Goodell wants to eliminate kickoffs

[coastal]

Re: Goodell wants to eliminate kickoffs

Of course.

As a fan I'm willing to delude myself, I just need something plausible. I can't watch boxing anymore because all I see is brain damage. But I can still watch MMA, because although the fighters still get KO'd the lack of a standing eight count dramatically reduces the post KO punches. Logical? Not really but it's plausible enough that I can watch for now. In a few years if all the current champs are punchy, I probably won't keep watching.

I really love watching football, but as the evidence mounts it's getting tougher to be a fan. I just need something to latch on to that's plausible and I'm more than happy to contribute my share to the revenue stream.

I hear ya... it's as bad if not worse for me because of my profession.

Based on some of your recent posts, I think you already know of what I speak of anyways.

watxhing Fred get elbowed by Babin last week was hard... Especially after his recent concussion.

sad actually.

[YardRat]

Re: Goodell wants to eliminate kickoffs

Modern athletic training has taken the modern athlete past the point that football can be played safely. They're too big strong and fast. The lifetime accumulation of hits guarantee severe brain damage for most professional football players. Fans won't watch if they know their heroes are being slowly killed. They need at least the illusion of safety.

The concussion problem the NFL faces is big enough to take down the game of football. I'm glad Goodell is trying to address it before he's forced to by lawmakers.

Pretty sure that's an exaggeration, but if anybody has any reliable statistics that 'most' suffer 'severe' brain damage I'd like to see it.

I also think it's a little inaccurate to state fans won't watch because of the threat of a 'slow death'. I would tend to think that a good percentage watch violent sports in anticipation of witnessing the big hit in football, crushing check in hockey, fiery crash in NASCAR etc, and possibly an equal or slightly larger percentage don't consider it a factor at all.

Next, although the players of the past may have a beef over being ignorant to long-term effects that some may eventually suffer, that's no excuse for the current crop of professionals and hasn't been for a few years...they know what they are getting into and they know the risks involved.

Finally, just IMO, MMA is the most violent and unwatchable 'sport' I've ever witnessed, have watched very, very little of it in the past and have no desire to watch it in the future at all and it's so obvious that the risk of long term affects are probably pretty high, so from my perspective I find it slightly incredulous that somebody can rail against boxing and football but maintain viewing MMA is still bearable until the participants inevitably start suffering from the damage.

[Parzival]

Re: Goodell wants to eliminate kickoffs

Modern athletic training has taken the modern athlete past the point that football can be played safely. They're too big strong and fast. The lifetime accumulation of hits guarantee severe brain damage for most professional football players. Fans won't watch if they know their heroes are being slowly killed. They need at least the illusion of safety.

The concussion problem the NFL faces is big enough to take down the game of football. I'm glad Goodell is trying to address it before he's forced to by lawmakers.

No, it's not. It makes too many people too much money. That's why guys like Goodell pay lip service to "making the game safer" while trying to add two games and make an 18 game schedule, and play games on Thursdays now.

Besides, no one is forcing these guys to play. Even the lowest paid player could retire from football and work a normal job living comfortably after one season. And even without the money, lots of people actually enjoy playing the game. Where do you stand on college ball? High school?

And as far as your assertation that "fans won't watch if they know their heroes are being slowly killed" I think you're underestimating what people will watch. You said yourself you like MMA...I find it brutal to watch someone turn another persons face into pulp.

[jimmifli]

Re: Goodell wants to eliminate kickoffs

Pretty sure that's an exaggeration, but if anybody has any reliable statistics that 'most' suffer 'severe' brain damage I'd like to see it.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/04/health/football-brain-disease/index.html

A study published Monday in the journal Brain, the most comprehensive look at CTE published thus far, adds fuel to the discussion, especially as it relates to professional football players.
Of the 35 players, 34 of them at the professional level, who had brain tissue sampled posthumously for the study, all but one showed evidence of disease.
CTE begins when repeated blows to the brain are not allowed to heal. With each successive blow, damage builds and a dense, abnormal protein called tau accumulates.
In its later stages, CTE can lead to things like rage, aggression, paranoia, and suicidal thoughts.

