Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirty
VEGANGELICA, I don't think you completely know what you are talking about regarding NFL football. NFL officials aren't fighting protective measures AT ALL. Over the past few years they have started penalizing and fining players more for helmet-to-helmet contact and late hits on the Quarterback. Yesterday they stated that players would be suspended for head-to-head collisions and 'devastating hits.'
Most former players are really opposed to this, as are many fans (myself included)... Nobody supports unnecessary helmet-to-helmet contact (I dont think), but the view of many is that the game of football is becoming ridiculous in regards to hitting players. Penalties get called almost anytime a player touches the Quarterback. You can't even touch above the neck or below the waist anymore.
|
Yes, NFL officials have started to get tougher about preventing concussions and brain injuries OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS...but that follows YEARS of ignoring and minimizing the problem, Dirty. Evidence that I know what I'm talking about
:
Quote:
Concussions and Head Injuries in Football - The New York Times
As scrutiny of brain injuries in football players has escalated in the past few years, with prominent professionals reporting cognitive problems and academic studies supporting a link more generally, the N.F.L. and its medical committee on concussions have steadfastly denied the existence of reliable data on the issue.
|
And:
Quote:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/sp...oncussion.html
Dr. Ira Casson and Dr. David Viano, members of the [NFL League's] committee [on brain injuries] since 1994 and co-chairmen since 2007, co-authored most of the group’s published research papers whose conclusions regarding head injuries were met with considerable criticism from medical peers. Casson has been the league’s primary voice discrediting all evidence linking football players with subsequent dementia or cognitive decline, drawing criticism from fellow scientists, players and ultimately Congress.
Most critics said that their primary concern with the N.F.L.’s handling of concussions and research into them was that it often misled the public about the seriousness of football brain injuries.
|
Dirty, here is still more evidence that the NFL ignored the problem of player brain injury for years, and fans don't like the rules designed to protect players:
Finally, a very condemning article, holding fans responsible for the brain trauma experienced by players...
Quote:
" + pageTitle + "
For years the NFL has disputed the findings of independent researchers, which showed concussions, especially multiple concussions, were far more dangerous to players than originally thought.
Thankfully, the NFL has finally begun taking some responsibility for protecting its players from the dangers of concussions. As of December 2009, if a player suffers a concussion he is barred from re-entering practice or play for the rest of the day. This is an obvious improvement over the previous rule, which only barred a player until their symptoms subsided.
The NFL recently capitulated to its detractors and increased the harshness of its wording for the 2010 season. The new poster reads "[traumatic brain injury] may lead to problems with memory and communication, personality changes, as well as depression and the early onset of dementia." The new poster is definitely a step in the right direction, but it does not go far enough.
Why not tell the players about how of the six deceased NFL players, ages 25-50, who have been autopsied, the brains of all six looked like those of 80-year-old Alzheimer's patients?
Why not tell them about how an 18-year-old football player, who sustained multiple concussions, died and had similar brain damage to an Alzheimer's patient four times his age?
If playing football is so dangerous, why don't the players just stop?
Well for one, the bare minimum any NFL player can make, even if he only plays three games in the season, is $295,000, and according to the NFL Players Association the average salary in the NFL is $1.1 million annually.
So who is to blame for this predicament?
We are.
Players only rake in these salaries because we watch them play. Just from an economics point of view, these are men who, for the most part, have been raised since the time they were in grade school to play football. It would be irrational for them to turn down these huge salaries and go work at McDonald's.
Their education has always been given a backseat by their fans and by the people they are supposed to be able to trust — their families and coaches. What marketable skills do NFL players possess other than the game they've been trained to play and love since childhood?
|
This last article makes me especially angry at football fanatics...because the article is exactly right: fans, spending money to watch other people clobber each other, encourage the perpetuation of mental damage suffered by the athletes, whose "education has always been given a backseat by their fans and by the people they are supposed to be able to trust - their families and coaches."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirty
It isn't about knowing them personally or where the players come from. Every fan, every player, has a common goal: Seeing a world championship for their team. People care because to many people, sports are FUN. I grew up watching and playing lots of sports and simply put; they are exciting and fun to watch. When you really understand the sports, you develop a respect for how talented the professional athletes are.
It's like someone who grew up playing music listening to professional guitarist or pianists or whatever. Once you understand something in-depth, you just appreciate it.
|
I agree that many football players have developed great athletic skill and the ability to think strategically quickly. Being able to drop a ball in with such finesse to someone running at full speed is extremely impressive. But I'd argue that the "game" is much more than just "fun" to many fans. Otherwise, why would they get so upset if one team or the other wins? I mean, really ANGRY at the opposing team and those who support them:
An SEC Murder: When Fans Go Too Far | Bleacher Report
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirty
Not directed at me, but here's my 2 cents. Absolutely fans care about the players health. Nobody wants to see anyone get injured! That being said, everyone (including players) also realizes that football is a physical sport where injuries are a possibility. You make it sound like you have to choose between either caring for players health or getting drunk and having fun. It's BOTH.
|
I'm glad some fans care about football players' health, although the quote I mentioned earlier suggests fans care more about seeing an exciting game than seeing the players' brains stay intact within their skulls. It's true, I made it sound as if people who are having fun getting drunk and rooting for "their team" can't also be caring for players' health. You are right: fans can do both -- have fun and want players to be safe. And yet, they pay to watch an inherently dangerous sport.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Violent & Funky
This thread can be about anything! There are no limits to what we can discuss!
|
Yes, that's what I like about this thread.
I think it should be named "The Conversation Thread," if there isn't one already, because this thread is like conversations I have in non-computer life: you start with one topic, such as the difference between Spain's Spanish and Mexico's Spanish, and 30 minutes later end up discussing the Wizard of Oz flying monkeys!
At least, that's what happened with me in a conversation at work yesterday.
