WorkingAllTheTime Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 (edited) Last year, although he was largely scoffed at, Mark Cuban predicted the implosion of the NFL within a decade: http://espn.go.com/d...-away-implosion Now, granted, his comments were in reference to the NFL trying to expand their TV coverage (and even their sugggestion of expanding the regular season to 18 games) in the context of greed, but he seemed to be pointing a finger at the overall culture of the league. Fast forward to today and we now layer in this rash of early retirements this off-season and I can't help but wonder if Cuban might have a point. One thing is for sure, a number of these players have mentioned quality of life and injury as the reason for their wanting to leave now. It's also not just about the growing information about CTE and the league's apparent refusal to anything substantive about it. A couple of comments have been about how these players see veterans who can't walk, have chronic back issues, etc (side note: a few years ago, I met Earl Campbell in a chance opportunity - he was a very pleasant man and I enjoyed talking to him, but it broke my heart seeing how badly his hip condition is hurting him). So, is this the first of many more early retirements to come? Sure, there will be a lot of players who won't retire early, but will the continued news of a handful year-after-year further drive parents (many of whom who are already considering steering their kids away from football) to other sports? Even here in Texas, the "Bible Belt" of Football, we are already starting to see the tide turn against youth football and there are lots of folks asking some hard questions. Just curious what others think. My opinion is this: If the NFL and NCAA don't do anything to modify the game to make it safer (for example, take lineman to a two point stance among some other ideas) then the game is doomed. Cuban's 10 year countdown may be a bit too early, but I don't think 2 decades is out of the question. Edited March 17, 2015 by WorkingAllTheTime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnRogers Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 NFL scouts are thinking how can they spot "early retirement" in prospects. More changes to the game are coming. Will the NFL increase interest and money to Heads Up Youth Football? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Principled Man Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 For every player who retires early, there will be at least two players willing to take his place. There will be an increase in early retirements due to all the newly found info on brain damage. Of that we can be sure. However, there will always be young men willing to risk injury for that big fat contract. Also, there is not much the League can do to prevent all those full-speed collisions suffered by linebackers, running backs, safeties, D-backs, and wide receivers.....unless they want to make the sport two-hand tag. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babycat Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Just read the Chris Borland, San Francisco 49er linebacker has quit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick N. Backer Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I played football (not well) as a kid. My son plays. Anyone with Comcast/Xfinity should look for a great documentary they had On Demand called "Head Games" about concussions in sports, including youth sports. Honestly, if my son told me he didn't want to continue playing, I'd be OK with that. And I agree with PM that as you go up the food chain of playing, I don't see how some injuries can be avoided without fundamentally changing the game. Now, if my son told me he wanted to stop playing hockey, I'd pack his suitcase for him. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReRushed Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Honest question - how prevalent are concussions in sports like soccer and rugby? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick N. Backer Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Honest question - how prevalent are concussions in sports like soccer and rugby? Actually, according to the documentary, concussions in soccer are pretty common. You'd think that in a non contact support they'd be rare, but apparently not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughedatbytime Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Honest question - how prevalent are concussions in sports like soccer and rugby? Actually, according to the documentary, concussions in soccer are pretty common. You'd think that in a non contact support they'd be rare, but apparently not. There needs to be more emphasis at soccer clinics about how to flop safely. Until then, these injuries will continue to occur. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorkingAllTheTime Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 For every player who retires early, there will be at least two players willing to take his place. There will be an increase in early retirements due to all the newly found info on brain damage. Of that we can be sure. However, there will always be young men willing to risk injury for that big fat contract. Also, there is not much the League can do to prevent all those full-speed collisions suffered by linebackers, running backs, safeties, D-backs, and wide receivers.....unless they want to make the sport two-hand tag. I agree there will be others willing to take their place. However, the level of talent will likely drop. Just as expansion diluted the talent pool (imagine the NFL without Jax, Carolina, Houston, and reboot Cleveland - you see a much more talented league, yes?), early retirements threaten to do the same. Regarding mid-field collisions, there actually is something they can do.... they can go to the rugby regulation of requiring a full wrap for tackle. It would require reteaching the game down to the Pop Warner level and would definitely change the style of play. Its impact on the game would likely mean a much more effective running game. Fans may not like it. It might not sell. But, let's be honest, fans are just as much a part of the problem as owners. Fans talk a big game about wanting a clean sport, a safe sport, a sport without troubled players or a criminal element.... but fans keep lining up and buying tickets, TV packages, and jerseys. We talk out of both sides of our mouths. We are all hypocrites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorkingAllTheTime Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 (edited) I played football (not well) as a kid. My son plays. Anyone with Comcast/Xfinity should look for a great documentary they had On Demand called "Head Games" about concussions in sports, including youth sports. Honestly, if my son told me he didn't want to continue playing, I'd be OK with that. And I agree with PM that as you go up the food chain of playing, I don't see how some injuries can be avoided without fundamentally changing the game. Now, if my son told me he wanted to stop playing hockey, I'd pack his suitcase for him. :) My son.... a monster of a man now at 6'5" and built like a mountain... developed a slight fracture in his femur during his high school varsity playing days. He told me he didn't really want to play anymore and that it wasn't worth the injuries (one known prior concussion, one broken foot, lots of bruises) and he wanted to walk away and... get this... join the debate team. I fully supported him. Keep in mind I love the game, played at many levels, and have more than one friend who played on Sundays (I was never even close to that level of talent, but played with some guys who were), but I fully supported him and any kid who doesn't want to play the game. It is a brutal, violent game that is only getting more brutal and violent. The players these days are ridiculously large, yet still run like deer. The physics are scary. Edited March 18, 2015 by WorkingAllTheTime 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorkingAllTheTime Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 Honest question - how prevalent are concussions in sports like soccer and rugby? Actually, according to the documentary, concussions in soccer are pretty common. You'd think that in a non contact support they'd be rare, but apparently not. Soccer and baseball, actually. Second base slides/collisions are notorious for concussions and broken bones. Rugby, for all it's seeming violence, is actually not too bad, at least in the context of head injuries. There are specific rules about how to engage in a tackle and some other factors that actually have a positive effect compared to other sports. That is not to say, though, that rugby does not have its share of injuries or concussions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughedatbytime Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Honest question - how prevalent are concussions in sports like soccer and rugby? Actually, according to the documentary, concussions in soccer are pretty common. You'd think that in a non contact support they'd be rare, but apparently not. Soccer and baseball, actually. Second base slides/collisions are notorious for concussions and broken bones. Rugby, for all it's seeming violence, is actually not too bad, at least in the context of head injuries. There are specific rules about how to engage in a tackle and some other factors that actually have a positive effect compared to other sports. That is not to say, though, that rugby does not have its share of injuries or concussions.The fact that no one is sober has to help some... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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