Originally Posted by anticipation

That's easy; they haven't. American football is far from the most barbaric sport on earth, and the game has only been getting more and more benign as time has passed. It's funny that a game that is only played by a few select countries is regarded as one of the world's most influential and important sports. For example, rugby features harder hits, faster plays, and no padding and receives no scrutiny from the mainstream media. Hockey has had players die, paralyzed, and put into a vegetative state for over 100 years, and they're just now making incredibly feeble attempts at retributive punishments for those who head hunt.

Saying football is the most barbaric sport in the world is a little far-fetched, and in my opinion any movement away from physicality in sports is a bastardization of competitive play.