OT: PBS Frontline episode: League of Denial

[Viejo Bolt]

I watched the entire documentary and it depressed me. It did so for many reasons, but the number 1 reason (after the player health issue) is that I now realize that football may be dead as we know it. If word gets out on this, no parents will let their kids play youth football. Then high school will go, and then no insurance companies will cover colleges. Game over. As for the pros? The game is already changing in part because of the concussion crisis. And I'm not sure I want to (re)emotionally invest myself in this new 7 on 7 type game. I'll probably just find a new hobby.

The most alarming thing I heard on the whole show was when the expert brain doctor said that the evidence suggests that it isn't just the "big hits" that cause CTE. It's the repeated mini-collisions that players, especially linemen have on each and every play while they are on the field. So they can change the rules and effectively outlaw "launching" all they want but that won't make the problem go away.

As for playing without helmets, I was in favor of that for a long time. But rugby players don't wear them and the other day I googled this issue for rugby and they have a concussion problem too. So I don't know if that would help either.

I wonder if they had a test for CTE what % of high school players would show evidence of CTE? 10%? 20%? 50%? How about that one high school kid who committed suicide and he was found to have advanced CTE? WTF???

[Coachmarkos]

I watched the entire documentary and it depressed me. It did so for many reasons, but the number 1 reason (after the player health issue) is that I now realize that football may be dead as we know it. If word gets out on this, no parents will let their kids play youth football. Then high school will go, and then no insurance companies will cover colleges. Game over. As for the pros? The game is already changing in part because of the concussion crisis. And I'm not sure I want to (re)emotionally invest myself in this new 7 on 7 type game. I'll probably just find a new hobby.

The most alarming thing I heard on the whole show was when the expert brain doctor said that the evidence suggests that it isn't just the "big hits" that cause CTE. It's the repeated mini-collisions that players, especially linemen have on each and every play while they are on the field. So they can change the rules and effectively outlaw "launching" all they want but that won't make the problem go away.

As for playing without helmets, I was in favor of that for a long time. But rugby players don't wear them and the other day I googled this issue for rugby and they have a concussion problem too. So I don't know if that would help either.

I wonder if they had a test for CTE what % of high school players would show evidence of CTE? 10%? 20%? 50%? How about that one high school kid who committed suicide and he was found to have advanced CTE? WTF???

Viejo,
I agree...and I also found myself depressed after watching it.

Enjoy football while it lasts, I guess? Once High Schoolers and College Athletes (their families) start suing over CTE effects... I do think there will be major, major, changes to the way the game is played. There won't be a choice.

[TTK]

The high school student who died and had CTE but no reported concussions was huge. The doctor herself was stunned about that one.

Stuff like that is going to be the game changer.

[richpjr]

Flag football, coming up.

There is also early rumblings about heading soccer balls and the long term damage it may be causing.

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

I better stop smoking weed.

[Coachmarkos]

I better stop smoking weed.

looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue

lloyd-bridges-31.gif

[Panama]

I own season tickets to the SDSU Jackrabbits

Sorry for the off-topic response. This just confused the hell out of me. I was thinking, huh? When did the Aztecs change their name? Then I saw your userpic... Right, you're not from SD like most folk on this board, but rather from SD!

[Panama]

I watched the entire documentary and it depressed me. It did so for many reasons, but the number 1 reason (after the player health issue) is that I now realize that football may be dead as we know it. If word gets out on this, no parents will let their kids play youth football. Then high school will go, and then no insurance companies will cover colleges. Game over. As for the pros? The game is already changing in part because of the concussion crisis. And I'm not sure I want to (re)emotionally invest myself in this new 7 on 7 type game. I'll probably just find a new hobby.

I tried to find ways to refute you, but I can't. I think you're right. I think the NFL will try to do what it can to adapt, but in the end we'll have a watered down product which fans will lose interest in and a diminished infusion of talent. The NFL is scrambling. All the rules changes are a reflection of that. So is opening up the NFL to the world, because the infusion of talent from overseas will somewhat offset the loss of homegrown talent. But fans will lose interest, and unless there are major advancement in technologies that prevent concussions from collision sports, the NFL will be dead within two generations.

I was going to say something flip like, "At least I'll be able to focus more on my opera career," but I can't. I might live long enough to witness the end of the NFL, but we still have several years ahead of us to enjoy. Something that is so ingrained in our cultural heritage will not disappear overnight.

[Beerman]

The whole watered down product IMO is just silly. Yes they have taken out the big hits, but I can live without them. They have just created a much more offensive nfl game. I'm fine with that. Now they just need to change the culture that you need to knock the other guy out to get famous. That needs to start at the high school level.

I do think ALL youth football leagues should be flag. I would probably also not let anyone under the age of 14 play tackle football in high school.

[Guest]

Oh man, forget that. That's why I grew to love the NFL in the 70's!

[Panama]

The whole watered down product IMO is just silly. Yes they have taken out the big hits, but I can live without them. They have just created a much more offensive nfl game. I'm fine with that. Now they just need to change the culture that you need to knock the other guy out to get famous. That needs to start at the high school level.

I do think ALL youth football leagues should be flag. I would probably also not let anyone under the age of 14 play tackle football in high school.

I'm sorry, but if they demonstrate that it's not the big hits that lead to CTE (a point you seem to have missed), then:

(1) Parents won't let their kids play football.
(2) Youth leagues will disappear.
(3) High schools and colleges/universities will deem the liability not worth it.
(4) There will be a smaller talent pool, especially of polished talent, to draw from, and the NFL product will be watered-down.

This has nothing at all to do with taking out the big hits, or kickoffs, or anything that the NFL is currently tinkering with.

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

Boxing has become a marginalized sport due to a variety of factors, but largely because the appetite for brutality is not what it once was. Boxing still exists. Even at a youth level. But it isn't the national obsession it once was. I can see football becoming diminished in popularity largely because of parents keeping kids out of playing the sport. But I cannot ever really see it going the way of boxing.