the sad thing is we still promote, idolize and rabidly watch this sport as these guys are slowing dying on the field in front of us. We might as well bring back gladiator fights, its more brutal and at least honest about the fact the participants are killing each other.

How anyone could let their kid play football in this day is age is unbelievable. Kids should be banned from playing football until age 18 when they are adults and can make their own decisions. Period, end of story...

We?


Drama much?


We have MMA.


And also none of your business.


My son chopped his finger off sitting a chair. Kids should be banned from sitting!!!!!!


Really the solution here is simple. Get rid of the pads and helmets in football.

Or, realize that everyone knows that football is dangerous and let people make decisions for themselves.

---

Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

Really the solution here is simple. Get rid of the pads and helmets in football.

That's called "rugby". Or, Australian Rules Football also...

Or, realize that everyone knows that football is dangerous and let people make decisions for themselves.

Pretty much this. Helmets and equipment are getting a little safer, but they're not quite keeping up with the speed and size of the players, not yet.

Go with 9 players on the field instead of 11 and make it 15 yards for a first down.

That would favor smaller players.

---

Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

I can honestly see the game evolving to something like this---maybe 20 years from now, but this wouldn't surprise me one bit.

A few years ago, the "A-11" offense became vogue, where the offense was spread all over the place, and theoretically all 11 players were eligible receivers...favoring smaller, quicker teams. Not sure how much it's even being used (this was primarily at the high school level), if while being technically a legal formation it violated the "spirit" of the rules, etc.

But that was a step in your proposed direction.

Or, realize that everyone knows that football is dangerous and let people make decisions for themselves.

Exccept that KIDS do not get to make an informed decision for themselves - their parents make it. I am not sure if many people when confronted with CTE as an adult would had they known and understood its impact as a kid continued to pursue that path.

I have no problem with people making informed decision - don't wear a seatbelt, smoke crack etc I do have a problem when kids are involved who have no informed consent in the decision making and you can hardly argue that parents who now know that there is a 1 in 4 chance that at 40, 45, 50 that should you pursue an activity in which repeated concussions are the norm, that there is every likelyhood you are going suffer from early onset dementia that this is in the best interest of a 7, 8 or 9 year old

Do it for the children!!!!!!

---

Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

Fwiw, my son mentioned playing football once.

I said no.

Same with boxing.

---

Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

I do wonder about football, BMX, mountain biking, free ride skiing, MX etc

all of them you take multiple big hits, I think the difference between all of them and football is that football is or can be a constant accumulation of minute knocks plus big hits, the others you may get your bell rung once every so often - I think for my kids I'd let them do the others but there is no way I'd let them play rugby or football

There is zero chance my boy is playing football. Screw that noise. Even hockey, I'll put him in non-contact if he wants to play.

Here's my question, how is the NFL going to survive? Less and less kids are playing football now. The talent pool will continue to shrink.

And with other sports you can remove concussion causing stuff. Hockey could eliminate hitting and it would still be a good product. Baseball could come down hard on pitchers throwing at batters. What can football do?

Yeah you can make the game faster thus having smaller players but the hitting is always going to be there.

---

How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

The NFL won't survive. It's already a dead man walking. The killshot already happened. It's just going to take a long time (decades) before it bleeds out and dies.

The billion dollar lawsuits are coming, and they will be brutal as well as far as football's future, but it's a whole generation of kids that are not playing football as much (the current crop of youngsters) and the next generation that won't play at all that will ultimately kill the sport. Anyone who doesn't believe the NFL is eventually dead is an idiot. I recall someone chiming in on a similar thread who was an asst. college coach or something. He told those of us that said football was dead that we were wrong. He of course had a vested interest, and was an idiot.

My son also wanted to play and we told him no chance. He did play flag football for five years.

I think any parent that allows their kid to play football in this day and age with what we know is negligent in doing their main job as a parent which is to protect your kid as best you can.

---

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

A guy on the radio I listen to was talking with a rich guy who was approached about buying into an NFL team and the rich guy basically said, "why would I put my money in the NFL? Will it even be around in 20 years?"

