The beginning of the end of football
 

I've said it before. The game of football, as currently played, does not have a future.

Too damaging to brains. Too violent.

I suspect that the same parents that wouldn't allow their kid to play boxing, will over time rethink whether it is wise to play football. Moreover, the liability of schools, rec leagues, universities will be huge. I expect a class action suit from former college football players against universities, seeking redress regarding injuries and disability.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/sp...ntia.html?_r=1

I had originally anticipated it to be about BYU's demise under FSU, and that such loss would send the Cougs into a death spiral.

I am reminded of the poor play against USU before death spiraling against TCU, only to lose to Utah and Arizona.

This team showed a lack of aggression and cohesion in the lackluster win against CSU. USU stands ready to pull off the upset against lame duck, BYU.

Football is a very entertaining sport. Luckily, other people are willing to pay the bill, in the form of broken bodies and broken brains.

Most people who play football and get injured never got a W2 for their efforts.

It is an entertaining but absolutely dumb sport in terms of the sacrifice involved. Jim Otto was the poster child for how dumb a sport it is.

If you guys really believe this, then why support the Emperor by following the savage spectacles taking place in the Coliseum?

Like we have anything better to do.

"If you guys really believe this"....that is funny. Almost like you are saying reasonable people can believe that playing in the NFL doesn't lead to greater chance of disability.

One reason I quit football......I was on the kickoff coverage. I sort of speared, not with the top of my head, but my facemask, a guy who was just down. I got up, and for about 10 seconds, I was seeing double.

That led to the thought: "boy this is a dumb thing to do." Damage your brain. There were other reasons of course.

Do I regret quitting? No. In eight grade, I started both ways. When I was a senior (so 4 years later), my high school won the state championship. Was I very good? Not particularly. Did I enjoy it? Not that much. But could I have been a contributor on a state championship team? Probably. Could I have suffered a serious injury? Sure. Could I have been perfectly fine and had a great experience? Sure.

If my son wanted to play football, I doubt I would stop him. If I'm Dustin Gabriel's father, do I insist he quit? Yes.

60 minutes this past Sunday had a piece on head injuries sustained playing football.

Now a piece in the New Yorker by Malcolm Gladwell (well-known non-fiction writer) comparing football to dogfighting.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2..._fact_gladwell

I haven't read it yet, but will.

It would not surprise me to see the NFL circle the wagons at this point. I think to some degree they already are. With the response of the NFL physician to 60 minutes. The argument will be thus "Sure players with concussions have developed dementia, sometimes even early dementia. But so do people who have never played a lick of football."

It will mirror the arguments made by the tobacco companies. "If tobacco causes cancer, where is the proof? What chemical is it that causes it?"

They will line up their experts, esp. physicians who will obfuscate. They will try to buy time, and in the meantime work like hell to make the game safer.

I wonder if the days of leather helmets was actually safer. Part of the speed of the game now, in terms of tackles, is the fact that the equipment is so good. It allows for these players to use their bodies like weapons. If you don't have a helmet, you don't use your head like a weapon. And a better helmet may only lead to harder hits, and paradoxically, more head injuries.

Notice Waters started this thread after the horrendous FSU loss. He would never have started this thread while BYU was undefeated.

I read the Gladwell article.

At this moment, right now, I don't know that I would allow my son to play football. Ever.

Scary.

You may be right. I love watching the game, but no one will ever play it without a major injury at some time in their career if they play long enough.