Middle class abandoning football
Makes me wonder about how college football changes also. Any thoughts?
Death of NFL inevitable as middle class abandons the game
"You really think the NFL is worried about young athletes? If so, they'd have changed the rules years ago, abandoning face masks, enlarging the ball to make it difficult to throw, switching to one platoon football."
I didn't know about one platoon football before (or the phrase). Some research pulled up this article about Fritz Crisler: The Man Who Changed Football
Sports Illustrated article starts: "When the NCAA Rules Committee voted a return to two-platoon football last month, one of the least surprised men in the country—and one of the most pleased—was Fritz Crisler, athletic director of the University of Michigan. Crisler is a life member of the Rules Committee."
September 8th, 2017 at 4:42 PM ^
September 8th, 2017 at 5:35 PM ^
I think it depends on how old the kid is. Playing full contact football before puberty is ridiculous in my opinion. I won't let my kid play "pee wee". But come middle school if he wants to suit up then I'm ok with it.
September 8th, 2017 at 11:39 PM ^
Encourage your kids to wait to play football. Playing full contact as an 8 year old provides no athletic advantage and I think you seriously run the risk of burning them out at a young age.
September 9th, 2017 at 12:14 AM ^
September 8th, 2017 at 4:58 PM ^
How can you stop your son from playing football? In the CTE thread a few weeks ago people told me that parens have no ability to prevent their sons from playing.
September 8th, 2017 at 5:57 PM ^
I have a 2.5 year old son and I will certainly do everything I can to dissuade him from playing football, and encourage him to play other sports throughout the football season.
September 8th, 2017 at 5:37 PM ^
You're basing this on a tiny data point from people who had a much greater number of collisions and at a much greater force than your son ever will unless he's in the .1% of the population in terms of ability. How come every American who played four years of high school football at a medicorce level aren't walking around suffering from the effects of CTE or concussions?
Further, there are life lessons you learn from playing football. I'm not alking about the obvious physical toughness gained from playing football. I'm talking about the emotional and mental toughness. The ability not to shut down when you get metaphorically hit in the mouth.
September 8th, 2017 at 5:44 PM ^
You'd be a great spokesman for the tobacco companies. I think they used that same line, "if smoking causes cancer, why doesn't everyone have it?"
Yes, the collisions are not as violent. They haven't sustained as many. But the brain of a child is not even close to being developed.
September 8th, 2017 at 9:20 PM ^
September 8th, 2017 at 10:55 PM ^
Concussions are a buzz word that the media picked up and ran with and it's led to this huge misunderstanding surrounding brain injuries. It's also the torch that CTE deniers use to support their arguments.
The root cause of CTE in football is not a concussion. It's the smaller hits to the head that accumulate and cause brain trauma. Those hits will never cause a player to have a concussion. Former players who struggle with memory loss and other signs of brain trauma have said they were never diagnosed with a concussion, ever. Trent Dilfer said he lost consciousness in every game he played in going back to high school.
Yes, there are concussions in other sports but girl's soccer doesn't put you in a position to hit your head on every play.
September 9th, 2017 at 3:05 AM ^
If someone gets lung cancer, you'd be right to ask if he or she has ever smoked. And the vast majority of the answers to that question would be "yes." Not everyone who smokes automatically gets lung cancer. But most people that do get lung cancer have a history of smoking.
September 8th, 2017 at 9:24 PM ^
September 8th, 2017 at 5:51 PM ^
have to suffer the consequences for the risk to be considered too much? Of course not everyone suffers the effects. But some do, and we aren't really sure what percentage of HS football players do suffer the consequences. Depression, alcoholism, and illnesses of the brain are hard to measure.
Some people smoke and live to their 90s. Is that an argument that you should let a 12-year-old smoke? Because he's not gauranteed to get lung cancer? EDIT: Sorry, beaten to punch by a minute with the tobacco comparison.
Is it not ok to just let parents decide for themselves whether they want to take those risks without being judgemental jerks?
