Ban football?

[SturgisJeff]

A doctor in New Hampshire wants to ban football for high schools.

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/10/0...l-in-dover-nh/

[goon]

Re: Ban football?

Might as well ban driving. That can be dangerous too.

[witness]

Re: Ban football?

Doctor must have entered football in this program: http://www.youtube.com/#/watch?v=uDf...%3DuDffmOSVnBM

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: Ban football?

I love football, but the medical evidence is mounting. And it is pretty damning.

IMO, there isn't a need to ban football due to its dangerous nature. All it will take is a big enough chunk of suburban parents banning their kids from playing it...

A couple articles I've recently read on this topic:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/82...-espn-magazine

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...5982/index.htm

I think if the powers that be can't figure out a way to make football safer, in 50 years it could be as relevant as heavy weight boxing is today.

[joeboo22]

Re: Ban football?

Banning football is a little extreme but some things need to change. I'm not that old, yet I remember watching a game where my friend got lit up on a play, goes to the sidelines is saying he can't see, goes back on the next play, scores a touchdown, falls down running back to the sidelines, and the next series is back on the field. When 8th graders know how to "cheat" the concussion baseline test and no one is strong enough on the sidelines to say no he can't go back in, or no he can't play this weekend, it tells me something needs to change.

And that is one thing that made me somewhat upset when people started mentioning integrity and the NFL when it came to replacement officials. The NFL is the same league that until very recently never had any concussion guidelines and still won't agree to have a league concussion doctor on the sidelines to evaluate players. The NFL needs to be the leaders when it comes to this and for the most part they have been afraid too, mainly because the threat of lawsuits from former players.

I know the technology is getting better, the helmets are lighter and better, the pads are lighter and better and all of that helps, but at the same time if guys are getting concussions as often as they are reported today with this technology how many were getting concussions 10+ years ago that were never reported?

[UWMandSDSU]

Re: Ban football?

We, as in the group of researchers that I work with, started a study this past fall looking at the number of impacts that a group of Jr. FB players take throughout the season. We inserted sensors into their helmets that gives us linear acceleration, angular acceleration, and a host of other things. Pretty interesting stuff. There is still a lot to learn before anyone starts to say that football should be eliminated (if it should be at all). Our group is looking at not just the huge hits they may take but also the volume of hits that these players take throughout the season (practices and games).

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: Ban football?

Banning football is a little extreme but some things need to change. I'm not that old, yet I remember watching a game where my friend got lit up on a play, goes to the sidelines is saying he can't see, goes back on the next play, scores a touchdown, falls down running back to the sidelines, and the next series is back on the field. When 8th graders know how to "cheat" the concussion baseline test and no one is strong enough on the sidelines to say no he can't go back in, or no he can't play this weekend, it tells me something needs to change.

And that is one thing that made me somewhat upset when people started mentioning integrity and the NFL when it came to replacement officials. The NFL is the same league that until very recently never had any concussion guidelines and still won't agree to have a league concussion doctor on the sidelines to evaluate players. The NFL needs to be the leaders when it comes to this and for the most part they have been afraid too, mainly because the threat of lawsuits from former players.

I know the technology is getting better, the helmets are lighter and better, the pads are lighter and better and all of that helps, but at the same time if guys are getting concussions as often as they are reported today with this technology how many were getting concussions 10+ years ago that were never reported?

Better diagnosis doesn't equal prevention. You can take a kid out after he gets a concussion, but you can't really stop him from getting it.

I have a different take on why the NFL isn't leading the way on this. They know. And if they don't know, they have a really good idea what the sport does to the athletes who play it. If/when that information gets out it will be very bad for them.

Joe, you might be interested in reading points 29-32 in the ESPN article I posted earlier. I think anyone interested in this topic should really read the ESPN article. It is full of really, really interesting tidbits.

[joeboo22]

Re: Ban football?

Better diagnosis doesn't equal prevention. You can take a kid out after he gets a concussion, but you can't really stop him from getting it.

I have a different take on why the NFL isn't leading the way on this. They know. And if they don't know, they have a really good idea what the sport does to the athletes who play it. If/when that information gets out it will be very bad for them.

Joe, you might be interested in reading points 29-32 in the ESPN article I posted earlier. I think anyone interested in this topic should really read the ESPN article. It is full of really, really interesting tidbits.

I agree, I just think that a solid step would be making sure that people with concussions don't go back out there. I think the biggest thing though is telling people what can and is happening to these athletes. I hear way too many times the our equipment is way safer, or we teach them the right technique or our doctors are better, etc. But I don't here the you can really hurt your brain.

[UWMandSDSU]

Re: Ban football?

I agree, I just think that a solid step would be making sure that people with concussions don't go back out there. I think the biggest thing though is telling people what can and is happening to these athletes. I hear way too many times the our equipment is way safer, or we teach them the right technique or our doctors are better, etc. But I don't here the you can really hurt your brain.

Agree, the education of every one, which includes athletes, parents, and doctors, about the seriousness about head injuries need to improve. We also conducted a study where we sent a survey out to all of the family physicians in North and South Dakota about their knowledge and their treatment of athletes w/ suspected concussions. Education on treatment and management of concussion patients needs to improve w/ the group that submitted their surveys.

[RabbitObsessed]

Re: Ban football?

I think the biggest thing damning football is that there have been studies that show that it's not the big hits that do the damage, but the constant little collisions that build up over time.

[NoVaJack]

Re: Ban football?

We, as in the group of researchers that I work with, started a study this past fall looking at the number of impacts that a group of Jr. FB players take throughout the season. We inserted sensors into their helmets that gives us linear acceleration, angular acceleration, and a host of other things. Pretty interesting stuff. There is still a lot to learn before anyone starts to say that football should be eliminated (if it should be at all). Our group is looking at not just the huge hits they may take but also the volume of hits that these players take throughout the season (practices and games).

This sounds fascinating and vital. Congrats. A great idea. There's got to be a reason the NFL is spending $100 million on safety research and development.