OT- WP article about decline of football
Good article in the Washington Poat about the various forces causing a decline in football players and teams. The times they are a changing. Michigan is losing teams (see map in article)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/the-leading-edge-of-a…
August 23rd, 2017 at 1:53 PM ^
Ray Poat
EDIT: the post I responded to changed at the same time I posted this. Now my post makes no sense.
August 23rd, 2017 at 3:07 PM ^
New York Poet
Marie Howe, NY State Poet Laureate '12-'14
(Marie Howe, NY State Poet Laureate 2012-2014)
August 23rd, 2017 at 1:43 PM ^
I drove past a school near Redondo Beach yesterday on my way home and their was a football practice with what looked like HS JV aged kids. There were probably 80 kids out there in all Red uniforms running around. Footballs not dead yet.
August 23rd, 2017 at 2:00 PM ^
Yeah, people still play it.
But the data is as clear as day that less and less parents are getting their young ones involved in the sport.
Your cruise down Redondo seeing a practice is not changing the overall scope of what is happening.
August 23rd, 2017 at 2:04 PM ^
August 23rd, 2017 at 2:30 PM ^
The media's war against football continues!
August 23rd, 2017 at 2:30 PM ^
I can see the game changing, and for safety concerns it should. But I have my doubts about whether or not it's going away. It won't. The game is just so ingrained into this country's culture, and with how much money it generates both at the collegiate and professional level (and, if you're in Texas, at the HS level), people aren't going to just walk away from it. Football is a business, and business is a-boomin' my friends.
Sure, I can see more and more parents opting to tell their kids to go play baseball or basketball instead, but there are countless more parents out there who see football as their son's chance to go get a good education they otherwise could never afford, and perhaps one day make a better life for themselves and their family. For some, it's a way to get out of the hood and start over.
They know the risks involved with playing, but risking long-term injury or CTE years down the road to get money now is a far better option, to them, than sticking with what they've currently got. Which may not be a whole lot. It's hard for me to blame anyone in that situation.
August 23rd, 2017 at 2:31 PM ^
We will have to watch the other football (soccer) on autumn Saturday's in the big house.
August 23rd, 2017 at 2:46 PM ^
from the wrong end? Football is a violent sport and no amount of equipment will prevent injuries particularly concussions.
Maybe a better approach is mandatory routine diagnostic exams during and after the season to determine if the brain is being negatively impacted by the sport. Granted, often the injury doesn't manifest itself immediately but regular exams may give some indication of potential problems.
As for the other injuries, its the risk we all take in many sports and daily activities.
August 23rd, 2017 at 2:59 PM ^
That would be better than nothing, but I think the long-term issue is that not many people are comfortable playing (or letting their kids play) a sport where it's a good idea to frequently get checked for a brain injury. And once that injury happens, it's irreversible.
In addition, adding two neurological exams per player would make football prohibitively expensive at most levels.
August 23rd, 2017 at 3:02 PM ^
On the eve of our third straight National Championship under Harbaugh, the SEC will ban football for a period of 7 years to study head injuries. The NCAA will uphold that action.