September 9th, 2017 at 8:36 AM ^
September 8th, 2017 at 6:11 PM ^
September 8th, 2017 at 6:31 PM ^
September 10th, 2017 at 11:51 PM ^
September 8th, 2017 at 7:04 PM ^
September 8th, 2017 at 11:56 PM ^
I realize there is a lot of focus on the long term health implications of playing football, but have you actually done the research? Obviously it's up to each parent to protect their children how they see fit, but there is an intelligent debate behind this without defaulting to ridicule for the other side. Just throwing this out there, but here is an interesting perspective from the other side...the same % chance your child could get a concussion from driving a car. Are you also going to say parents who continue to let their kids drive cars "breathtakingly stupid"?
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-resilient-brain/201402/would-y…
September 8th, 2017 at 4:10 PM ^
the funniest thing about this to me is that I honestly believe that
a) WD developed a political philosophy around Harbaugh's manliness rhetoric
and
b) it's probably diametrically opposed what Harbaugh actually believes
September 8th, 2017 at 4:16 PM ^
A "political philosophy" and a "creepy shrine to Harbaugh filled with jack-off material" are two totally different things, FYI...
September 8th, 2017 at 8:51 PM ^
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September 8th, 2017 at 5:09 PM ^
September 8th, 2017 at 4:11 PM ^
Also, the number of kids giving up soccer for other sports drops year after year after year after year.
September 8th, 2017 at 7:54 PM ^
That "last bastion of hope" quote is the biggest load of bullshit from any Michigan coach.
September 8th, 2017 at 8:14 PM ^
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September 8th, 2017 at 3:46 PM ^
September 8th, 2017 at 4:15 PM ^
Nope. You're wrong.
September 8th, 2017 at 3:44 PM ^
Enjoying your day off WD?
September 8th, 2017 at 3:47 PM ^
Gotta get ready for the game!
September 8th, 2017 at 4:00 PM ^
Beat cincinnati.
September 9th, 2017 at 8:35 AM ^
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September 8th, 2017 at 3:51 PM ^
September 8th, 2017 at 4:21 PM ^
I feel so bad for you. I really do. But I still loathe you.
September 8th, 2017 at 4:27 PM ^
I'm not sure why you are making the "fake news" argument. This isn't news, its a hot take.
September 8th, 2017 at 4:27 PM ^
... all the writhing around in pain turns me off... But, if you haven't noticed, soccer's comin'. As a middle-class father of a football playing 8th grader (not a light decision), I can promise you there is a palpable resistance to youth football right now.
The "media" has nothing to do with it.
September 8th, 2017 at 4:33 PM ^
Beat the Cincinnati Fighting Angeliques
September 8th, 2017 at 4:54 PM ^
My kids' high school didn't have enough kids to field a team this fall. Centennial High in Ellicott City MD.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/centennial-high-schoo…
So yeah, it is a problem and it is getting larger. I would venture a guess that other high schools in the county will follow suit, although it may take some time.
September 8th, 2017 at 7:14 PM ^
September 8th, 2017 at 7:40 PM ^
to the CTE news, which once again, is being taken as "football causes CTE and it's way too risky." And factually, this position is incorrefor today-- based upon the evidence at hand.
Everyone has a right to decide for themselves and their kids about the risks, obviously. And if they beleive it's too risky that's their decision and choice. Period. But it's simply not true that we know enough currently to make the statement that the risks are, as that one announcer said" unacceptable. Article below.
http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2017/07/the_press_is_ov…
September 8th, 2017 at 2:42 PM ^
What do you mean you didn't know about one-platoon football?
I've never really thought about not knowing that. Like, did you think half of the team was missing from those Yost-era Michigan team photos with like 12 guys in them?
September 8th, 2017 at 2:43 PM ^
I think I meant two things. First, I never heard the phrase. Second, and I didn't know it took a rule change (or Michigan's influence).
September 8th, 2017 at 3:18 PM ^
When substitutions were limited by the 1946 rule
The 1946 rule permitted free and unlimited substitution whenever the clock was dead for any reason. It also put a limit on time-outs. The recently adopted new rule permits unlimited substitution with one restriction: a team must sacrifice a time-out when it sends in a platoon during the progress of a period when the clock is running.
Punting teams used to take a deliberate delay of game to put their full kicking team in. . Clock stopped for the penaly and the teams brought in their kicker, long snappper and usualy a couple of smaller, faster linemen.
September 8th, 2017 at 3:17 PM ^
This is why they play platoon football. They didn't want this guy on the field for the whole game.
September 8th, 2017 at 2:42 PM ^
If boxing isn't dead, then I seriously doubt football will ever die.