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NYT article on the popularity of high school alumni football:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/sports/clinging-to-youth-at-a-cost.html
Have any readers participated in this sort of thing?
Couldn't help thinking of this guy when reading the article:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fmh5e-9bn8w
There was an article in Sports Illustrated about these games within the last couple years. I always thought it would have been pretty fun to play, because I've stayed in pretty good shape and I just like playing competitive sports. But I think it's a lot easier to recover from a torn ACL or a broken bone when you're younger, not just because young people heal quicker, but because you have fewer responsibilities. A 43-year-old guy (like the guy mentioned in the article) with two or three kids and a full-time job who ends up on crutches for two months really turns his daily life upside down.
Edit-misread your statement.
I have nothing of importance to contribute.
My high school has done those for years. They tried to get me to play. I refused on the basis that one of two things would have happened: I would get hurt or seriously hurt someone. At 6'7" and 300 lbs while receiving college training as a OL, it might have been ugly.
I will say this, none of my HS teammates got hurt playing those games, though.
My high school does this as well. Although when the games take place it more like 22 middle aged men, smoking under their helmets, running half-heartedly around the field for a while. The only injury I would be fearful of is a heart attack.
I would have loved to play legit football one more time...but my HS never did it and I doubt half the kids on my team are even in remotely bad shape to even contribute.
We do it in hoops all the time and it is pretty fun but I would love to strap the pads on one more time.
Is really taking off here in Northeast Ohio. We played 2 games last year and @ 35 years old I managed to survive. I will say my neck was stiff for a couple of months after all the other bumps and bruises went away. But I would also say if you get the chance to play, take it. No one had any major injuries and we all had an absolute blast.
I put this in a thread a few days ago. My dad played in one of these 35 years ago and lost both ACLs and never had them repaired. When I asked him why he said, "I had to go to work."
Most of the guys interviewed had jobs that required some level of physical activity. I kept wondering if potentially being unable to work was worth playing ball again. A lot of them were in terrible physical shape already.
My high school has something like this but MUCH less organized. We have what is called the Turkey Bowl which is played on the morning of Thanksgiving. No pads or helmets and its full contact. Of all the years I've played there has been no serious injuries but its more of a good time than trying to win.
California does this same game except its played in May or June and its played against our cross town rivals "Vintage" I was debating on playing in this game 3 years ago but changed my mind after hearing my buddy broke his arm during the game that previous year.
It would be fun to play again since our town is obsessed with football and usually 3-4 thousand people show up just for that game. The most entertaining part is seeing some of the hot cougars cheer leading again! But at age 33 with a 6 year old and one on the way in Feb my Al Bundy days are nothing more than just a memory
and get to practice for a while it works out just fine. i played until i was 42 yrs old and had our 3rd child, but when we came back to michigan there was no league to play in. I was asked to play on a semi-pro team this past year and the only reason i said 'no' was we have been blessed with more children and time is too precious and needs to be spent benefitting the family, not me.
key is to get a decent offensive game plan which can be hard to do if nobody's played for a while. remember, though we are quicker and more agile in our late teens and twenties, we are stronger and have greater endurance in our 30's and 40's, assuming you're taking care of yourself.
if you get the chance, go play. nothing like walking out of the tunnel at qualcomm with both of your body guards, one of whom also happens to be your 0-line mate, the other the middle linebacker. you don't think you'll ever see 20,000 people watch you play after college, but it can happen and you'll appreciate alot more when you are older.
I played for 7 or 8 years. The funny thing is that I didn't play after freshman year in high school when I played running back at 90 pounds and literally got thrown around a bunch. After high school, though, I gained 6 inches in height and played at about 180 pounds. *That* was fun.
We hit every Sunday morning for 2 hours. One year, I played nose tackle and one of my friends was the center. As soon as he moved the ball, bam! Then we would get up and our stomachs hurt from laughing so hard.
I had to stop after a living in Alabama for a couple of years as I had transitioned to tailback, but it was really hard just showing up for the game and getting the timing on plays and handoffs right.
I wish I could play now (despite the fact that I will turn 53 this week).
Tim