A link to the study for those interested:

http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/12/02/brain.aws307.short?rss=1

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a progressive tauopathy that occurs as a consequence of repetitive mild traumatic brain injury. We analysed post-mortem brains obtained from a cohort of 85 subjects with histories of repetitive mild traumatic brain injury and found evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in 68 subjects: all males, ranging in age from 17 to 98 years (mean 59.5 years), including 64 athletes, 21 military veterans (86% of whom were also athletes) and one individual who engaged in self-injurious head banging behaviour. Eighteen age- and gender-matched individuals without a history of repetitive mild traumatic brain injury served as control subjects. In chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the spectrum of hyperphosphorylated tau pathology ranged in severity from focal perivascular epicentres of neurofibrillary tangles in the frontal neocortex to severe tauopathy affecting widespread brain regions, including the medial temporal lobe, thereby allowing a progressive staging of pathology from stages I–IV. Multifocal axonal varicosities and axonal loss were found in deep cortex and subcortical white matter at all stages of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. TAR DNA-binding protein 43 immunoreactive inclusions and neurites were also found in 85% of cases, ranging from focal pathology in stages I–III to widespread inclusions and neurites in stage IV. Symptoms in stage I chronic traumatic encephalopathy included headache and loss of attention and concentration. Additional symptoms in stage II included depression, explosivity and short-term memory loss. In stage III, executive dysfunction and cognitive impairment were found, and in stage IV, dementia, word-finding difficulty and aggression were characteristic. Data on athletic exposure were available for 34 American football players; the stage of chronic traumatic encephalopathy correlated with increased duration of football play, survival after football and age at death. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy was the sole diagnosis in 43 cases (63%); eight were also diagnosed with motor neuron disease (12%), seven with Alzheimer’s disease (11%), 11 with Lewy body disease (16%) and four with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (6%). There is an ordered and predictable progression of hyperphosphorylated tau abnormalities through the nervous system in chronic traumatic encephalopathy that occurs in conjunction with widespread axonal disruption and loss. The frequent association of chronic traumatic encephalopathy with other neurodegenerative disorders suggests that repetitive brain trauma and hyperphosphorylated tau protein deposition promote the accumulation of other abnormally aggregated proteins including TAR DNA-binding protein 43, amyloid beta protein and alpha-synuclein.

[jimmifli]

Re: Goodell wants to eliminate kickoffs

I also think it's a little inaccurate to state fans won't watch because of the threat of a 'slow death'. I would tend to think that a good percentage watch violent sports in anticipation of witnessing the big hit in football, crushing check in hockey, fiery crash in NASCAR etc, and possibly an equal or slightly larger percentage don't consider it a factor at all.

If injuries like Kevin Everett's happened on a weekly basis, would you still watch? I'm sure there is a contingent of fans that still would, but I wouldn't be among them.

Next, although the players of the past may have a beef over being ignorant to long-term effects that some may eventually suffer, that's no excuse for the current crop of professionals and hasn't been for a few years...they know what they are getting into and they know the risks involved.

I think most of the current players grew up with coaches calling a concussion something along the lines of "getting your bell rung" and treatment protocols weren't what they are now. There is still a lackadaisical attitude towards concussions as evidenced by Fred Jacksons quick return.

Finally, just IMO, MMA is the most violent and unwatchable 'sport' I've ever witnessed, have watched very, very little of it in the past and have no desire to watch it in the future at all and it's so obvious that the risk of long term affects are probably pretty high, so from my perspective I find it slightly incredulous that somebody can rail against boxing and football but maintain viewing MMA is still bearable until the participants inevitably start suffering from the damage.

The brutality of MMA is in the eye of the beholder. Most of the time is spent clinched against the fence or grappling on the ground. When a solid punch is landed and fighter is unable to defend himself the fight is stopped. Most fights go to a decision (which is only 3 rounds). In comparison to boxing, the fight is paused for 8 seconds to allow the fighter to "recover" and receive continued shots to the head, post knockout. It's only stopped if that happens 3 times in a round or a fighter isn't able to reach his feet despite the time to recover. In terms of opportunity for brain injury there isn't much of a comparison. Boxing presents a much more serious risk.

