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So with all the mounting evidence about the permanent neurological issues that playing (or watching if you're a fan a Bad Team  ) football causes, especially this wonderful new report that 3 in 10 NFL retirees end up with some form of dementia, I'm personally finding it harder and harder to enjoy the sport as we know it. Especially considering how the industry is complicit in ruining the lives of countless numbers of starry eyed children - there was actually a player at my high school who ended up in a permanent vegetative state after our shitball of a head coach forced him to play after a concussion - the copout of "they're millionaires making the choice to play, so who cares?" is becoming more and more obviously bullshit.The NFL can institute all the high tech helmets, new rules, and protocols for concussion treatment that they want, but the fact of the matter is that football is a violent, dangerous sport, we all know this much to be true. A significant portion of the game is about hypermuscular men at the peak of athletic ability running into each other at a full sprint wearing billiard balls on their heads. While we can say that we only really enjoy a clutch, bonecrunching sack so long as everybody gets up for the next play, it just isn't possible that people won't get hurt playing this game, no matter how many preventative measures you take. But we all laugh when we see a .gif of Tom Brady with a tutu Photoshopped on, and we still hear the talking heads regurgitating the same tired rear end narrative about how football is a man's sport. They always take the route of a whiny argumentum ad extremum, asking "WHERE DOES IT ALL END???"  . Are we gonna see grown rear end men playing flag football within a decade? That there was such an outcry over kickoffs being moved up a whole five yards is just testament to what the fanbase has been saying for so long: we like football, and we like it violent.So what's next? Most of us here recognize just how dangerous football really is. The game has undergone constant evolution over the course of its history to become safer (and hey, at least people aren't literally dying on the field anymore, right?), but safer doesn't mean safe, and apparently, not safe by a longshot. Or, to answer ESPN's question: where does it end? Would football be a compelling sport without tackling? It's honestly a hard question to think about even in the abstract because tackling is such a fundamental component of the game. Without tackling, the game would be completely and essentially different in almost every facet. Would funslingin' really be all that fun without the imminent threat of someone getting piledriven into the turf? Would we even care about a goal line stand if it weren't about our boys down in the trenches goin' to war?  I can't even begin to answer this question because there's no possible way I could know what the game would look like sans tackling without dreaming up an entirely new and very different game in my head.So what would it be like, TFF? Are we gonna end up seeing 3D football played on holodecks where your power armor freezes you in place when someone shoots your target zone with their Tackling Laser? Will the sport just cease to exist and will everyone in the USA just be enjoying ~the beautiful game~ in 100 years time? Or are we gonna just collectively keep on turning our heads the other way and enjoy our modern day pugilism (the correct answer  )? This is a question that needs to be asked if the NFL doesn't wanna get sued out of existence, and I wanna hear what y'all have to say on the matter.
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Sep 13, 2014 03:43
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Philip Rivers posted:Would football be a compelling sport without tackling?
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Sep 13, 2014 03:55
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INSPECTAH DECK posted:No, not at all.
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Sep 13, 2014 03:56
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Turn your speakers off and watch this. 7 on 7 is probably the best way to play the game without contact and...well it kind of sucks. But it's there.
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Sep 13, 2014 04:00
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What's the head injury situation over there in rugby because one time I got watching some rugby and thought yeah I could watch this if I gave a poo poo about any of the teams I mean, if you put Penn State or Steelers on their shirt, I don't think it would take long to get me there. Although they'd have to be better than this year's incarnations of either of those teams. Grittybeard posted:7 on 7 is probably the best way to play the game without contact and...well it kind of sucks. But it's there. Pretty sure this shouldn't even be called football, really, once you've removed the "foot" aspect. Sash! fucked around with this message at 04:10 on Sep 13, 2014 |
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Sep 13, 2014 04:06
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Watch the Big 12 sometime.
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Sep 13, 2014 04:09
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Grittybeard posted:Turn your speakers off and watch this. They used to call it two hand touch 
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Sep 13, 2014 04:10
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Intruder posted:They used to call it two hand touch Whose uncle will be all time QB
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Sep 13, 2014 04:12
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We need to popularize football in the third world so there will still be a talent stream when the dangers are too widely known here. I saw one kid playing for the Iranian team in FIBA that would have been a hell of a TE  But no, football is doomed but we might as well enjoy it while we still can. History will judge us harshly, but whatever.
