OT: Gregg Easterbrook at NYT suggests banning youth tackle football
Some interesting stuff to chew on re: concussions and dementia, plus some Super Bowl trivia and miscellany
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/10/upshot/take-the-tackle-out-of-youth-t…
February 9th, 2016 at 5:39 PM ^
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February 9th, 2016 at 5:39 PM ^
Banning it how, exactly? By criminalizing it? Doubtful. This is like someone else's idea to stop allowing Muslims into the country - not realistic, not feasible, and not legal. The only way youth tackle football will end will be by fizzling out from lack of participation, which is possible but not likely. The sport is just too popular, even understanding the risks.
February 9th, 2016 at 5:54 PM ^
February 10th, 2016 at 5:06 AM ^
I think it must depend on where you're from. CYO football in Detroit continues to be very active, with many teams fielding separate 5th and 6th grade teams. But actually I think popularity of the sport is strongest in the south.
February 9th, 2016 at 5:50 PM ^
February 9th, 2016 at 5:51 PM ^
But will your boyz play ?
February 9th, 2016 at 5:54 PM ^
February 9th, 2016 at 5:50 PM ^
1. GE has been espousing this POV for a while. He is consistent that way.
2. He also commented on the Bolden targeting call in the MSU game. He commented that it was Michigan's fault that Bolden targeted CC in the head. He never saw the game or footage and didn't bother talking about the hits on Rudock. I have stopped reading his columns since.
3. My wife commented during the MVP introduction that all of them are hobbling at the knee. Some of it is old age. Steve Young and Troy Aickman both retired due to concussion related problems. Steve McNair committed suicide. It's sad what becomes of these players when they hang up the cleats. It's a good thing that the awareness is increasing.
Hopefully there will be a happy middle ground.
February 9th, 2016 at 6:12 PM ^
McNair's suicide was especially egregious with two shots to the head and two to the body only one of which was from closer than one meter. Dude was determined to die....wait, what was that about his girlfriend having GSR on her hand with a single tap to her head?
February 9th, 2016 at 6:34 PM ^
My bad. Yes. However, if you remember the beating he used to take... never mind.
February 9th, 2016 at 6:16 PM ^
Steve McNair's demise was caused by having an affair with a crazy-ass 20 year old girl. She ended up shoting him to death and taking her own life. McNair's death was not a suicide.
February 9th, 2016 at 6:17 PM ^
Beat me to it.
February 10th, 2016 at 8:35 AM ^
February 10th, 2016 at 10:49 AM ^
Especially since in my case, that would be a 14 year-old. I would deserve to get shot.
February 9th, 2016 at 5:52 PM ^
February 9th, 2016 at 5:55 PM ^
to imagine football goes on the list of other age-related prohibitions someday. Cigarettes, alcohol, porn, etc.
Adults, go nuts. Kids, only do it when your parents aren't watching.
February 9th, 2016 at 6:08 PM ^
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February 9th, 2016 at 6:08 PM ^
People still read the NY Times? Huh, who knew?
February 9th, 2016 at 6:28 PM ^
Why don't you go back to your Highlights crossword. The adults (and dictators) are talking.
February 9th, 2016 at 6:11 PM ^
February 10th, 2016 at 8:51 AM ^
Very solid kid. Would be an excellent linebacker. We won't let him play. He has played flag and enjoyed it. My hope is that we can transition him to lacrosse where there is an opportunity to be aggressive without as high of a risk of head to head contact.
February 9th, 2016 at 6:13 PM ^
February 9th, 2016 at 6:26 PM ^
But I'm guessing even a lot of those trained coaches aren't fully aware.
February 9th, 2016 at 6:15 PM ^
February 9th, 2016 at 7:43 PM ^
February 9th, 2016 at 6:20 PM ^
The typical knee-jerk reaction of any statist is to ban everything. That is what we have here.
February 10th, 2016 at 8:50 AM ^
That is exactly right, but apparently there are a few people here who (a) think that's the right call (because of course they know what's best for someone else's children), and (b) either believe it could be done, or don't care (because it just sounds like the right thing to do).
February 9th, 2016 at 6:23 PM ^
I saw a series called Friday Night Tykes on Netflix recently and it was all the convincing I needed to support banning tackling until high school.
February 9th, 2016 at 6:56 PM ^
Way too young for that stuff.
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February 9th, 2016 at 6:53 PM ^
February 9th, 2016 at 7:02 PM ^
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February 9th, 2016 at 7:43 PM ^
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February 10th, 2016 at 9:02 AM ^
Rugby tackling like the Seahawks practice is great at preventing concussions, which is a huge step. But it doesn't do much about sub-concussive impacts, like those that happen every play along the offensive and defensive lines. Although the long-term effect of repeated sub-consussive impacts isn't perfectly known, there is evidence to suggest that they might be quite dangerous as well.
February 9th, 2016 at 8:09 PM ^
This is an issue across all sports.
Parents push kids into hyper-competitive sports at too young an age.
Kids that are 10-12 with blown up knees, torn up arms, stress fractures because of these "traveling teams" that play all year just to get an edge. I know girls and boys this has happend to in swimming, cheerleading, baseball, lacross.
These coaches convince parents to give them big $ to have their kid that one edge up.
I don't know that bans are going to work, these types will just put their kid in a different sport and he will get injured there.
February 9th, 2016 at 8:57 PM ^
Same clowns that have a problem with tackle football but no problem sending women into combat. They won't be happy until America is a giant vagina.
February 9th, 2016 at 10:45 PM ^
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February 10th, 2016 at 6:32 AM ^
February 10th, 2016 at 8:52 AM ^
That's not difficult
February 10th, 2016 at 10:25 AM ^
Exactly.
February 9th, 2016 at 9:42 PM ^
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