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Post by amikell on Feb 1, 2013 12:22:17 GMT -6
I know many will not agree with me but many coaches really have communist thinking here. Sacrifice for the common good comes right out of Marxism. Deny the individual comes right out of stalin. Coaches should be teaching kids critical thinking skills. They should teach their kids to ask questions. To have coaches explain the how and why instead of the do or die mentality most coaches have. Coach, I was thinking the same thing about the communist/socialist ideals. There was a piece on NPR this morning about how the NFL is actually run on socialist principles. Any way, I see nothing wrong with serving the greater good, sacrificing yourself for others (isn't that what most religion teaches us that their savior did). I also think we should be teaching critical thinking. The bottom line in all of this is that we should all keep trying to build men and leaders through sport. Yes, our sport is under attack, but it will not go away, b/c (among other reasons) it is too ingrained in the American psyche. We should strive to keep it there.
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Post by tog on Feb 1, 2013 13:33:10 GMT -6
[Little boys who play youth football in Texas grow up to be young men are aren't afraid of confrontation. They grow up to be men who aren't afraid to defend freedom. Freedom is a big deal in Texas. So is football. Yeah..well, like I said, the toughest SOB I know and a person who ACTUALLY DOES defend freedom as a SEAL--was a swimmer during his youth and HS days. I'll leave it at that to avoid derailing the thread. They don't always have to be congruent. If they kill football though, I have serious doubts about our country's ability or resolve to do anything worthwhile.
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Post by tog on Feb 1, 2013 13:34:40 GMT -6
I know many will not agree with me but many coaches really have communist thinking here. Sacrifice for the common good comes right out of Marxism. Deny the individual comes right out of stalin. Coaches should be teaching kids critical thinking skills. They should teach their kids to ask questions. To have coaches explain the how and why instead of the do or die mentality most coaches have. Coach, I was thinking the same thing about the communist/socialist ideals. There was a piece on NPR this morning about how the NFL is actually run on socialist principles. Any way, I see nothing wrong with serving the greater good, sacrificing yourself for others (isn't that what most religion teaches us that their savior did). I also think we should be teaching critical thinking. The bottom line in all of this is that we should all keep trying to build men and leaders through sport. Yes, our sport is under attack, but it will not go away, b/c (among other reasons) it is too ingrained in the American psyche. We should strive to keep it there. not sure the quote thing is something I get how to do on here yet... As statist as their leanings are, it is humorous that NPR doesn't even know what socialism is.
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Post by tog on Feb 1, 2013 13:43:36 GMT -6
btw
I am not arguing with anyone here. Just trying to clarify why I think America Needs Football.
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Post by groundchuck on Feb 1, 2013 13:55:45 GMT -6
Tog, That's one of the best explanations of why football is important I have ever read. Thank you.
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Post by tog on Feb 1, 2013 13:58:58 GMT -6
Tog, That's one of the best explanations of why football is important I have ever read. Thank you. note, that I didn't write it I liked a lot of it though. America Needs Football UMASS faculty tried to drop them out of FBS football and one of the reasons was "too many concussions". The media if it bleeds it leads onslaught is getting worse and the American Idol hand wringing crowd out there are starting to be swayed into thinking "football=bad". I truly fear for our country. We are sliding into the idiocracy more and more every day.
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Post by cqmiller on Feb 1, 2013 15:09:14 GMT -6
If football is bad... American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, and all of those shows may start seeing this video pop up on their CPU's and emails... DIRECTLY FROM ME, telling them what I think of their "activity":
(MAKE SURE THE VOLUME IS DOWN IF YOU ARE AT SCHOOL!!!)
