The beginning of the end of football

[BlueK]

Originally Posted by SeattleUte

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

Notice you posted about BYU football after a horrendous loss. You'd never say anything if BYU were undefeated.

[MikeWaters]

Originally Posted by BlueK

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.

Typically we think of damaged knees and ankles, busted shoulders.

But we don't consider that even young players are getting brain injuries. I think the number of concussions among high school players is in the hundreds of thousands per year.

Look at many of the know-it-all jock-types on these message boards. Obviously concussed many times.

But seriously, the sport is much more dangerous than anyone ever thought, and it's going to become an all-minority sport like boxing.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Typically we think of damaged knees and ankles, busted shoulders.

But we don't consider that even young players are getting brain injuries. I think the number of concussions among high school players is in the hundreds of thousands per year.

Look at many of the know-it-all jock-types on these message boards. Obviously concussed many times.

But seriously, the sport is much more dangerous than anyone ever thought, and it's going to become an all-minority sport like boxing.

My son played one season and he gladly took on soccer in comparison, which he enjoys and which provides ample comradery, fitness and opportunities to have collective goal setting and accomplishment.

Whether it has always been so unsafe or not, I am uncertain, but current equipment allows players, who are bigger, faster and stronger to create more dangerous forces. And coaches being who they are, don't realize what is occurring to the bodies of their players, and frankly don't care that much.

[MikeWaters]

Could you imagine being Dustin Gabriel and reading the Gladwell article this evening?

Or worse, can you imagine Dustin's wife reading that article tonight?

[MikeWaters]

The ironic thing is I got popped in the head twice tonight playing ball.

One of them was a very hard elbow to the back of the head that stunned me for a moment.

Even basketball has its risks (but not like football).

[MikeWaters]

Here's a chat transcript with Gladwell.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blog...-gladwell.html

You can't help but suspect Gladwell is a bit of a douche. Like Garfunkel, with delusions of grandeur. And this topic is hardly original at this point. His timing is a bit off.

But I will say this, I drop into sports radio regularly during my commute. And I haven't heard a single mention of this issue.