The quantity and extent of injuries seems to get worse every year. An unofficial count puts the number of consussions this season so far (and we're not even halfway through) at 46. And long-term health data indicates most NFL players will end up with long-term health problems and shortened lives (and not just the ones with brain damage from concussions). Being party to that weighs on the conscience more heavily each season.
Football is the most telegenic sport out there [while porn is at the front of the adoption curve for many entertainment-related technologies, I think football was the driver behind early adoption of HDTV in the US], but I'm not sure it can be saved. Size, speed, and specialization have increased to the point that it's unlikely any rule changes or further equipment development will make any difference. In the mid-80s, "the fridge" was a novelty because he was over 300 pounds. Today Chicago has at least 11 players on the roster over 300 lbs, and that's typical, if not slightly small, for NFL teams. And the big guys have gotten faster. The big guys are the ones who can barely walk by age 50 with neck, spine, hip, and joint injuries. The smaller guys are concussing themselves into permanent brain damage. Players like to puff themselves up with blabber about it being a man's game and all. Now that I'm older, and a dad, this comes off as youthful bravado, and I can't help wondering how much strut the same guys will have a decade or two after playing, when walking properly or living without pain on a daily basis might be the biggest challenge.
What can fix it? Better equipment won't do it. Some rules changes would help (e.g. eliminating the 3-point stance). The only real solution is to get rid of the protective equipment. The consequence of the equipment has been greater injuries. (Rugby has vastly fewer injuries than the NFL. It's not as telegenic, but it's close enough to football in some aspects to be instructive. And yes, they play all-out in a rough, manly way despite there being rules about what types of tackles are dangerous and disallowed.) But moving away from a technology-based solution is so un-American that this will never happen.
8 comments:
though i approve of the recent threats to start suspending players for certain hits, it all seems at cross purposes with what defenses are taught to do, and what players have been taught to do since junior high.
a bit like handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500: "no, that was just a little bit too fast."
i don't think it's going to reverse the effect of increased concussions.
i also agree there no way you'll get the National Football League (btw, no one involved the sport simply says "NFL" any more) to de-tech the gear. better helmets and braces will be the long term "solution" here.
The Indy 500 is not the best analogy, since they change racing rules all the time and, season to season, the cars can become slower, or grippier, or downforcier, simply by a rules change.
"NFL.com" still brands itself enthusiastically as "NFL", so there's at least one pragmatic concession to the senseless elongated rebranding scheme
And are kids in junior high really taught to head-butt at the point of contact?
Doug Plank ('85 Bears) pioneered the spearing attack and perfected it in his day. It's evil, and potentially fatal, and today, HIGHER FINES result from leading with your head. Of course, when Plank used to do it, he wore all sorts of extra neck bracing so that his own head and neck would not wind up compressed. Last week's high fines attest to the effort - albeit somewhat feeble - that the NFL is trying to adopt.
"Now that I'm older, and a dad" - so you're not gonna sign up your son for "Pop Warner" football huh? I always thought that parents who encouraged their very very little ones (ages 6 and 7 even) to play such aggressive contact sport to be abusive, and sadly living vicariously through their little kids - like unto the insidious Jean Benet child beauty pageants for little girls.
i don't recall us specifically being taught to lead with the helmet, but i do recall one guy who did so and the coaches highlighted his hard hitting.
at a low point, we were also taught how to punch guys in the groin when we were kicking extra points/FGs.
groin punches? ouch. I never thought of sinking that low.
as predicted, in a pre-game show today, analysts were showing off some new helmet technology to better absorb impact.
groin helmets? =)
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