Football DOES have a problem. Or at least a challenge moving forward

[ClericBlackDave]

I'm writing this after listening to 105.7 this morning regarding the Maryland Football situation as well as the NFL's new helmet rule.

First, the start of my post is this premise: Football DOES have a problem moving forward.

Denial does not help fix this problem. And before you shoot the messenger, the NFL knows it has a problem. The NCAA knows it has a problem. I think most people watching know the game has a problem if they dont' have their heads in the sand. And no, the problem isn't the Anthem protests. Or, that the game is better enjoyed at home. Or, that fantasy football and ESPN and PFF are ruining football. Or that the younger generation doesn't appreciate football culturally, blah blah blah.

The problem with football is that someone is going to die on the field soon, and there will be 2 major results. Most importantly, 1) Parents will stop letting their Kids play, which will destroy the game from the inside. Already beginning to happen. And 2) People will stop watching the game when a death on the field utterly turns them off to it.

To the NFL Helmet rule - lets call it what it is - its the Shazier rule. Dude almost killed himself on the field launching himself like a missile. If he had died on the field, the ratings moving forward are worse IMO, and you'd have ever more parents pulling kids out of programs. I hear the old guard parrotting the war on football angst, "just let the men play a men's game!" "just get them to sign waivers" "you knew the risk going in". The problem with these, again, is that they do NOTHING to solve the core problem and resulting outcomes, which are parents don't let kids play football, and a big part of the NFL greater audience opts out.


to the MD situation - this kid dying is bad news. This is Corey Stringer dying https://www.active.com/articles/medi...ly-preventable but its a kid / amateur athlete, not a professional. This is almost 2 decades later when we should know better, sports science and medicine wise. Add to that verbal and psychological abuse, and its a problem. Again, I've heard the old guard parrot "how coaches communicate with kids builds character" "this is the wussification of football and of America" "Millenials need to toughen up" blah blah blah. None of those comments do anything, again, to address or solve the core problem which is that parents won't let their kids play, and ratings and attendance will suffer. In this case, we didn't have a kid die on national television, but he died in training and its nationally notable and at a major program. I don't think Durkin can, or will, or should, come back from this. The program is going to be set back. And the game is set back. And we're getting close to the death on the field that will end this.


I love football. But its going to have to evolve to exist popularly the way it has, rather than as some reduced sideshow.


This all reminds me of the UFC evolving. Someone realized they couldn't have some featherweight fighting a superheavyweight. They realized they couldn't allow arms to get broken in the cage, or someone to drop a 90 degree elbow to a face pinned to a mat. They realized what they had to do to make a brutal sport just slightly less brutal.


Football needs to do the same. Big hits will still exist. There needs to be more form tackling however. Guys have to stop launching themselves as missles. They have to REALLY play "heads up" football, and stop dropping their heads to tackle. They gotta wrap up and lead with the shoulder, rather than looking for the 1970's killshot that turns the opponents brains off, therefore causing a fumble.

I think people tire of seeing their childhood heroes used up and decrepit at age 45. Parents dont' want to see their kids end up that way physically, or even worse, mentally with the CTE. No-one wants to see someone die on the field in the modern era. We've been close (Kevin Everett, Ryan Shazier)


Hate on Goodell, hate on the Owners, but they are trying to do something. I think they have to.


Flame away!

[PeterB58]

Interesting comments. My only reply is that the MD football player died doing conditioning drills that could have been a part of any sport (men or womens). I don't think there was anything unique to his death that can be attributed to football-only. That does not in any way excuse the responsibility of the coaches and trainers that were conducting those drills.

[Corey]

Nicely written and there are several NFL QB's that agree or agreed with you. Back around 2009 or 2010 there was a round table that included Matt Ryan, Big Ben, and a few other QB's. I want to say one was Carson Palmer. Anyway, they all agreed that eventually it would happen.

I still dont think football is at risk of losing players the way people think because it will still be a way out of poverty for kids from low income homes and it is still a free ride through college for those same kids. They cant all make it to the NBA or on a Major League roster. And being an NFL star pays a hell of a lot better than playing over seas or on a AA team.

I do agree that you will see less kids from middle class families and you certainly wont get the kids like Manziel, who come from money.