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Sep 13, 2014 04:21
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7v7 would adapt well to being played in space, with jetpacks. Of course, by then, the sport of football will be completely eclipsed by Quiddich. And you know that's the first thing people are going to start playing when they can float around like space wizards. Tackle Football will be consigned to the ages, like hurley, korfball, and segway polo. We must enjoy these madmen slamming into each other while we can.
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Sep 13, 2014 04:45
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Calvinball is the sport of our future
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Sep 13, 2014 04:46
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In addition to this and in order to fully sissify the game, I propose that we shrink the area in which a goal can be scored dramatically as well as forbidding players to use their hands. We'd have to make the ball round in order to do this.
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Sep 13, 2014 05:28
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Literally wearing skirts, am I right?
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Sep 13, 2014 05:40
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Borsche69 posted:In addition to this and in order to fully sissify the game, I propose that we shrink the area in which a goal can be scored dramatically as well as forbidding players to use their hands. We'd have to make the ball round in order to do this. Then it would be too much like another sport that has major issues regarding concussions
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Sep 13, 2014 06:00
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It would be dumb stupid baby sport and be total poo poo that I wouldn't watch, OP.
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Sep 13, 2014 06:06
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Grittybeard posted:Turn your speakers off and watch this. This was pretty cool actually. That Bret Farve flag football celeb game a couple years ago was cool to watch too.
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Sep 13, 2014 06:20
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effectual posted:This was pretty cool actually. Yeah, like once, if you're bored, and just because it's Brett Favre e: If Lorenzen did some 7 on 7 stuff I'd be tempted to watch it, but I also like seeing him run the ball for maximum hilarity Intruder fucked around with this message at 06:39 on Sep 13, 2014 |
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Sep 13, 2014 06:20
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While concussion are an important part of the development of CTE, its actually thought to be the frequent, repetitive sub-concussive blows suffered by the likes of linemen on every play. As far as limiting the number of players who develop dementia, you could have a far significant impact by lowering the number of people who suffer these types of hits as opposed to big hits in a tackle on a WR going across the middle. So if you want to take a chunk out of the dementia numbers, you have to limit those impacts of linemen. That is really the quesstion you should be asking. One thing I have suggested before is to eliminate the three and four point stances. Players can get low, or just be standing, but no hand on the ground. Possibly increase the size of the neutral zone, and to mitigate the disadvantage the defense gets from that, make offensive holding and hands to the face a point of emphasis much like how PI and defensive holding has been this year. The biggest change from that type of rule change would likely manifest in the types of players playing these positions. Instead of 35o pound monsters, you will have lighter, quicker and more agile linemen. The nice thing about this is that its a healthier lifestyle as well, less stress on joints, less diabetes and metabolic syndrome, and most importantly, fewer blows to the head. I also think the RB position will make a comeback.
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Sep 13, 2014 06:54
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I'd be in favour of the Canadian one-yard neutral zone and no hands on the ground. Probably you'd also have to extend roughing the snapper to all downs to allow the center to get upright.Sash! posted:What's the head injury situation over there in rugby because one time I got watching some rugby and thought yeah I could watch this if I gave a poo poo about any of the teams Concussion awareness is going up, but it's still not where it should be. A few older players have developed dementia; everyone kind of shrugged and went "yeah, if they're wading into some biff every week, it's not really surprising". Some people are starting to raise sub-concussive impacts as a potential issue as player size increases, but neck and spine injuries are still the primary health concern. Which is unsurprising when any forcible contact to the head or neck by any player is penalised, and any serious blow (whether intentional or not) gets you sent off and suspended for multiple matches. The other thing is that there isn't nearly as much contact over the course of a match; the biggest impacts are comparable, but there's no position whose job description is solely "violently engage in contact for 5+ seconds with another huge fat bloke over and over again". The impacts that a Union forward encounters are just not directly comparable to those of a football lineman. Trin Tragula fucked around with this message at 13:00 on Sep 13, 2014 |
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Sep 13, 2014 12:57
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quote:I'm personally finding it harder and harder to enjoy the sport as we know it. Same, but because of people like you trying to ruin football
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Sep 13, 2014 16:27
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Trin Tragula posted:
I am adding that phrase to my football discussion lexicon.