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red
Freshmen Member
Posts: 71
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Post by red on Feb 1, 2013 16:36:42 GMT -6
I am on my 9th year as a head football Coach. I love what the game stands for and what it can mean to young men in their lives. The beauty of the game for me is the conflict.... that can have a profound impact on the development of the young men. And there is no test to measure what the journey of this game has written on their hearts. The game gives me a vehicle to be a positive influence and to give back to others, in ways many people could only dream of. Having said that I attended a seminar last spring and the guest speaker was Neuropathologist named Dr. Ann McKee (head of the brain bank), some would call her the leading expert in the field of football related Brain study. My trainer invited me and I thought it would be good for my admin to see me attend some "Safety Seminars". I had no idea who or what this lady was. I must admit it had a very profound impact on me. She admitted often during her presentation that the studies were in the infancy stage and she basically reported what the findings were so far. I know that I walked out of there with a very healthy respect of what head injuries and especially repeated injuries could do to a person later in their life. I have approached my job differently since attending that presentation. She had examples of college freshman linebackers, soldiers, boxers, NFL football players, hockey players etc. What I really learned is that WE (coaches) are all so uneducated on the long term effect of repeated head injuries. The one main message she had was clear, the evidence shows that if not treated properly there can be severe long term effects. I really only write this to encourage all of you to really look at and study what findings are out there, instead of just feeling betrayed because people want to discuss the dangers of something we all love. Adults can choose to be involved in high risk activities especially ones that pay the bills. The NFL players know the risk and choose it. Football is such a more violent game today than it ever has been. And to say it is a "calculated risk that maybe we are no longer willing to take anymore" is an absurd statement. Marriage, Parenting and Teaching will not give me a higher risk of developing plaque on my brain and giving me Brain disease (maybe marriage ha). Until we stop letting players lead with the head and until it is stopped at all levels than "calculated" might be an understatement. And FYI Football participation in this country is not declining. If this game ever goes away it will be because of the people who are refusing to face the reality of the serious consequences of long term head injuries it will not go away because of softness, delicacy or self-indulgence among our society. www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8218700/neuropathologist-dr-ann-mckee-accused-killing-football-be-sport-only-hope
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Post by fantom on Feb 1, 2013 16:57:04 GMT -6
I am on my 9th year as a head football Coach. I love what the game stands for and what it can mean to young men in their lives. The beauty of the game for me is the conflict.... that can have a profound impact on the development of the young men. And there is no test to measure what the journey of this game has written on their hearts. The game gives me a vehicle to be a positive influence and to give back to others, in ways many people could only dream of. Having said that I attended a seminar last spring and the guest speaker was Neuropathologist named Dr. Ann McKee (head of the brain bank), some would call her the leading expert in the field of football related Brain study. My trainer invited me and I thought it would be good for my admin to see me attend some "Safety Seminars". I had no idea who or what this lady was. I must admit it had a very profound impact on me. She admitted often during her presentation that the studies were in the infancy stage and she basically reported what the findings were so far. I know that I walked out of there with a very healthy respect of what head injuries and especially repeated injuries could do to a person later in their life. I have approached my job differently since attending that presentation. She had examples of college freshman linebackers, soldiers, boxers, NFL football players, hockey players etc. What I really learned is that WE (coaches) are all so uneducated on the long term effect of repeated head injuries. The one main message she had was clear, the evidence shows that if not treated properly there can be severe long term effects. I really only write this to encourage all of you to really look at and study what findings are out there, instead of just feeling betrayed because people want to discuss the dangers of something we all love. Adults can choose to be involved in high risk activities especially ones that pay the bills. The NFL players know the risk and choose it. Football is such a more violent game today than it ever has been. And to say it is a "calculated risk that maybe we are no longer willing to take anymore" is an absurd statement. Marriage, Parenting and Teaching will not give me a higher risk of developing plaque on my brain and giving me Brain disease (maybe marriage ha). Until we stop letting players lead with the head and until it is stopped at all levels than "calculated" might be an understatement. And FYI Football participation in this country is not declining. If this game ever goes away it will be because of the people who are refusing to face the reality of the serious consequences of long term head injuries it will not go away because of softness, delicacy or self-indulgence among our society. www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8218700/neuropathologist-dr-ann-mckee-accused-killing-football-be-sport-only-hope The research is in its infancy and will stay that way for decades. I'm in favor of research but believe that the focus is in the wrong place. As long as the emphasis is strictly on brain physiology the sample will remain tiny. In addition they'll struggle to prove a true correlation between CTE and brain function (dementia). I believe that a more effective approach would be a survey approach: survey dementia patients or suspects and look at the activities in which they've participated, for how long, and at what levels.
