Can Our National Pastime be Saved ?

**firstandten** · May-15-12, 12:07 PM

Maybe I'm being a alarmist but I see our national pastime [[its football not baseball) put at risk like never before. The multi-billion operation which is college football and the multi-multi billion operation which is the NFL could at some point no longer exist due to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy [[CTE).

Back in the early 1900's when people talked about ending football because players were getting killed playing the game the advent of the forward pass literally saved the game.

Now with the head injuries I can possibly see lawsuits, insurance companies dropping coverage at the high school level, but most importantly parents will not allow their boys to play the game which will drop the talent pool to a level that could make the game unwatchable.

Unless the technology exists to create a helmet that can keep concussions from happening. I see a dismal future for the game of football.

**poobert** · May-15-12, 02:58 PM

Phew. For a second there I thought you were talking about baseball.

American Football never made a lot of sense to me. A lot of fat guys slamming into each other. A lot of people would miss it, but I wouldn't.

**coracle** · May-16-12, 06:21 AM

I sincerely hope that firstandten is wrong in this particular case [[he frequently is; which is a good omen!). Going into the Fall/Winter without my beloved NFL and College Football to anticipate and enjoy is unthinkable. The only "sports" we would have left would be those mind numbing national "wasteoftimes" Baseball, Basketball and the one on ice.

**ejames01** · May-16-12, 07:43 AM

Originally Posted by poobert

Phew. For a second there I thought you were talking about baseball.

American Football never made a lot of sense to me. A lot of fat guys slamming into each other. A lot of people would miss it, but I wouldn't.

These guys aren't fat. Any 330lb offensive lineman would dust all of us in a footrace.

**oladub** · May-16-12, 09:57 AM

My area high school positions two ambulances at the end of the football field at each game. Football team members have to pay more money for insurance than for any other sport offered. The cost of equipment is also higher because of all the protective gear required.

I periodically mention to school board members that it would make more sense to offer soccer instead of football because of fewer injuries, be less expensive, and it is a sport that can be played informally for the next 15 years of the hs graduates' lives. A friend of mine went before the school board with the same message. At the next school board meeting a respected community elder, the owner of the stockyards and a huge farm, spoke of the necessity of keeping a football team for the community's identity. That was the end of that.

I very much enjoy watching football, I'm a Badger fan, but my favorite team is the US Women's Soccer team. I don't know, though, if we should be taking such a toll on our boys' health. That said, there is a movement in soccer to provide some sort of head protection.

**firstandten** · May-16-12, 11:11 AM

Interesting Oladub, however I saw a story that women getting concussions from heading the soccer ball is even worst than boys playing football because of the weaker neck muscles. However I do think the womens problem is easlier solved by either banning heading the ball or creating some type of head gear that offers more protection.

**Det_ard** · May-17-12, 02:07 PM

Ban soccer, turn the pitches into ice rinks.

**wolverine** · May-17-12, 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by firstandten

Maybe I'm being a alarmist but I see our national pastime [[its football not baseball) put at risk like never before. The multi-billion operation which is college football and the multi-multi billion operation which is the NFL could at some point no longer exist due to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy [[CTE).

Back in the early 1900's when people talked about ending football because players were getting killed playing the game the advent of the forward pass literally saved the game.

Now with the head injuries I can possibly see lawsuits, insurance companies dropping coverage at the high school level, but most importantly parents will not allow their boys to play the game which will drop the talent pool to a level that could make the game unwatchable.

Unless the technology exists to create a helmet that can keep concussions from happening. I see a dismal future for the game of football.

In all respect, you are being a bit alarmist. And I think you along with Oladub may be focusing too narrowly on athletics.

Let's just say recreation and fitness in general...there's other activities that result in serious head injuries and fatalities. I'll exclude boxing and hockey which deliver some serious hits. How about bicycling? My bike accident which involved a steel fence post driven into my head [[despite wearing a helmet) was far more serious than the concussions I received playing football in high school as well as a serious head injury I received when I was in a car accident at age 4.