Well written post.

[wickedsolo]

Interesting comments. My only reply is that the MD football player died doing conditioning drills that could have been a part of any sport (men or womens). I don't think there was anything unique to his death that can be attributed to football-only. That does not in any way excuse the responsibility of the coaches and trainers that were conducting those drills.

Agreed and he died because the coaching staff and training staff were negligent/incompetent.

[filthflarnfilth]

I'm writing this after listening to 105.7 this morning regarding the Maryland Football situation as well as the NFL's new helmet rule.

First, the start of my post is this premise: Football DOES have a problem moving forward.

Denial does not help fix this problem. And before you shoot the messenger, the NFL knows it has a problem. The NCAA knows it has a problem. I think most people watching know the game has a problem if they dont' have their heads in the sand. And no, the problem isn't the Anthem protests. Or, that the game is better enjoyed at home. Or, that fantasy football and ESPN and PFF are ruining football. Or that the younger generation doesn't appreciate football culturally, blah blah blah.

The problem with football is that someone is going to die on the field soon, and there will be 2 major results. Most importantly, 1) Parents will stop letting their Kids play, which will destroy the game from the inside. Already beginning to happen. And 2) People will stop watching the game when a death on the field utterly turns them off to it.

To the NFL Helmet rule - lets call it what it is - its the Shazier rule. Dude almost killed himself on the field launching himself like a missile. If he had died on the field, the ratings moving forward are worse IMO, and you'd have ever more parents pulling kids out of programs. I hear the old guard parrotting the war on football angst, "just let the men play a men's game!" "just get them to sign waivers" "you knew the risk going in". The problem with these, again, is that they do NOTHING to solve the core problem and resulting outcomes, which are parents don't let kids play football, and a big part of the NFL greater audience opts out.


to the MD situation - this kid dying is bad news. This is Corey Stringer dying https://www.active.com/articles/medi...ly-preventable but its a kid / amateur athlete, not a professional. This is almost 2 decades later when we should know better, sports science and medicine wise. Add to that verbal and psychological abuse, and its a problem. Again, I've heard the old guard parrot "how coaches communicate with kids builds character" "this is the wussification of football and of America" "Millenials need to toughen up" blah blah blah. None of those comments do anything, again, to address or solve the core problem which is that parents won't let their kids play, and ratings and attendance will suffer. In this case, we didn't have a kid die on national television, but he died in training and its nationally notable and at a major program. I don't think Durkin can, or will, or should, come back from this. The program is going to be set back. And the game is set back. And we're getting close to the death on the field that will end this.


I love football. But its going to have to evolve to exist popularly the way it has, rather than as some reduced sideshow.


This all reminds me of the UFC evolving. Someone realized they couldn't have some featherweight fighting a superheavyweight. They realized they couldn't allow arms to get broken in the cage, or someone to drop a 90 degree elbow to a face pinned to a mat. They realized what they had to do to make a brutal sport just slightly less brutal.


Football needs to do the same. Big hits will still exist. There needs to be more form tackling however. Guys have to stop launching themselves as missles. They have to REALLY play "heads up" football, and stop dropping their heads to tackle. They gotta wrap up and lead with the shoulder, rather than looking for the 1970's killshot that turns the opponents brains off, therefore causing a fumble.

I think people tire of seeing their childhood heroes used up and decrepit at age 45. Parents dont' want to see their kids end up that way physically, or even worse, mentally with the CTE. No-one wants to see someone die on the field in the modern era. We've been close (Kevin Everett, Ryan Shazier)


Hate on Goodell, hate on the Owners, but they are trying to do something. I think they have to.


Flame away!

Soft moist society. Football is life. When we played football back in the day, we practiced without water, coaches cursed you out on the regular and people knew you could die on the field. It is what it is. People died in boxing too. I’m sick of al the moistness

[PeterB58]

Soft moist society. Football is life. When we played football back in the day, we practiced without water, coaches cursed you out on the regular and people knew you could die on the field. It is what it is. People died in boxing too. I’m sick of al the moistness

Did you compare boxing to football? I think you just made his point...

[wickedsolo]

Did you compare boxing to football? I think you just made his point...

