a nation of soccer playing pencil dicks
There used to be jokes made about guys playing football without a helmet, famously so when LBJ was speaking of Gerald Ford ((Minority Leader of the House of Representatives at the time). “Playing without a helmet” was supposed to leave one with scrambled brains and poorly formed judgmental capability.
Not everybdy can, or should, get out on a football field and engage in high-body-contact sports. It is similar to being in a series of vehicle crashes, and the human body is really almost as vulnerable as an egg. Sure, there can be protective measures, like padding and head protection, but a really determined opponent can get through the partial protection provided by these means, and wreak havoc on the hardest of underlying bodies. Bones break, joints tear and dislocate, deep contusions rupture blood vessels and crush nerves in ways that are sometimes simply beyond the means of medical science to reduce or ameliorate.
But this very drive to test the limitations of the human body, as a means to prove something about the spirit within, is one of those testosterone-based truisms that originate in the limbic system, and predate most animal conciousness, going back to almost the single-cell organisms. This can no more be weeded out of the cellular structure of our physical bodies, than the dependence of oxygen to sustain life.
What is the answer? Prohibition is impossible, because small boys, denied access to toy guns, will point their fingers and say “Bang!”, or take up sticks and play “sword” until somebody gets a cut or an eye poked out, then everybody runs back home. And they are right out there doing the same thing next day. Bigger boys, with adult bodies and the same outlook, crawl into powerful vehicles and perform hair-raising stunts to demonstrate that they have, if not to conquer fear and dread, at least to struggle manfully in the face of it.
Football is just a smaller powerful vehicle in which to perform hair-raising stunts.
What exactly does that mean?
Is football really the world's most violent sport?
Or the world's most dangerous?
What would replace football?
As America becomes queer the youth will be less interested, and helicopter mothers concerned about if their kids took all their allergy medicine that morning would prevent them from playing anyhow. Fat kids, medicated, eating fast food because both parents work, growing up watching TV and playing a gaming machine shouldn't be exposed to the vast risks associated with American football.
There is a reason why soccer is rapidly growing in suburban America. It's much less violent and the way it is played also allows everyone to be a winner on many of these youth teams!
One thing not mentioned in all these comments.....
Lawsuits.
If public schools, Pop Warner leagues, universities, and pro teams have to insure against injuries that may not appear for 20 or 30 years, football will die a financial death.
The only solution - if there is one - will be a federal government negotiated “Agreement” between tort lawyers, players, and teams.
As usual, the lawyers will win.
If there’s money in it - somebody will play it.
the radical left says US football is dead - don’t think so!!
Their daddys said God is dead back in the 60’s, 70’s revolution. But God is still alive and kicking.
Oh, humbug. The Texans just picked their 2012 cheerleading squad.
http://www.houstontexans.com/cheerleaders/cheer-finalists.html
Lookin’ pretty healthy to me.
I'm a pretty masculine guy (who *loves* football) but it's hard to argue with data found by reputable medical researchers.There's sure to be additional research and,depending on what it shows,it could very well effect the sport substantially.Haven't heard of any research of this sort being performed on NHL players...that,too,would be interesting,IMO.
The deeper and more important question is middle school, high school and college football. These programs suck up money from the educational system, generate horrific injuries and have no benefit to the players.
Let adults play football in return for a salary. They can choose to take the risks. But don’t waste K-12 budgets on risky sports or burn out college kids and waste taxpayer money on football.
Not going to happen. Football is not going away. Too many billionaire owners have too much to loose should that happen and that’s the bottom line.
If fewer Americans youth play, other countries will be glad to provide players. The Samoans have sent a lot of players to the NFL (including Seau) and a few very good Africans have emerged.
With the kind of money the players get in the big leagues, there will always be young men who want to play, and parents who are willing to let their kids take the risk.
In 1905, 18 football players were killed and 159 severely injured.
President Teddy Roosevelt threatened to outlaw the game by executive order unless changes were made to eliminate the mass brawls that caused so much damage.
And lo! Changes were made, including requiring 6 men on the line of scrimmage (later changed to 7), requiring a neutral zone, no interlocking blocking, no flying tackles, no slugging, allowing the forward pass and a number of other changes.
The game will evolve and survive.
Football IS America’s sport.
The only thing more boring to me than soccer is golf. No, wait. Baseball.
Nanny staters are trying to make sitzpinklers out of men. The other Freeper who mentioned the NFL is doomed because it is a sport no woman is likely ever going to play at a professional level may be on to something.
As was the poster who suggested that soccer was the perfect socialist/communist sport.
Anyone remember when Rush had a few radio shows with bleeding hearts relating the damage caused by soccer balls. It was hilarious and sad. Some people are sheep to be monetarily fleeced.