ultimate teamwork. You don't need a sport that risks each individual player's livelihood for that. A slightly rougher form of flag football gives you all of it.

Maybe I'm alone in this point of view and 99% of fans just watch it for the violence.

Here is what I would do if I were the King of Football.

My primary objective would be to reduce the impact of hits - by reducing mass and velocity.

I would try to slow the game down.

I would mandate natural grass fields and require that the grass be fairly lengthy.

I would mandate weight restrictions on players - fully enforce the ban on human growth hormone/steroids - get players smaller.

I would allow OL to hold to a much greater degree and allow DBs to bump and run to a much greater degree - slow the game down.

I would eliminate the large, heavy helmets - I would require the use of light plastic helmets that would prevent lacerations but that would not be heavy enough to allow forceful contact or to cause injury.

And, I would eliminate large bulky facemasks.

 

[OrangePA]

football in its present form will self destruct.parents will stop kids from playing pop warner etc etc . what happening now in football, reminds me of the days when stop smoking started. it slowly gained peoples attention,credibility and legal attention. that is what is beginning to happen in football now.
the game will need to be modified to survive.

I think you're right.

It reminds me of boxing.

 

[Killdozer]

A pretty pessimistic point of view. Maybe it's intentional on their part to help force people's hands to make it more safe immediately as opposed to waiting for a gradual evolution.

I've always been an advocate for a game that more resembles flag football. I don't need huge collisions between oversized, brain-damaged giants. I love football for the chess-like strategies/schemes, individual athleticism, and ultimate teamwork. You don't need a sport that risks each individual player's livelihood for that. A slightly rougher form of flag football gives you all of it.

Maybe I'm alone in this point of view and 99% of fans just watch it for the violence.

Yes...you are alone

 

[texascpa]

Here is what I would do if I were the King of Football.

My primary objective would be to reduce the impact of hits - by reducing mass and velocity.

I would try to slow the game down.

I would mandate natural grass fields and require that the grass be fairly lengthy.

I would mandate weight restrictions on players - fully enforce the ban on human growth hormone/steroids - get players smaller.

I would allow OL to hold to a much greater degree and allow DBs to bump and run to a much greater degree - slow the game down.

I would eliminate the large, heavy helmets - I would require the use of light plastic helmets that would prevent lacerations but that would not be heavy enough to allow forceful contact or to cause injury.

And, I would eliminate large bulky facemasks.

I don't think removing the facemasks or changing the helmet will do much to prevent injury/concussion. Guys will still try to hit as hard as the can. Rugby hits can be just as devastating, though less frequent because the side to side motion of play slows the game down. But, they still have their fair share of head injuries.

 

[Killdozer]

Here is what I would do if I were the King of Football.

My primary objective would be to reduce the impact of hits - by reducing mass and velocity.

I would try to slow the game down.

I would mandate natural grass fields and require that the grass be fairly lengthy.

I would mandate weight restrictions on players - fully enforce the ban on human growth hormone/steroids - get players smaller.

I would allow OL to hold to a much greater degree and allow DBs to bump and run to a much greater degree - slow the game down.

I would eliminate the large, heavy helmets - I would require the use of light plastic helmets that would prevent lacerations but that would not be heavy enough to allow forceful contact or to cause injury.

And, I would eliminate large bulky facemasks.

Why don't you just follow soccer. It is what you just described

 

[Stevenson]

Alcohol destroys people’s livers.


Football ain’t going anywhere

 

[Townie72]

football in its present form will self destruct.parents will stop kids from playing pop warner etc etc . what happening now in football, reminds me of the days when stop smoking started. it slowly gained peoples attention,credibility and legal attention. that is what is beginning to happen in football now.
the game will need to be modified to survive.

There's a ways to go. This year over 1.1 million boys will play tackle football in high schools in the US.

 

[retro44]

PEDS and steroids are a major problem here and start forcing high schools to test when teams reach the playoffs as I don't know of any high schools that do test and it is a much bigger problem than most will ever admit or know about.

 

[Crusty]

Moms have already started to keep their sons from playing football. I don't see why this trend won't continue and accelerate.

These types of things take a long time, but they do happen. Smoking and cancer were first linked in the 1960's, MADD was founded in 1980, Ford introduced seat belts in 1956 - today smoking is banned just about in every public setting, DUI will make you a pariah and seat belts are mandatory.