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Sep 13, 2014 17:07
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I think players should start wearing helmets with even more padding to the point where the NFL becomes Big Head Mode in NFL Blitz
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Sep 13, 2014 17:59
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Noted time traveler John Titor told us that they still had football in his time and that it was very different, but still recognizable. Why didn't he tell us more?!
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Sep 13, 2014 18:28
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Roasted Donut posted:It would be dumb stupid baby sport and be total poo poo that I wouldn't watch, OP. Honestly Tackling is extremely important and it wouldn't be football, it would be some weird dickless football variant type and another tackle league would start up. What I wish they would try to phase out though, are "hits", where defenders just straight up spear and shoulder a guy with no attempt to wrap up. Those things suck and if players were forced to actually wrap up they'd take a less violent and more thoughtful approach, but we'd still get some of that sweet sweet violence we secretly crave.
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Sep 13, 2014 18:34
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It's amazing how this discussion seems impossible to have without gendered language, huh?
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Sep 13, 2014 19:40
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I can't believe the goon whose gender theorems were too stupid for the trans thread made a huge dumbass post about violence in football
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Sep 13, 2014 19:46
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Trin Tragula posted:I'd be in favour of the Canadian one-yard neutral zone and no hands on the ground. Probably you'd also have to extend roughing the snapper to all downs to allow the center to get upright. I'm for it. I'd also like to see them remove facemasks from helmets.
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Sep 13, 2014 19:47
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I don't think I would watch without tackles. I think the canadian nuetral zone rules would be fine but at some point you have to say "gently caress it people know the risks and play anyway." There are all kinds of things that can break your face that we as a society do all the time, skiing, skateboarding, rock climbing, motorcycles, jet skis etc etc. Make it as safe as can be, make sure people know the dangers before they play and if they choose to play for either love of the sport or for millions of dollars hen they have that agency.
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Sep 13, 2014 19:57
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Sash! posted:Noted time traveler John Titor told us that they still had football in his time and that it was very different, but still recognizable. Why didn't he tell us more?! He also said most of us would be dead by now and living in adorable swamp comunes. drat you, many worlds theory! Also, the sport young Titor practiced as a teen was Shotgun Infantry. Tackle football is significantly safer. I blame overly ambitious japaneese teenage time travelers. Suspect Bucket fucked around with this message at 20:07 on Sep 13, 2014 |
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Sep 13, 2014 20:04
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Suspect Bucket posted:He also said most of us would be dead by now and living in adorable swamp comunes. drat you, many worlds theory! Yeah didn't he predict Y2K would happen?
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Sep 13, 2014 21:23
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Lord Waffle Beard posted:Same, but because of people like you trying to ruin football Same here OP
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Sep 13, 2014 22:14
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Blackula69 posted:It's amazing how this discussion seems impossible to have without gendered language, huh? is this real life
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Sep 13, 2014 22:21
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Czech language has five grammatical genders. Imagine how irate this goon would be in Prague.
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Sep 13, 2014 22:24
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If it looked like a bunch of cleatus's ripping limbs and poo poo off each other while the athletes run around in their own virtual reality i could probably get behind it. Maybe even add traps like in robot wars. Man i miss robot wars.
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Sep 13, 2014 22:25
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Intruder posted:Then it would be too much like another sport that has major issues regarding concussions The problem there is that you have to be concussed to make that sport watchable.
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Sep 13, 2014 22:27
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Pro-football will survive but I honestly can't wait for everything college and below to get gutted.
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Sep 13, 2014 22:36
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It would be quite the transition, I can tell you that.
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Sep 13, 2014 22:43
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Crunkjuice posted:If it looked like a bunch of cleatus's ripping limbs and poo poo off each other while the athletes run around in their own virtual reality i could probably get behind it. Maybe even add traps like in robot wars. RIP Monday Night combat.  (Although it was seriously unbalanced) sum posted:I can't believe the goon whose gender theorems were too stupid for the trans thread made a huge dumbass post about violence in football Lol.
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Sep 13, 2014 22:48
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More people need to watch the GAA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtnJPTENOKk It's like rugby, football, and soccer combined. Super fast paced and aggressive. Gaelic football rules and I wish it would take a foothold in the US. Kerry v. Donegal are playing in the final on September 21. I'm a big Kerry fan.
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Sep 13, 2014 23:01
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TubeStank posted:More people need to watch the GAA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtnJPTENOKk The players are not very athletic at all
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Sep 13, 2014 23:02
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