---

How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

the bolded is what seems to be the major issue, from what I've read. Little tears caused by solid-but-not-knockout contact is the main culprit, these go largely undetected and the players don't really feel or notice them. It's a hidden injury in many respects, but over years of contact it adds up. That's why linemen are far more susceptible to CTE and long-term effects: every single play they hit their opponent right in the helmet.

Doing away with helmets and reducing pads is the only answer, imo. And yes, to the people who say 'that's Rugby' - it basically is, and that's what American football needs to become if it's to survive long-term. It's a far more exciting sport anyway, at least to me.

People aren't looking 20, 30, or 40 years down the road. Props to that rich guy as he sounds like someone who will stay rich. The NFL is still going to ride high and be uber profitable for many years to come but the dark days are coming. If I'm a current NFL owner I'd be really thinking about an end game for the next 20 years.

I think the NFL is really going to start feeling the squeeze in about a decade. Less youth football participation means less high school participation which means less college which means less pro. Each year is going to get progressively worse.

---

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Look at the behavior of numerous NFL prospects and stars. They don't think 20 days down the road, much less 20 years. As long as there is money in the NFL, there will be parents who push their kids into the sport in hopes of having a big pay day.

Its that and i believe a testable genetic predisposition to it

Rugby wont survive in its current form either. Youtube george north concussions

Don't know and don't care.

It died to my when I was about 12. I watch the Super Bowl if I get invited to a party but that's about it.

I actually kind of look down on most grown men who are obsessed with football (or any sport that they don't play for that matter).

Most of the sports fans I see are obese.

---

Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

Not a chance. People don't realize that less than 1,700 people a year are on a NFL team so we're talking about a very small percentage of the population. Also, profits and viewship is through the rough and players sign waivers acknowledging the risks. The only reason the NFL got into legal issues with concussion is because they withheld knowledge of the issue. Most people are willing to risk the chance of concussions, and other bodily injuries, because they love the game and because they can make a lot of money. A rookie on the practice squad makes at minimum $465,000 a year. That's big money in and of itself but for many players their alternative career is asking people if they want to supersize their order.

Football at all levels have implemented rule changes and put a huge emphasis on proper tackling. I think someone who didn't play football is under the impression that everyone is getting concussions and that's the case. I played football from peewee's all the way through college and I never had a concussion and I can count the number of concussions I saw on one hand. Obviously, a concussion could happen on the opposing sideline that I wasn't aware of, but they are not as common as some people think.

I read one report form a doctor who believes the real problem is not taking enough time off after a concussion. Players who rush back or are strongly pushed to play have a much higher risk of additional concussions, and other brain injuries, if the brain hasn't fully healed from the initial concussion.

TLDR: Not everyone gets a concussion and pro players make a ton of money

A first concussion increases the likelyhood of a second

The fact is that irrespective of what you are saying. The pool of available talent is decreasing as parents with draw their kids.

The second thing is your experience is not tallying with the reported data. You say yoi've never seen one or only a handful. The reported data does not support that.

Finally. Maybe only 1500 or so make it to the big leagues. How many play HS. How many college.

Lets say it thins by 90% at each level. Thats 15k at college. Thats 150k in HS.

So we're not discussing 1500 at the pro level. We are asking where the 50, 100, 150k will come from in HS.

And with the lowered numbers in high school you will get lower quality in the NFL.

---

How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

Completely agree but apparently the OP doesnt think there is anything to be concerned about.

You are right. Where else is a kid going to go from college to a job where the minimum wage is a lot more than most people make in 10 years?

"If a player remains on the practice squad for an entire regular season, he would earn $112,000. A player with less than one accrued season on the active roster would earn a minimum salary of $405,000."

---

"The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do."

Yup, and there will always be players willing to play. But what kind of players are we talking about 20 years from now when all the best athletes are playing baseball, basketball, soccer, athletics... and not football so much?

---

How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

I suspect the talent pool is decreasing faster from educated upper and middle class families and slower from lower income families and population areas.

If there was a way to ban football fantasy leagues, I'm guessing the NFL's demise would be greatly accelerated. My belief is that the NFL's current "popularity" is being entirely propped up and carried by fantasy football.

Not related to the CTE issue, but since we're talking about how much longer the NFL may or may not last.

.