Is Football Worth It?

Nate Meikle Tweet:

"Listening to neurologist who advised Steve Young to retire. Wondering if I will allow my children to play football. #overreaction?"



How ironic, as I watched a program this week on PBS where they reviewed the medical accomplishments of individuals who had received the Nobel Peace Prize for medical achievements. One of the winners (1997-Stanley B. Prusiner) received the award "for his discovery of Prions - a new biological principle of infection". They spoke on how his principle of prions had been applied by others to the study of the brain and specifically the brain of Dave Duerson, former NFL Chicago Bears/Notre Dame safety and successful entrepreneur who committed suicide in 2011 and purposely did it in a manner where his brain would be intact (shot himself in the chest). The brain was donated to Boston University researchers and studied to assess the life-long neurological effects of playing in the National Football League. I guess they have a "brain bank" of 14 brains of former NFL players. In them they have found signs of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a degenerative condition caused by repeated blows to the head in 13 of the 14 brains, including Duerson.



It does not affect every single person who receives a blow to the head, but they showed how that at times, just those blows cause the formation of prion type proteins that then spread throughout the brain just like an infectious disease and causing those portions to die. You could see it very prevelent in the samples of Duerson's brain. CTE caused him to change his behavior which resulted in losing his lucrative business and his marriage.



I came away similarly as Nate Meikle. Glad that none of my children had played much football and I don't know that I ever want my grandchildren to. It simply didn't seem worth it.



Strangely though, after I watched it, I said to my wife (who thinks football is one of the ultimate stupid sports because of all the injuries) that it didn't change my interest in watching others do it.

I won't let my kids play tackle fball. Little league participation is down over 50% from last year to this year. I'm afraid that my favorite sport has a rapidly approaching expiration date without drastic changes.



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Well it made me wonder if the Jim McMahon's lawsuit agaisnt the NFL was just the the tip of the iceberg of lawsuits that will be forthcoming. If people have sued after smoking cigarettes of their own free will and won, why not the NFL, colleges, and high schools for allowing this process to go forward? Especially in light of the knowledge of concussion injuries that have already changed how we play football. I don't want to see it happen, but to say I would be shocked would be an understatement.

Y 4 Ever wrote:
I won't let my kids play tackle fball. Little league participation is down over 50% from last year to this year. I'm afraid that my favorite sport has a rapidly approaching expiration date without drastic changes.



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But



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Maybe this has been mentioned this season in another thread, but I can honestly say that I have never seen the NCAA make a change to rules to decrease something happening and the exact opposite has occurred. Changing where kickoffs are made was purposely done to decrease what was viewed as potentially the most dangerous impact in football. The change has actually caused more kickoff balls to be returned than any time in the last decade.



I can only imagine the rule will be changed again in the off-season, but it has sure been fun to see kickoff returns back in the game.

Get rid of facemasks and hard helmets. Return to tackling not just hitting or lowering your head to bring the boom.



Eliminate the grey area of head shots. You hit the head, 15 yards. Do it twice in a game, ejection. Get guys to play safely.

SpiffCoug wrote:
Get rid of facemasks and hard helmets. Return to tackling not just hitting or lowering your head to bring the boom.



Eliminate the grey area of head shots. You hit the head, 15 yards. Do it twice in a game, ejection. Get guys to play safely.

Agreed. Pads have become more of a weapon than a means of protection at this point. Take away the hard-capped shoulder pads and go to soft helmets (ala rugby) and you'll see a lot less violent hits (making the sport much less popular).

Somewhere earlier this year on the radio, I heard a sports radio caller say that football, as we know it, would be gone in 15 to 20 years. The thought, at the time, was absurd to me. However, the more we have heard just over the last year, I could see 15 be the outer limit on the game. If the statistic about little league football being down 50% is true, will enough people be playing the game to make it the same product it is today?



My son isn't into sports, and I'm not sure I'd let him play football if he were.



So, what would become the new sport in America? Would basketball take over? Would baseball make a comeback? I think Hockey is in a similar situation as football, and not nearly as popular, so that's out. Since we're becoming more like Europe socially, will the next popular sport in the US be soccer?

I may just be too old to get into a new - for me - sport like soccer.



Basketball and maybe even Volleyball. Baseball - maybe if they could get really good players to go to college instead of straight to pro ball. Even women's sports have matured enough to become real enough to watch.



I love football. I could live with less-violent football. With No Football - The Bibster is going to start fishing again - or maybe start playing golf.



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I played football and my parents and I understood the risks when I went out for the team. I'd happily let my sons play football if they decided it was something they wanted to try.

Touch football anyone?

