Obama uncomfortable with football, wants to "reduce some of the violence"

[Darth]

Old article, but worth its own thread:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbad...t-obama-questions-safety-of-playing-football/

What a nation of warriors we are these days, eh.

“In some cases, that may make it a little bit less exciting, but it will be a whole lot better for the players, and those of us who are fans maybe won’t have to examine our consciences quite as much."

EXAMINE OUR CONSCIENCES? Football is a great outlet for the masculine instinct. In lieu of war, it develops courage and bravery. Obama and other men should be EXCITED to watch football- it should serve as an outlet for his own conquering urges.

This makes me sick. I'm not talking about politics, just the very idea that men should feel guilty for being "rough" with each other (as if modern men weren't pansies enough). Is our president a woman??

And incidentally, what about other masculine games/sports that have been pussified or lost popularity, such as darts, car racing, and boxing? What has replaced all of this? Reality TV?

What a bunch of ****!

 

[speed dawg]

It's not really about being 'rough'. It's about debilitating injury. Athletes are bigger and faster than they used to be, and are hitting harder. But honestly, that used to be a deterrent for receivers going across the middle, and for QBs to get rid of the ball. So I'm in the middle on this one, not sure how I feel about it.

I also feel like those personal foul calls that result from this should penalize the player, not the whole team. But that's a separate issue.

In the end, nobody forces you to play football. You know the risks, just like fishing for crab in Alaska.

 

[( . )( . )]

And I think that those of us who love the sport are going to have to wrestle with the fact that it will probably change gradually to try to reduce some of the violence --- Buck Obummer

He's been charged with the task of stamping out any and all traditional masculine pursuits it seems but this pesky NFL may be a harder fight maybe? Nah.

What's to "wrestle" with? A leftist hepcat raised by a single mother = it's gotta go, or at least be dumbed down and downgraded enough that the masses of beta's lose interest and switch over to Jersey shore or 1 of the thousand edgy cooking reality shows.

There's more reliable bread and circus tactics available to the libtards now anyway, they can pretty much sh!tcan the more older fashioned "macho" testosterone spiking ways with the newer generations.

edit: I lol'd at his "I'm a big football fan" comment. He must have had a brain fart and forgot true football fans don't really say "I love this game, but it's too violent". What a nimrod.

 

[ScottMustaine]

Why would they ban car racing ? Where's the violence in that ? What morons.

 

[twentee]

oh. maybe things like guys getting their heads pulled off in crashes. is THAT violent enough for you?

 

[ScottMustaine]

oh. maybe things like guys getting their heads pulled off in crashes. is THAT violent enough for you?

Still not violent as urinating on dead bodies of dead soldiers to promote freedom and justice of U.S.A. .


And throwing nuclear bombs on Hiroshima, watching people walk while their skin peels of their faces.

 

[Who Dares Win]

I tought you elected the first black president (according to the bragging of international leftists, especially the european ones) not the first man b00bs?

I mean bombing from distance unschooled arabs who dont even know how to read a map let alone strike the us is completely ok, no actually its necessary and good while some athletes who represent the masculine essence and do such sport with total free will must be limited?

This is the same logic I would expect from a middle aged kindergarden teacher, you know those mentally challenged women who dont punish he who starts the fight but the one that made the other cry regardless who was the responsbile.

 

[twentee]

u aint talking to me, bro. I know damned well that we don't need the regular Army at ALL, nor the ICBMS , nor the surface navy, nor the Marines. Believe me, just our submarines, the coast Guard, the spec ops guys and the Nat'l guard would be a great plenty. Between our worthless spy outfits and the military, we WASTE over a TRILLION $ a year. If a few hunter-killer teams sent to a trouble making country can't resolve the problem, I guarantee that 1-3 backpack nukes will do so. The guys can fly in on ultralight, launched from a sub. Totally unstoppable, by anybody, and it costs almost nothing to do so, either.

