My boys' high school just dropped football

[Ish88888]

Sooooooo...are we gonna sit here and talk CTE 10 DAYS before the start of the season? This bs is for January and February. Its part of the game and part of the risk. Its been around for 70 years but just defined. The game is safer than ever with the way its regulated. Go play Lax or Soccer at 6'3" , 240# and see were that gets you athletically

 

[orange79]

Sooooooo...are we gonna sit here and talk CTE 10 DAYS before the start of the season? This bs is for January and February. Its part of the game and part of the risk. Its been around for 70 years but just defined. The game is safer than ever with the way its regulated. Go play Lax or Soccer at 6'3" , 240# and see were that gets you athletically

Put the thread on ignore.

 

[DeGrozz]

Soccer booms will only go so far as one high school team can only field so many kids. You can have 97 youth programs. Only 15-20 kids are playing varsity soccer. It's just numbers. Same thing with baseball, once you get to school level, only so many kids can participate.

I'm not sure how accurate that is for soccer. In rural areas, yeah, that might be the case, but in more populated areas club soccer is noticeably more important than high school soccer. You'll have a few different levels at each of the 9+ age groups of travel teams that play teams of similar skill, giving many more kids the opportunity to play. Kids that aren't eligible (or are 'cut') for travel teams usually still participate in trainings and intraclub games.

Unfortunately that's part of the issue with the US Soccer system too -- there aren't after school pick-up games that kids are playing like there are for hoops, most players participate in this pay-to-play system and it prices a lot of poorer communities out of the system. At the same time, soccer clubs are incentivized to have as many kids sign up as possible to drive profit.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Baseball is about to experience a renaissance.

No, it's not. Soccer is about to get a big bump and start getting the best athletes.

 

[IthacaMatt]

The real issue... you can never do away with line play but you've got to do away with using helmets to initiate contact.

It's already taught that way..

I think there has been a penalty for spearing with the helmet at least since the 1960s.

 

[Toga]

Baseball is pretty regional. My kids are all about Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer, etc but really don't know players on other teams.

Maybe I didn't know every player but when I was a kid, I knew most of them. Baseball cards.

 

[Finwad32]

I think there has been a penalty for spearing with the helmet at least since the 1960s.

Spearing and initiating a block are two completely separate things.

 

[sufandu]

No, it's not. Soccer is about to get a big bump and start getting the best athletes.

Unless they want to use their hands. Rugby and lacrosse will get a bump too.

 

[donniesyracuse]

Its part of the game and part of the risk. Its been around for 70 years but just defined.

I don't think most people were aware that they could suffer extreme cognitive impairment, severe depression, and suicidal tendencies when they are done playing. This is a big deal!

 

[Lynch1967]

Demographics will play into it as well. When I was in HS in Edison, NJ, our team was awful yet JP Stevens in N. Edison was great year in and year out. Then N. Edison changed demographically and it became a haven for Indians and Asians, brought on by the tech boom and easy access in and out of NYC. Their athletics suffered dramatically. My HS? Still sucks and nothing changed there

 

[Ish88888]

I don't think most people were aware that they could suffer extreme cognitive impairment, severe depression, and suicidal tendencies when they are done playing. This is a big deal!

Whatever, part of the game. Job hazzard. We don't see guys who suffered fall injuries off the Empire State Building,

I don't think most people were aware that they could suffer extreme cognitive impairment, severe depression, and suicidal tendencies when they are done playing. This is a big deal!

Job hazzard...like a firefighter getting burned, a cop getting shot, a roofer falling off a roof, road construction getting run over, a NiMo guy getting electrocuted. On and on...these kids know the risk. More risk in soccer and wrestling , stats show.

 

[reedny]

Gruden also had a passionate sermon on the benefits of football. It was a good speech.

It was, and he has great knowledge of/enthusiasm for, the game. Problem is, there is a significant risk of brain injury inherent in frequent consussive (or sub-concussive) impacts. For some kids, that risk is acceptable. But more and more parents are starting to question the trade off.

 

[donniesyracuse]

On and on...these kids know the risk

People don't know the extent of the risks. Even in this thread there are people who think CTE is all about concussions.

 

[DeGrozz]

Unless they want to use their hands. Rugby and lacrosse will get a bump too.

Lacrosse will definitely get a bump. Is rugby really played much below the college level though? I always thought of it as a sport that ex-HS football players picked up at the club level in college after their football days ended -- I am probably completely unaware of a bigger culture in the game though (at least in the US).

 

[sufandu]

Whatever, part of the game. Job hazzard. We don't see guys who suffered fall injuries off the Empire State Building,


Job hazzard...like a firefighter getting burned, a cop getting shot, a roofer falling off a roof, road construction getting run over, a NiMo guy getting electrocuted. On and on...these kids know the risk. More risk in soccer and wrestling , stats show.

No. Those kids don't know the risks. Young people don't comprehend what actions in the present will mean for their health in the future, especially teenagers. And the last time I checked, football, or any other sport, wasn't an occupation for high school kids.

Ask retired pro football players suffering from CTE what they think. They'll say they didn't think it would happen to them. And many will say they would not have sacrificed their brains, it they knew it would lead to where they are now. Brain damage is not the same as orthopedic injuries.

 

[sufandu]

Lacrosse will definitely get a bump. Is rugby really played much below the college level though? I always thought of it as a sport that ex-HS football players picked up at the club level in college after their football days ended -- I am probably completely unaware of a bigger culture in the game though (at least in the US).