The NCAA was actually started back in 1905 to save the game. After a Union College player died in a brutal game, Columbia and Union abolished the sport and Harvard's president called for the game to be outlawed. Teddy Roosevelt, who felt the sport built character invited Harvard. Yale and Princeton to the White House to develop reforms to save the game. Later in 1905, the Inter Collegiate Athletic Association was formed with 60 schools.

It took 34 more years until football helmets were mandated for college play and 1943 for the NFL.

Football will have to change in order to survive and I believe it will.

 

[hungrychuck]

Why don't you just follow soccer. It is what you just described

You're probably going to be following it yourself before too long, because that's the sport you'll be watching on weekends within your lifetime.

 

[hungrychuck]

I don't think removing the facemasks or changing the helmet will do much to prevent injury/concussion. Guys will still try to hit as hard as the can. Rugby hits can be just as devastating, though less frequent because the side to side motion of play slows the game down. But, they still have their fair share of head injuries.

The sport started as rugby, "evolved" with addition of equipment that supposedly was protective but in reality furthered brain damage, and perhaps the future holds a return to more of a rugby-style game, without helmets and pads.

 

[OrangePA]

Why don't you just follow soccer. It is what you just described

Soccer has weight limits, light helmets, OL holding, bump and run, and intense PED control - along with blocking, tackling, throwing, catching and running with the ball in the players' hands???

 

[tipphill]

There's a ways to go. This year over 1.1 million boys will play tackle football in high schools in the US.

sure is,just like smoking, but what astronomical strides that made.

 

[orangenirvana]

Yes...you are alone

Maybe, but I really don't think 99% of NFL fans are violence-starved mouth-breathing knuckle-draggers. Maybe 50%.

 

[orangenirvana]

And, I would eliminate large bulky facemasks.

 

[NJCuse97]

The NCAA was actually started back in 1905 to save the game. After a Union College player died in a brutal game, Columbia and Union abolished the sport and Harvard's president called for the game to be outlawed. Teddy Roosevelt, who felt the sport built character invited Harvard. Yale and Princeton to the White House to develop reforms to save the game. Later in 1905, the Inter Collegiate Athletic Association was formed with 60 schools.

Why wasn’t Rutgers invited? I thought they invented the game!?

 

[Finwad32]

Football isn't going anywhere. Just like anything it will evolve. What did the NBA look like 35 years ago?

Changes will occur, but, the game will continue on for a long time to come, longer than anyone posting in this forum.

The real crux, IMO, is to get pads off of kids in youth leagues. No need for contact until a minimum of high school level.

Equipment has made great strides as well, but, I still feel less is more. You strip equipment and the viciousness of hits in the aggregate will subside. There's always going to be an idiot who was taught by his idiot father to "be tough", but that is becoming far less common than even 15 years ago.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

You're probably going to be following it yourself before too long, because that's the sport you'll be watching on weekends within your lifetime.

I'm at the point that I would rather watch a Premier League game than a random football game.

 

[elimunelson]

my son played tackle football for first time in 7th grade this year. The hits were on the level with what i see in hockey/baseball/soccer in terms of when they are bad, they are bad. There isn't enough velocity to make it as dangerous as it is in the pro/college ranks.

To me football is the greatest sport b/c it is the ultimate team sport. U learn discipline, teamwork, dedication, hardship, etc. It's a fantastic sport to play and it will never go away IMO.

NFL/College is a completely different animal. I think PA made a great point. Weight restrictions, taller grass to slow things down, etc are ways to make it immediately more safe.

 

[blizz]

He's talking about the people watching football, no?

 

[OrangePA]

Football isn't going anywhere. Just like anything it will evolve. What did the NBA look like 35 years ago?

Changes will occur, but, the game will continue on for a long time to come, longer than anyone posting in this forum.

The real crux, IMO, is to get pads off of kids in youth leagues. No need for contact until a minimum of high school level.

Equipment has made great strides as well, but, I still feel less is more. You strip equipment and the viciousness of hits in the aggregate will subside. There's always going to be an idiot who was taught by his idiot father to "be tough", but that is becoming far less common than even 15 years ago.

Boxing still exists but a limited segment of the population in this country is active in the sport.

I agree that less is more when it comes to equipment - equipment should not be designed in a way that actually weaponizes it and should not embolden players to make bad hits.

 

[blizz]

...99% of NFL fans are violence-starved mouth-breathing knuckle-draggers.

Yeah. Those people.