. If just the Marines wanted to, they could put up a double fence all aloong our southern border, in 1 month. I mean 6 rows of stacked concertina wire on each side of the 15 ft of kill zone between the fences.. In another month, they could put in flares, mines, and rifle towers every 1/4 mile. then the MILITIA, without costing tax payers a DIME, could and would 'man" the rifle towers, by rotating VOLUTEERs, with the death sentence for anyone firing a shot that impacted anywhere but the "kill zone" (ie, between the fences).

Once the fence is in place, give the 20 million illegals (includes those who GOT here illegally, in pregnant mom or because wimpy pols gave them "amnesty", 30 days in which to leave. then, 24-7, all tv stays, start showing HORSEWHIPPINGS of employers who hire illegal aliens. Any of them still here after 30 days, get "illegal" tattoed on forehead, knees smacked with hammer, and shipped back to country of origin. let the ones who SPAWNED them pay for burial, gd it. Cause THEY would just shoot them, as we ought to do! every other country in the world would have went to war with Mexico 40 or more years ago, if they suffered the sort of abuse that we do.

 

[Bible_Belt]

The leather helmets might actually have been safer, at least in regard to long-term brain injuries. In those days, players would often lose teeth, break noses, and bleed profusely from head cuts. It looked horribly violent, but using your head as a battering ram didn't really start until hard shell plastic helmets came out. Doing so does not cause immediate injury or that much pain; you just get knocked out for a second or two. The only way to keep players from using their head as a weapon is to remove the safety gear that keeps it from hurting. But if we did that, players would be covered in blood. It would be gruesome to look at, and the NFL would not sell as much merchandise. They have to keep the players looking good, because they are basically models for a clothing company. Selling t-shirts is much more important than actual sport.

 

[twentee]

My problem with it is for every guy who makes it to the big time, there are dozens,if not scores, who have serious, sometimes lifelong injuries. I see no reason to bother with it at all. It aint like football teaches you something USEFUL, like karate or shooting do. So why risk the injuries, hmm? BFD, you are a football hero in high school or college! 5 years later, nobody remembers what team played what other team, who won what games, nor do they care a lick about what happened to such and such player.

 

[taiyuu_otoko]

Frequently there'll be newspapers or websites that rank the best jobs, based on things like income, job availability, upward mobility, job satisfaction, etc.

Pro football player usually ends up near the bottom. High risk of injury, very short career span, not much lateral career potential, etc.

Crappy job.

But kind of like the whole "I didn't know smoking caused cancer" argument, you'd have to be pretty thick to think that being a pro NFL player didn't come with significant risk of debilitating injury.

That being said, there may be significant potential of long term brain injury that's widely misunderstood among would-be NLF stars.

I don't think they should change the sport at all, but at least let players know at a early age the REAL risks, in terms of percentages.

Like, if you play football for X years, (pro semi pro, or whatever) you have Y percentage chance of getting a brain injury.

But I agree with the OP. The pres has no business talking about football safety. Boobs or no boobs.

 

[sageproduct]

I also feel like those personal foul calls that result from this should penalize the player, not the whole team.

Would not work man. The good thing about the whole team being penalized is that the offending player is letting down HIS WHOLE TEAM. He sacrificed the causes of 50 other players, not to mention the coaches, owners, and fans, for the sake of roughing someone up. No one wants to let others down.

Now if the penalties were strictly individual, I see the number of penalties skyrocketing. No one is going to blame you for roughing someone up - in fact, your teammates will probably see you as "taking one for the team" by personal fouling someone. It's like a man being much more concerned about keeping his job if he has a family to feed rather than just him alone relying on his work.

The leather helmets might actually have been safer, at least in regard to long-term brain injuries. In those days, players would often lose teeth, break noses, and bleed profusely from head cuts. It looked horribly violent, but using your head as a battering ram didn't really start until hard shell plastic helmets came out. Doing so does not cause immediate injury or that much pain; you just get knocked out for a second or two. The only way to keep players from using their head as a weapon is to remove the safety gear that keeps it from hurting.

I like this a lot. I wonder how current NFL players would feel about it. Shoulder pads only exist because of our metal "concussion-free" helmets. Knee pads and thigh pads only exist because of the former two. The bleeding thing might be a problem though, for health standards.