It's not big, but there are clubs for kids, not sure what ages. I have a friend that used to coach. I think inclusion in the Olympics could help raise the profile. I hadn't seen it before and I loved watching it last summer.

 

[Ish88888]

No. Those kids don't know the risks. Young people don't comprehend what actions in the present will mean for their health in the future, especially teenagers. And the last time I checked, football, or any other sport, wasn't an occupation for high school kids.

Ask retired pro football players suffering from CTE what they think. They'll say they didn't think it would happen to them. And many will say they would not have sacrificed their brains, it they knew it would lead to where they are now. Brain damage is not the same as orthopedic injuries.

Um, yes, i get that. I work in healthcare. But ask any player playing today if they would rather blow an ACL or have a concussion and they will choose concussion . i get it. I get the long term affect. But, its part of the game and has been for years. For WHAT they get paid, most of us would take the risk.

 

[sufandu]

Um, yes, i get that. I work in healthcare. But ask any player playing today if they would rather blow an ACL or have a concussion and they will choose concussion . i get it. I get the long term affect. But, its part of the game and has been for years. For WHAT they get paid, most of us would take the risk.

They say that because they don't understand the repercussions. In their mind an ACL ends their season, a concussion keeps them out for a game or two. Again, CTE isn't just about concussions. I would hope a healthcare professional would grasp that.

I don't care about the opinions of current players. They lack perspective. Retired players are the ones that understand the cost.

Regardless, this thread wasn't about pros. It's about high school kids. And studies are showing the earlier someone suffers brain trauma, the more likely they are to have problems later in life.

BTW, I work in healthcare too. A high percentage of my patients suffer from some form of dementia. I see first hand the toll it takes on them and their families.

 

[Delmar]

They say that because they don't understand the repercussions. In their mind an ACL ends their season, a concussion keeps them out for a game or two. Again, CTE isn't just about concussions. I would hope a healthcare professional would grasp that.

I don't care about the opinions of current players. They lack perspective. Retired players are the ones that understand the cost.

Regardless, this thread wasn't about pros. It's about high school kids. And studies are showing the earlier someone suffers brain trauma, the more likely they are to have problems later in life.

BTW, I work in healthcare too. A high percentage of my patients suffer from some form of dementia. I see first hand the toll it takes on them and their families.

Great post.

My original post was about a high school of 1400 students dropping varsity football because they can't field a team. That just never happens 5 years ago. Parents are assessing the new data and deciding their kids are going to play a different sport.

 

[bigmike]

Um, yes, i get that. I work in healthcare. But ask any player playing today if they would rather blow an ACL or have a concussion and they will choose concussion . i get it. I get the long term affect. But, its part of the game and has been for years. For WHAT they get paid, most of us would take the risk.

They say that because they don't understand the repercussions. In their mind an ACL ends their season, a concussion keeps them out for a game or two. Again, CTE isn't just about concussions. I would hope a healthcare professional would grasp that.

I don't care about the opinions of current players. They lack perspective. Retired players are the ones that understand the cost.

Regardless, this thread wasn't about pros. It's about high school kids. And studies are showing the earlier someone suffers brain trauma, the more likely they are to have problems later in life.

BTW, I work in healthcare too. A high percentage of my patients suffer from some form of dementia. I see first hand the toll it takes on them and their families.

 

[NJCuse97]

Demographics will play into it as well. When I was in HS in Edison, NJ, our team was awful yet JP Stevens in N. Edison was great year in and year out. Then N. Edison changed demographically and it became a haven for Indians and Asians, brought on by the tech boom and easy access in and out of NYC. Their athletics suffered dramatically. My HS? Still sucks and nothing changed there

And yet a few miles south or north is home to some of the best soccer players the country has known. A bit off color these days, but there is truth to it. That said, Edison is a pretty unique micro-culture that you don't typically see outside of major cities. Just so happens that NJ is more city than rural in most areas

 

[Eric15]

I'm not a baseball fan but would choose baseball for my kid if I had professional athlete magic dust.

Upside: your kid could buy you nice things with his long, guaranteed contracts
Downside: you would be forced to sit and watch entire baseball games

 

[pacusewife]

It's odd to me because I'm seeing the opposite (of shutting down FB programs) in my area. We've got three pop warner leagues here, all competing to be "the league of choice." I'm more involved with the cheer end of things but I'm on the board of one of the leagues. Our registration numbers are at an all-time high. We spent the last meeting arguing for 45 minutes about increasing the weight limit for ball carriers. I don't think we've spent a single a minute talking about head safety (unless that weight limit somehow ties in) or concussions (other than "has everyone completed their Heads Up Certification"). Unless it's addressed per team (which I wouldn't know), there's no blanket statement positon from the league about this sort of thing.

 

[Hoo's That]

Lacrosse will definitely get a bump. Is rugby really played much below the college level though? I always thought of it as a sport that ex-HS football players picked up at the club level in college after their football days ended -- I am probably completely unaware of a bigger culture in the game though (at least in the US).

It's not big, but there are clubs for kids, not sure what ages. I have a friend that used to coach. I think inclusion in the Olympics could help raise the profile. I hadn't seen it before and I loved watching it last summer.

I wouldn't be surprised in the least if rugby turns out to be what schools turn to when replacing football. The impacts are totally different, no football lineplay, and the lack of plastic helmets totally changes how you tackle.

 

[sufandu]

Upside: your kid could buy you nice things with his long, guaranteed contracts
Downside: you would be forced to sit and watch entire baseball games

Haha. I'd take that trade off.