My son was hit by a car and had severe brain trauma two years ago. he was 7 years old. we were extremely lucky he appears to have no long term damage. since then i have decided he wont play football.



if they made the changes schmoe and spiff have suggested i really do think it would help.

I think the soft helmets would help to avoid the majority of head trauma from football like the over and over "smaller" shots that lineman take but it would increase the major injuries. What happens when you take a knee to the side of the head or when they go down backwards and their head whips into the ground? I don't know that soft helmets are the answer.



I have two sons that are both still really young. I don't plan on encouraging them to play football but I haven't decided if I'd tell them know. In addition to head injuries I'm equally worried about them blowing out their knees and similiar injuries. That's a tough thing to justify for a parent I think. I'd rather see my kids play sports/develop talents they can continue to play the rest of their life.

SpiffCoug wrote:
Get rid of facemasks and hard helmets. Return to tackling not just hitting or lowering your head to bring the boom.



Eliminate the grey area of head shots. You hit the head, 15 yards. Do it twice in a game, ejection. Get guys to play safely.

All they need to do is outlaw lowering the head. If you lower your head to make a hit, you get a personal foul. Twice and you are ejected. Lowering the head is where the big hits come in. If players had to keep their heads up and drive up through the person they were trying to tackle instead of launching themselves like a missile, that would take care of most of the concussions on the skill players. I still liked football back when people could tackle without knock out hits. Just outlaw lowering the head.



I also understand removing the pads. I agree that removing pads would take care of most of the issues. When you start feeling the contact, you don't launch yourself like a missile as much. Take most Turkey Bowls, for example. Though people get run over and fall down, and could break bones, I have not seen any concussions in the last four we have had.



Pads or not, I don't know what you do about the repeated hits to the head that lineman get on the line.

This is the first year in the last 7 that my oldest son (13) hasn't played football. He played Pop-Warner for the previous three years. They were well padded and protected, and seldomly was there an injury caused by a collision. Honestly, they aren't strong enough or fast enough to create much, if any, of a collision. They are taugh well to tackle with their facemask up, and it is the weight of the helmet on their head that causes them to dip. The leagues take concussions very seriously, and a boy may not return to the field (even to exercise w/o pads) until a doctor clears them 100%.



It has changed a lot since I was a kid. I have had several concussions in my life. 3 of which occurred on the football field. I was only treated for a concussion after the 3rd instance. I have not experienced any side effects or lasting effects, but I know that I would be concussed much more easily now since I have have already received several concussions before. In fact if you smacked me in the right side of my head with the palm of your hand, I would probably be concussed.



That being said, I let my children choose to play whatever sport the wish, and I get involved as much as possible (coaching etc.). I am comfortable with the level of care that is being administered today in all levels of play and in all sports. The risks are there. I received my first concussion when a sliding glass door shattered and fell on me when i was 3.

scott715 wrote:
Touch football anyone?

2-3 years ago we had a BYU student killed playing football in one of the LES parking lots. I can't remember if he was playing flag or a game of tackle, but none the less he died from clunking his head from playing.

My son nor my daughter will be playing football.



As a whole, I question competitive sports for children. The rate children separating shoulders, blowing out knees, tearing their Achilles, etc is skyrocketing. Kid my ward is 12 years old and heavily into basketball. He's had surgery on his ankle, broken his arm and is in the middle of a knee injury. Parents say he loves to play and they certainly aspire for him to go pro, at what cost though? Assuming his little body even holds up that long.



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Cougarfan87 wrote:
Take most Turkey Bowls, for example. Though people get run over and fall down, and could break bones, I have not seen any concussions in the last four we have had.

This my exact opposite take on turkey bowls :whistle: My last turkey bowl resulted in me not being able to chew on food for a week. You throw in the one or two guys that decide they want to go full speed and the rest of the guys are left with the choice of losing or either getting hurt or hurting aggresive guy.

stuckinbig10country wrote:
Somewhere earlier this year on the radio, I heard a sports radio caller say that football, as we know it, would be gone in 15 to 20 years. The thought, at the time, was absurd to me. However, the more we have heard just over the last year, I could see 15 be the outer limit on the game. If the statistic about little league football being down 50% is true, will enough people be playing the game to make it the same product it is today?



My son isn't into sports, and I'm not sure I'd let him play football if he were.



So, what would become the new sport in America? Would basketball take over? Would baseball make a comeback? I think Hockey is in a similar situation as football, and not nearly as popular, so that's out. Since we're becoming more like Europe socially, will the next popular sport in the US be soccer?

Sorry, I wasn't clear about that stat - I meant to say 50% in MY TOWN. I can't speak for the country.