Plus it would help make our European and Australian friends shut the fwck up from saying "You Americans are such puss1es wearing all those pads for football, real men play rugby"

 

[FairShake]

Do Rugby players suffer similar injury rates?

More short term injuries like fractures and contusions and less long term injuries like concussions and spinal problems. Older football was like rugby. And it was more boring to watch.

The NFL has to do something about the head injuries. With former players (the warriors you are talking about) dying and suffering the way they do the upcoming lawsuit binge will either end up changing the game or killing it. There are no other ways.

 

[ArcBound]

More short term injuries like fractures and contusions and less long term injuries like concussions and spinal problems. Older football was like rugby. And it was more boring to watch.

The NFL has to do something about the head injuries. With former players (the warriors you are talking about) dying and suffering the way they do the upcoming lawsuit binge will either end up changing the game or killing it. There are no other ways.

I'm actually a neuroscience major graduating this year and this is actually big problem in football. Head injuries add up and accumulate damage that manifests itself later in life. In fact for a long time NFL didn't even allow research into their players.

The head trauma these football players get is very real. IMO they should just know the risks and still be allowed to play football like they do today. Fighters know what's up when they enter an arena, and as long as football players know they can injure their mental function permanently then they can tackle each other all they want.

 

[Dust 2 Dust]

My question is can the game really get much safer than it is now?

The NFL has banned elbow and forearm shots, head contact on QB's, tackling QB's below the knees, horse collar tackles, blocking below the knees, head shots to receivers. What else is there?

In MMA and boxing there is a mandatory 90 medical suspension for fighters following a concussion, but if footballers had to sit out 90 days that would pretty much be the season.

I think the way the rules are heading were now going to start seeing mandatory ejections and suspensions for players who inflict the illegal hits rather than just 15 yard penalties.

The NFL is also considering eliminating kickoffs and doing a "punt off" instead to reduce high trajectory hits. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap10...oodell-mulls-idea-of-eliminating-nfl-kickoffs

 

[Poonani Maker]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162...m-u.s-for-1st-time-secretary-kerry-announces/

 

[ArcBound]

My question is can the game really get much safer than it is now?

The NFL has banned elbow and forearm shots, head contact on QB's, tackling QB's below the knees, horse collar tackles, blocking below the knees, head shots to receivers. What else is there?

In MMA and boxing there is a mandatory 90 medical suspension for fighters following a concussion, but if footballers had to sit out 90 days that would pretty much be the season.

I think the way the rules are heading were now going to start seeing mandatory ejections and suspensions for players who inflict the illegal hits rather than just 15 yard penalties.

The NFL is also considering eliminating kickoffs and doing a "punt off" instead to reduce high trajectory hits. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap10...oodell-mulls-idea-of-eliminating-nfl-kickoffs

Like I said let them play it the same way they do now. Just let the players know the risks.

"Study: Repeated Mild Hits Cause Brain Damage

The growing evidence of a link between head trauma and long-term, degenerative brain disease was amplified in an extensive study of athletes, military veterans and others who absorbed repeated hits to the head, according to findings published in the scientific journal Brain in December 2012.

The study, which included brain samples taken posthumously from 85 people who had histories of repeated mild traumatic brain injury, added to the mounting body of research revealing the possible consequences of routine hits to the head in sports like football and hockey. The possibility that such mild head trauma could result in long-term cognitive impairment has come to vex sports officials, team doctors, athletes and parents in recent years.

Of the group of 85 people, 80 percent (68 men) — nearly all of whom played sports — showed evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or C.T.E., a degenerative and incurable disease whose symptoms can include memory loss, depression and dementia.

Among the group found to have C.T.E., 50 were football players, including 33 who played in the N.F.L. Among them were stars like Dave Duerson, Cookie Gilchrist and John Mackey. Many of the players were linemen and running backs, positions that tend to have more contact with opponents."

Study with majority football players found that even mild injuries add up to give permanent brain damage. I don't think toning down the sport would be a good idea, but at least let the players know the risks. For a long time the NFL didn't even allow their players to know the risk.