Football safety :

[Guinness]

make everyone wear kelso helmets

In regards to the equipment it is hard to believe that helmet technology has not evolved at a higher rate. You would think that a multibillion dollar industry like the NFL would have come up with something better. If NASCAR can figure out a way to have people crash into a wall at 190mph and not die .. you would think the NFL could come up with a helmet to help with concussions.

 

[MikeSU02]

Would football be safer with no helmets, limited padding and only grass fields?
Sent from my Vortex using Tapatalk 2

There may be less injuries, but the injuries that do happen would be brutal. I don't care if 95% of the players would choose to play smart. 4% would still play crazy. And 1% would play real crazy. And 1% of that 1% would play like sociopaths. And one crazy injury where you actually see someone's brains on the field would end not having equipment pretty quickly.

And there would still be head injuries, just like in rugby.

 

[Scooch]

There's already a renewed and vigorous debate around 'will you let your son play football' in the aftermath of the Junior Seau suicide (which may or may not have anything to do with concussions, mind you).

That debate will soon progress to "will you let your kids watch football", and then become "will you watch football". I've long said that the only thing that can derail the NFL as being the most successful league in the world, and harm football as being the most lucrative media content to buy and sell, is continued catastrohpic injury and long term after-effects. I mean it's getting a bit ghoulish to be a fan.

I'm sure there are ways to mitigate the injuries and effects. Medical science is an amazing thing. I can't imagine playing without protection is the way to go. A 260 lb. guy who runs a 4.4 forty and has 0% body fat will literally kill someone someday if there is no protection. These ain't the 5'8", 160 lb. guys of 1925. Oh, and they killed people too.

 

[sutomcat]

There's already a renewed and vigorous debate around 'will you let your son play football' in the aftermath of the Junior Seau suicide (which may or may not have anything to do with concussions, mind you).

That debate will soon progress to "will you let your kids watch football", and then become "will you watch football". I've long said that the only thing that can derail the NFL as being the most successful league in the world, and harm football as being the most lucrative media content to buy and sell, is continued catastrohpic injury and long term after-effects. I mean it's getting a bit ghoulish to be a fan.

I'm sure there are ways to mitigate the injuries and effects. Medical science is an amazing thing. I can't imagine playing without protection is the way to go. A 260 lb. guy who runs a 4.4 forty and has 0% body fat will literally kill someone someday if there is no protection. These ain't the 5'8", 160 lb. guys of 1925. Oh, and they killed people too.

I agree there is a middle ground here. My issue with modern equipments comes down to one thing: helmets and how hard they are. When they hit skin and bone, tremendous damage is done.

Why can't they be made of a softer material with some give to it? If the helmets could take some of the blow, I would think they would do a better job protecting the person wearing the helmet and the person getting hit by it.

I would look at leaving helmets close to where they are now but with a rubber like cover over them, like you can buy to protect your cell phone, only a little thicker. Making the helmet less suitable as a weapon would really make the game a lot safer.

 

[Millhouse]

I agree there is a middle ground here. My issue with modern equipments comes down to one thing: helmets and how hard they are. When they hit skin and bone, tremendous damage is done.

Why can't they be made of a softer material with some give to it? If the helmets could take some of the blow, I would think they would do a better job protecting the person wearing the helmet and the person getting hit by it.

I would look at leaving helmets close to where they are now but with a rubber like cover over them, like you can buy to protect your cell phone, only a little thicker. Making the helmet less suitable as a weapon would really make the game a lot safer.

Mark Kelso never knocked anyone out with his padded helmet.

of course, he never knocked anyone out with an unpadded helmet.

 

[Scooch]

I agree there is a middle ground here. My issue with modern equipments comes down to one thing: helmets and how hard they are. When they hit skin and bone, tremendous damage is done.

Why can't they be made of a softer material with some give to it? If the helmets could take some of the blow, I would think they would do a better job protecting the person wearing the helmet and the person getting hit by it.

I would look at leaving helmets close to where they are now but with a rubber like cover over them, like you can buy to protect your cell phone, only a little thicker. Making the helmet less suitable as a weapon would really make the game a lot safer.

I'm with you. I'm no engineer, but I figure we use airbags in cars to protect us, not hard plastic bags!

 

[Millhouse]

I'm with you. I'm no engineer, but I figure we use airbags in cars to protect us, not hard plastic bags!

moral hazard! we should put big spikes in the middle of the steering wheel! people will be extra careful! just like we should get rid of helmets and pads!

 

[DPCuse]

College hockey is likely to vote out the face mask for the upcoming season. They believe players have felt too invincible and that they will learn to be safer and respect their opponents more without the mask. Plus their vision will improve and players will keep their heads up more which makes them safer. This might be an apples to oranges comparison but it's a legit question about the equipment making players feel invincible which leads to more injuries.

 

[Scooch]

I think what makes football players feel "invincible" is that they're football players.

Their off-field behavior seems reflective of that.

Oh Lord