ESPN Football Analyst Walks Away, Disturbed by Brain Trauma on Field

Post by pbhjpbhj » Thu, Aug 31, 2017, 9:55 PM UTC

mattmanser wrote: post #260

phillc73 wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think Rugby Union is more interesting than American Football (in my biased opinion), because the ball is in play for a lot longer and the game has better momentum. Then again, many Rugby Union vs Rugby League debates involve the criticism of Union that it is too stop-start. There is certainly a growing awareness of head injuries in Union and League at all levels. Players which show any sign of head trauma are (shou…

Rugby has gone through periods of being a boring game and has had constant rule changes to try and make it more interesting, some of which significantly changed the nature of the game. The period of constant scrums was an especially dull period, as was the rolling mauls period. I vaguely remember a period of constant punts from each side down the field. I haven't kept up to date with Rugby, but google seems to sugges…

Post by MandieD » Thu, Aug 31, 2017, 9:59 PM UTC

Bud wrote: post #151

eropple wrote: post #131

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Hell-- high school players need to be paid fair market value. Which, in many parts of the country, is not a trivial amount.

A high school in Texas just built a $72 million football stadium. That's right. A fucking high school stadium. http://www.wacotrib.com/sports/high_schools/central_texas_fo...

Post by hkmurakami » Thu, Aug 31, 2017, 10:03 PM UTC

Bartweiss wrote: post #235

hkmurakami wrote: post #222

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The problem is that you'll still be paid before getting banned. This is the problem cycling and other PED rampant sports face. You can take away the medals but you can't take away their money and you can't take away the fact that they've enjoyed their fame while it lasted

Sure, but you can probably make the sport a bit safer. In cycling or tennis, the lasting effect of PED use (after stopping) is being more competitive. In football, the lasting effect is being more dangerous to other players on the field. That's a huge distinction.

Post by brandonmenc » Thu, Aug 31, 2017, 10:12 PM UTC

Goronmon wrote: post #162

brandonmenc wrote: post #139

Switch to rugby-style tackling (like the Seahawks), get rid of facemasks (per Ditka), maybe introduce per-position weight limits, get rid of kickoffs, tweak the other rules a bit, and we can probably keep the game mostly intact and reduce concussions. They'll never be fully eliminated, though. In any sport.

And if the worst damage comes from positions like lineman and linebackers repeatedly hitting their heads on every down during the course of normal play, how do any of those changes fix that problem?

Post by logfromblammo » Thu, Aug 31, 2017, 10:16 PM UTC

icelancer wrote: post #242

Waterluvian wrote: post #173

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Hockey can be a beautiful game of finesse, speed, and precision. It could absolutely be re-worked. Football is fundamentally flawed. Many positions exist entirely because it's rough and violent. Players who never touch the football in a well played game.

>>Hockey can be a beautiful game of finesse, speed, and precision. It could absolutely be re-worked. Indeed. Olympic hockey is a perfect example of a step in that direction, and one of the greatest versions of the game in existence.