What he's saying is that people today are super sensitive about everything.

Dying through heat exhaustion isn't a football only thing. People die from heat stroke or exhaustion every summer from yard work.

Concussions aren't only a football thing.

The reality is that football is hard. And the further you go (high school, college, NFL, CFL, etc) the harder it gets. What people need to determine is if the injuries and risks are worth the reward - and the reward can be extremely lucrative.

Just because something is risky or hard doesn't mean it's bad or wrong.

[filthflarnfilth]

What he's saying is that people today are super sensitive about everything.

Dying through heat exhaustion isn't a football only thing. People die from heat stroke or exhaustion every summer from yard work.

Concussions aren't only a football thing.

The reality is that football is hard. And the further you go (high school, college, NFL, CFL, etc) the harder it gets. What people need to determine is if the injuries and risks are worth the reward - and the reward can be extremely lucrative.

Just because something is risky or hard doesn't mean it's bad or wrong.

Exactly!! This whole society than got straight soft as cotton. Football is hard. If you don’t wanna play, don’t play. Next thing you’ll know we will have rules for war. Guess what ain’t no rules! But that’s what you get in today’s society!

[PurplePill]

It will soon be a sport played nearly entirely by kids from poor backgrounds. As a parent with kids in high school currently I can tell you that many families of means are no longer letting their kids play football. My son got hurt in a scrimmage before his first game last season and gave up football. Honestly I'm thrilled he's not going back. He's doing track sports now.

[QuothDaRaven]

Exactly!! This whole society than got straight soft as cotton. Football is hard. If you don’t wanna play, don’t play. Next thing you’ll know we will have rules for war. Guess what ain’t no rules! But that’s what you get in today’s society!

Dude there are ALREADY dozens of rules for war. Or are unarmed women and children fair game? (Note: “collateral damage” doesn’t constitute a rule.)

In today’s day and age with today’s understanding of human physiology and hydration requirements and nutrition, there is zero reason for a single athlete to die from heat stroke. Absolutely ZERO, if the coaches and the athletes understand what they’re dealing with. If they don’t understand, and they decide to push it to the limit in 105 degree heat and a 300lb guy heatstrokes to death, that’s not toughness, that’s negligent homicide.

You can push yourself hard without killing yourself. I don’t think society has gone soft because we don’t want our athletes dead from heat stroke or so brain damaged they can’t hold a conversation..

Sure there are risks in every endeavor, but that doesn’t mean we don’t bust our asses in every way humanly possible to minimize those risks. I’m all for looking at every possible way to make football safer.

I’m all for the rule changes, and I’m all for any way to make the game safer for the KIDS who are playing it. I’m sure gladiatorial combat was kickass to watch back in the day, but at some point we decided as a society that it wasn’t cool to feed people to lions for entertainment. Same goes with concussive traumatic encephalopathy, paralyzing hits, and dying from preventable overheating.

Times change and people will always resist that change. But it’s inevitable. The truth is football is already changed forever. Some people just don’t realize it yet.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ravenswintitle]

I think they do have a problem but it's the opposite of what I think the OP is saying. The problem is that they are trying to take the hits out of the game, and I'm not sure how long the game will sustain if they do that. I understand there is no choice - the ongoing lawsuits, the increase scrutiny on CTE, and players who regret the damage done.

But they're flagging textbook tackles just because a helmet made contact. I'm not sure where this will go..

[moose10101]

Interesting comments. My only reply is that the MD football player died doing conditioning drills that could have been a part of any sport (men or womens). I don't think there was anything unique to his death that can be attributed to football-only. That does not in any way excuse the responsibility of the coaches and trainers that were conducting those drills.

Well, there is one aspect of it that's "football-only", and that's his size/weight, which places added stress on his internal organs. I don't see reports about soccer, lacrosse, etc. players having heat stroke nearly as often as football. And in many cases, players are pressured to add weight that isn't natural for their frame, which adds even more stress.

But this incident doesn't expose the dangers of football as it does the dangers of putting people in charge without clear guidelines and monitoring to protect the athletes. Too many people (fans, boosters, administrators) just want results, and won't tolerate anything getting in the way.