Finally, I don't think I've railed against boxing or football. I've just stated that the entertainment value of contact sports really diminishes if our heroes are all ******ed. This isn't unique to football, or MMA, or Boxing or Hockey. It's something that every contact sport will need to address.

[Mr. Magoo]

Re: Goodell wants to eliminate kickoffs

Next thing Goodell would want is to have the players run down the field singing "Tip Toes Through The Tulips"......Common this is football and people are expected to get hit.

[Mr. Pink]

Re: Goodell wants to eliminate kickoffs

Want to eliminate the head injuries or considerably lower them?

Take away the helmets.

It's that simple.

[Dozerdog]

Re: Goodell wants to eliminate kickoffs

This is a quote from Ed Reed.

"If they were really so concerned about the violence and the injuries, players getting hurt, answer this question for me: Why is there Thursday Night Football? We played three games in 17 days. Why is there Thursday Night Football? Come on, man."
.

Well Ed, if you want to exchange that $44 million contract you signed for a $200,000 a year deal, I'm sure the NFL can go back to that "Old Timey Football schedule" of jut a 14 games just played on Sundays.

The NFL plays Thursdays so they can make Billions more- in which the players make Millions more.

[Dozerdog]

Re: Goodell wants to eliminate kickoffs

BTW-

Kickoffs wont be missed all that much=

If the NFL eliminated kickoffs tomorrow, and the XFL sprang up on Saturday and put in all the eliminated kickoffs/ QB hits/ Horse collaring/ rules protecting undefended WRs/ Rules protecting QBs, guess what product you would watch?

I would hate losing kickoffs- but I would hate it a lot more if my already expensive ticket was doubled due to insane insurance premiums & insane court awards that the NFL will have to address

Even if the NFL does not get rid of them watch High Schools and colleges possibly jump on this. They do not have the deep revenue to ward off the lawyers

[Historian]

Re: Goodell wants to eliminate kickoffs

Modern athletic training has taken the modern athlete past the point that football can be played safely. They're too big strong and fast.

Make the field bigger.

[Historian]

Re: Goodell wants to eliminate kickoffs

Even if the NFL does not get rid of them watch High Schools and colleges possibly jump on this. They do not have the deep revenue to ward off the lawyers

There are no kickoffs at the modified level, even though they do have kickers that kick extra points...just for this reason.

JV and V still have KOs.

[Night Train]

Re: Goodell wants to eliminate kickoffs

The biggest problem is the obscene amount of $$ being paid everyone in pro sports. Owners hate paying someone who isn't playing.

Yet I didn't tell them to give these guys 5-10 Mil a season and now they wish to change the game itself to preserve their investment.

You think the owners actually care about the players safety ? What nonsense. They view them as cattle.

At least I still have college football, which I love. The NFL is ruining the game.

[YardRat]

Re: Goodell wants to eliminate kickoffs

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/04/health...ase/index.html


A link to the study for those interested:
http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/cont...07.short?rss=1

I'll have to read the details of the study later, but it would be interesting to know how random the selection of the football players were. Pretty sure it wouldn't be too difficult to put together twice as many players (35 is a very small number compared to the total, which one would think the descriptive 'most' would be relative to) that show no symptoms of brain damage at all, let alone damage classified as 'severe'.

[DraftBoy]

Re: Goodell wants to eliminate kickoffs

Well Ed, if you want to exchange that $44 million contract you signed for a $200,000 a year deal, I'm sure the NFL can go back to that "Old Timey Football schedule" of jut a 14 games just played on Sundays.

The NFL plays Thursdays so they can make Billions more- in which the players make Millions more.

The increase in revenue the league is seeing this year due to extra thursday night games did not have a large impact on the cap so the league may be making billions more as you say but the players aren't seeing that increase as of now.

- - - Updated - - -

The biggest problem is the obscene amount of $$ being paid everyone in pro sports. Owners hate paying someone who isn't playing.

Yet I didn't tell them to give these guys 5-10 Mil a season and now they wish to change the game itself to preserve their investment.

You think the owners actually care about the players safety ? What nonsense. They view them as cattle.

At least I still have college football, which I love. The NFL is ruining the game.

Yup.

[OpIv37]

Re: Goodell wants to eliminate kickoffs

I said it was going in this direction a long time ago.

What a putz. I can't stand Goodell.