What I'm trying to say here, is we all engage in activities with varying levels of risk. The good news with football is that fatalities are very rare. At least you can force a football player to put on a helmet. But what about forcing them to keep hydrated? People have gone to the hospital and died from that in all sports.

Insurance companies will never drop coverage. There's far worse liabilities placed on high school children like underage drinking and reckless driving. Think about all the risky stuff you did as a kid: Bike tricks, climbing trees, now kids doing fancy aerials on skateboards over a course of concrete. When you play team sports, the school would typically explain the risks. You'd have to sign waivers and have a physical to play. Professional athletes are obviously under the same contracts. They aren't going to sue the league when they sign all that paperwork and they know from previous experience what can happen.

I don't think you'll see football go away. Personally, I enjoyed playing a lineman position in high school. Effective form mitigated risk. I think everyone on the team looks back on it as a great experience, even if there were injuries. We don't need someone telling the schoolboard we couldn't play. If it's too expensive, then we'd buy our own equipment and sign our liability waivers.

**firstandten** · May-17-12, 09:20 PM

Great points wolverine ! I guess there are inherent risk in just about any physical activity that we do and I get that, but football especially there is the chance for head injury not only every game but virtually every play during the game. I don't believe there has been enough studies done on the cumulative effect of head injuries and the chance of CTE as a result.

I don't know how many concussions it would take before you could say an activity is unsafe. I think if its 1 think thats just the chance you take with that activity, however if its 5 or 10 like what may happen with football players. Then you might have to give quitting some thought.

If you are a parent how would you feel about letting your kids play in light of new information that we know, but more importantly information that we suspect may be, but don't know for sure at present.

As a parent I allowed my sons to play football gladly at the HS level and one played thou college. However in light of this recent information I would have serious second thoughts about allowing them to play the game.

**rb336** · May-17-12, 09:26 PM

Originally Posted by wolverine

How about bicycling? My bike accident which involved a steel fence post driven into my head [[despite wearing a helmet)

Just a wear your helmet emphasis here. A friend was stopped at an intersection on a bicycle, got bumped from behind - not hard - just as he was starting up. the bump was enough to throw his balance, he fell and hit his head. It cost him the use of his left arm due to brain damage

**firstandten** · May-17-12, 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by coracle

I sincerely hope that firstandten is wrong in this particular case [[he frequently is; which is a good omen!).

Well at least on the topics we debate all I can do is give you a quote from one of the most respected philosophers of our day. The brilliant Charles [[Chuck) Barkley when he said " I may be wrong, but I doubt it" !

**jerrytimes** · May-31-12, 09:40 AM

I love football, but I'll always call baseball our national pastime.

**firstandten** · June-01-12, 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by jerrytimes

I love football, but I'll always call baseball our national pastime.

I'm with you there, it just seems like at some point our kids stopped playing the game, and it just got popular everywhere but in our country.

**jerrytimes** · June-05-12, 05:16 PM

Originally Posted by firstandten

I'm with you there, it just seems like at some point our kids stopped playing the game, and it just got popular everywhere but in our country.

I think tons of kids are still playing, but the MLB teams are looking for the big players out of the US. I know kids don't play as much as they did, but I live by Huron Park in Roseville, and there are kids there all the time playing.

**firstandten** · June-05-12, 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by jerrytimes

I think tons of kids are still playing, but the MLB teams are looking for the big players out of the US. I know kids don't play as much as they did, but I live by Huron Park in Roseville, and there are kids there all the time playing.

I'm sure out in the burb's they are playing at huge rate. In the city where I'm from with the exception of Western HS [[mostly hispanics) and a couple of other schools the level of play is dreadful, fields are in bad shape and the coaching isn't that great. When I was coming thru HS kids upon kids were playing the game at a high level.

**Wheels** · June-05-12, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by firstandten

Interesting Oladub, however I saw a story that women getting concussions from heading the soccer ball is even worst than boys playing football because of the weaker neck muscles. However I do think the womens problem is easlier solved by either banning heading the ball or creating some type of head gear that offers more protection.

How could you not like a sport where women are heading?