"I wonder in 50 years, will we have football?" USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan mused on Sunday. "We're going to have it for the next 10, 15, 20, 30, probably. But 50 years? I don't know," she told ABC's "This Week" with Martha Raddatz.
The conversation was spurred by news that the late Hall-of-Famer Frank Gifford, who played football in the 1950s and early 60s, had traumatic brain injury that was diagnosed only after his death in August.
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13 comments:
But how will we entertain the ignorant masses so we can take advantage of them?
i wont be around in 50 years so I don't care.
Here's the deal... EVERYTHING has a risk associated with it. You must choose whether that risk is worth the reward. For kids, reward of pleasure and pride in playing football worth the risk of injury? Obviously the younger the player, the less risk of severe injury due to the slower pace of the game and reduced impact based on their size. As kids grow up, they have to continually assess their risk/reward situation and make that decision - or their parents need to make that decision.
As far as the NFL goes... I'm sorry, but the players are compensated handsomely for their risk. Even at league minimum, NFL players make $405,000 per season. That's more than I make in 8 years. Many of them make more in a single season that I will in my lifetime. If I had to make the decision to get paid millions of dollars in one year and risk getting injured, I'd take that money and say "bring it on!" Not many people wouldn't if they could. That being said, these lawsuits against the NFL from players and their families seeking compensation for injuries is ludicrous. I can understand a lawsuit if negligence was to blame (like coaches forcing injured players to play) but not if a player decided to play while knowingly being injured or if a player got hurt, didn't play after injury and is simply seeking compensation for being injured on the job despite getting paid millions to do something that could very likely end in injury. I feel that the NFL is addressing injuries rather well now with their protocol; however, many of the cases we see now stem from decades ago when players played injured due to NFL negligence and lack of injury protocol. New cases that come up after the enhanced protocol should be handled on the individual basis to determine if negligence was truly to blame. I'm sorry that I'm not sorry for a man that gets injured while getting paid millions to play a game. You ARE going to get injured if you play any sport, some more so than others, and that is part of the reason these players are paid so much. Lower the salaries and see who still wants to play. I bet that if every player was paid the league minimum we would see an immense exodus of players leaving the game. Why? It's simple... the risk is far greater than the reward.
We also live in a world of technology vs performance vs safety. To achieve a certain performance level, players choose lighter, smaller, thinner equipment. Those attributes come at the expense of safety. Thinner helmets and smaller pads = less protection but more performance. Just look at a photo of a 1970's NFL play and a photo of a 2015 NFL player. The players of the 70's look HUGE! But that is only because the safety equipment has evolved into smaller, lighter, thinner to meet the performance desires over the years. This is where technology comes in. Researchers are working on ways to meet the performance needs of the players as well as the safety needs. This doesn't happen over night; it takes time.
As for the kids... obviously they aren't paid to play; however, they (and their parents) need to be advised of the risks associated with playing any sport. They need to be educated on symptoms of certain injuries and treated accordingly. They, their parents and their coaches need know when a play should or shouldn't play. You CANNOT eliminate injuries in athletics; however, I personally think that we need to focus on improving equipment (which is happening) and identifying negligence.
It could end tomorrow and the world would go on. It has zero effect on peoples lives.
11:38 must be a Ravens fan. I'm sorry you suck this year.
Who Cares, I like sports but ALL sports are pricing themselves out of existance. Paying players $30 to $60 million a year is ridiculous. You can't afford to go to the games anymore because the price of the tickets and concessions are too high.
Somebody better show up in my living room during NFL season or come up with another game with equal entertainment value.I've spent a lot of money buying my NFL recliner & decorating my man cave.Now Kathy stands to ruin it all with a monumental lawsuit aimed at the NFL in general.The new flick coming out with Will Smith will only back her up 100%.Don't say I didn't warn you.
Boxing will need to go away for that reason, too.
Soccer...guys have died on the field. Basketball has become more of a contact sport now, too, and they don't have helmets when their heads hit that hardwood floor. Surfers have died. Skateboarders have died even with helmets on. No more horseback riding, either. Christopher Reeve's neck was broken from getting thrown from a horse.
In short, I rather agree with the first commenter. But maybe the question was asked from the perspective of whether a sport could sustain through the constant litigation.
If you think that sports are pricing themselves out of existence then you haven't been paying much attention. The NFL made 9 BILLION dollars last year, with a B. The quick answer to this question is, yes we will still have football in 50 years. There will always be people willing to risk their lives to earn a handsome living. As long as there are patrons willing to pay to watch these games, yes you will see football. The NBA will be raising their salary cap next season. The going rate for an ace in the MLB is over $200 million dollars. If the teams are paying this much money, that means they can afford to do so. In turn, this must mean we are willing to pay to see this happen. As long as people are attending and watching the sporting events, they will continue to happen.
12 billion profit for 2015. 15 percent jump from 2014. And yet we still have homeless and starving people in USA
Itll be more like womens soccer by then.
People have been amused by violence for centuries. Gladiators competed to the death for the amusement of the crowd. It is our nature to enjoy the violence of a fierce competition. The NFL isn't going anywhere.
The REFEREES will destroy the game to the point of being unwatchable. Fix games will be the norm like boxing.
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