Is The Sport of Football Truly Dying?
Mates,
Like a number of other Mgobloggers, I coach football. Sign up for the football leagues up north is set to close on Friday for this upcoming season. The numbers of kids signing up for football all over the NW part of the lower peninsula are way, way down. In our area, in the last 5 years we have gone from fielding something like 18 teams to fielding possibly 6 this year. That is an incredible drop in participation and if it is seen across the country does not bode well for our favorite sport.
As one who played football until late in life I think it would be a shame to see the demise of such an exceptional game. Perhaps it is inevitable though. Please share your experiences and insights on this topic. I am hoping for good news from you all.
XM
I also get into arguments all the time about helmets and how good/bad they are. What people don't realize is that a helmet is to protect from immediate trauma, caused by things that might strike your head. What NO helmet can prevent is your brain sloshing about.
I remember years ago the NYTimes had a long form piece on the history of football helmet technology and its relation to concussions. From what I remember, helmets were basically invented to prevent skull fractures and catastrophic (sometimes fatal) head injuries. They do basically nothing to prevent concussions.
The article did say some helmet manufacturers have been developing anti-concussion helmets (basically, big with lots of padding to reduce the sudden stops of the head), but that they were still too bulky and heavy.
If everyone has to wear the same helmet, it has no effect on competitive balance. Or were the helmets so bulky and heavy that they were causing other physical problems for wearers?
It was a few years ago, so I don't totally remember the specifics (and googling "concussion helmet nytimes" did me no good). But I think the issue was that they were like non-functional. Just way too heavy and bulky to be actually wearable.
The problem isn't ESPN leading a concussion story, it's the NFL pressuring ESPN to back away from the working the PBS/FrontLine story on concussions. Nothing raises the perception of danger like a mega-corp trying to suppress a story.
No.
There are colleges around the country adding football. Quite the boom lately with DI schools like Georgia State, Mercer, UNC-Charlotte, UTSA, Old Dominion, South Alabama, Kennesaw State adding the sport.
Maybe the youth football is changing in MI which is an MI problem. All that's going to mean is that the gap between Michigan HS talent and that in OH is going to widen even more.
So what does the XX in the logo mean? I probably missed it.
Wow. I sure did miss it!
Hope your bday was great.
You should just put up a banner ad about your birthday.
We know.
Please consider accepting mgopoints in exchange for banner ads.
now that's a little funny.
Here's some perspective for you, I retired from the military before you were born.
So you are stating the OP's story is isolated/not representative based on ... what exactly?
You are absolutely correct WD. High school football participation is actually increasing nationally, but declining in MI. According to NFHS, MI participation peaked in 2007 (right at the recession) at 46,000 football players. It has slowly declined about 1,000 participants a year. 39,000 last year, even though the number of schools offering football as a sport increased. It's directly related to the state's population. I would think the numbers would improve as people move back to MI.
http://www.nfhs.org/ParticipationStatics/ParticipationStatics.aspx/
Your link shows a slight uptick in the most recent year (data almost two years old) from the previous one, but below the football participation numbers seen in the late 2000s. Not exactly solid evidence of an increase.
Yeah, sadly just wait two years until all the media attention on concussions filters down to kids that would be coming thjrough the system. It's going to fall off substantially.
RAND did an interesting survey on this last year. Basically, very high percentages (almost half) of U.S. adults say they're uncomfortable with their sons playing football and hockey. The vast majority (~95%) is fine with their sons playing baseball, basketball, and track, with soccer (89%) slightly behind. A disproportionate share of the concern for youth football/hockey came from college-educated parents.
I met a coach from Missouri who said the same thing was happening there, and I'm pretty sure it's a national phenomenon. Actually, these articles all say exactly that. The one from CBSSports is particularly dire, and the one from 538 posits an interesting explanation - beyond concussions, there is an economic factor that makes it possible for some to participate where others can't. But all suggest the sport is in trouble, and i wonder if those programs yu mentioned made the right choice.
http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/page/popwarner/pop-warner-youth-foo…
http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/fewer-kids-are-playing-football-but-…
http://www.cbssports.com/general/writer/gregg-doyel/24233232/decline-of…
unfortunately, yes.
Enrollment in youth soccer is outpacing youth football exponentially. On one hand, this bothers me, on the other as a father, my kids aren't playing football and I am good with that.
Don't bring facts with you to a blog!!
It's not a fact just because he said it authoritatively. It got my attention, but I'd like to see a source and more details.
My cousin Louie said he's right.
You're good.
Stopsportsinjuries.org
During a coaching clinic they had more detailed numbers from all sports even skate boarding which was actually the highest. I wish I had access to those numbers but I do not this source was just a Google search
My daughter played 5 years D1 Soccer on scholorship...her team made 2 NCAA tournament appearances, she was a team captain for 3 years and she had the time of her life. I sat in the recovery room with her 4 times as she endured 3 ACL replacements and 1 miniscus trim...and watched her struggle through each rehab experience. She followed her dream sport and I would do it all over again...more importantly, she would too. Injuries happen. Play smart, head up football, and follow your passion, young men.
Head injuries (which are far more prevelant in football) are an entirely different beast than ligament injuries. You can't paint it with such a broad brush.
Yeah, except millions of kids play soccer through middle school, through high school, in college, and on and on.
I hate this comment and the tones of faux masculinity it implies.
The article is nearly a year old, citing figures from 2013/2014. We'll have to see if the pattern really holds.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
Hardly surprising.
Enrollment in youth house leagues in my are has been on a steady decline. Positively associated with concussion links etc.