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Post by brophy on Feb 1, 2013 17:24:59 GMT -6
so if I'm reading this correctly, if we even attempt to make the game safer, we will get
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Post by fantom on Feb 1, 2013 17:34:59 GMT -6
Never said or even implied that.
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Post by brophy on Feb 1, 2013 17:37:35 GMT -6
not responding to your post, just providing an easy summary of the thread
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Post by RENO6 on Feb 1, 2013 19:04:08 GMT -6
thanks brophy, my son is probably damaged forever after that
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Post by coachd5085 on Feb 2, 2013 11:04:00 GMT -6
The day they kill football is the day America dies. But coach--don't you see how entering any type of evaluation process with this mindset will most likely result in a lack of objectivity when evaluating the evidence?
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Post by silkyice on Feb 2, 2013 12:04:53 GMT -6
The research should be easy. Just sample the population. Find out who played, how long, what level, what positions, and their age vs those who didn't play.
I personally think you find that there really isn't much of a widespread problem. I have been around football all my life and around people who played all levels and all ages and they are all fine. That proves nothing, but of enough people have the same experience then there certainly is a trend. There will be some NFL cases if course, but very few below that level.
That does not mean there is no problem or we shouldn't try and improve safety.
Continue to preach safety. Continue to improve helmets. Continue to penalize leading with the head. I think it should be a penalty if you tackle and don't try to wrap up. Continue to educate.
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Post by cqmiller on Feb 2, 2013 12:47:31 GMT -6
We should eliminate teaching jobs too... I could get blasted by some kid someday...
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Post by optionoline on Feb 2, 2013 13:11:01 GMT -6
We should eliminate teaching jobs too... I could get blasted by some kid someday... Constructive response...
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Post by wingtol on Feb 2, 2013 14:23:53 GMT -6
Few thoughts... I think when people talk about America being in trouble if football dies (which I believe) are not just talking about football in the general sense. I am sure most look and see it would jut lead to a domino effect, well someone got hurt in hoops so maybe that's no good and a kid got hit in the head with a pitch so baseball is too dangerous and so on and so on. Where does it stop?
If you want to make the game safer do two things to start: Make pads bigger and require all levels to wear the full set of pads. Make them all conform to a minimum size. Same with helmets. When you give guys gear that is lighter and smaller and tell them it is much safer they play more reckless. Make guys feel a bit more unsafe and I would bet they would be more cautious.
Eliminate Strength and conditioning. Put weight limits in. I am no expert in science but when the mass and speed of an object increase the force they arrive with increases as well.
**** Please note I do not necessarily agree with these points but if people ask how to make the game safer these are the most common sense things I could think of.
I would also love to see research into what these guys with all the "concussion" problems also put into their bodies when they played the game. I have seen guys with bad concussions so I do not doubt they are real and have side effects. I am just saying I would wager that the concussions combined with God only knows what is flowing in those guys veins could make things drastically worse. Again I have seen guys never play again after concussions so I do no doubt they are a serious problem but I think there are a lot of people who are quick to just blame the game with out looking at other underlying factors.
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moball
Junior Member
Posts: 254
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Post by moball on Feb 2, 2013 14:28:52 GMT -6
This thread is painful to follow at times, but I'm glued to it bacause I care about the game and our culture. Brophy(and anyone else that might believe I disagree with you), let me first say that NOONE reads and enjoys your blog more than me. In fact, when there are no new posts for a couple of weeks I go through withdrawls and start reading ones from 2 years ago. That being said, I think you are missing the point of all the coaches that seem to be on the opposite side of this issue. There is no coach that is out there saying they don't want more research. There is no coach that will refuse better helmet technology should it be marketed. There is no coach out there that is willing to risk the lives of his players just to get a win. All wer're saying is that let's not turn into chicken little and run around screaming that the sky is falling. This does not need some silly congressional inquiry or the President opening his mouth about something of which he has no idea. We now have people in our society that believe that putting on a football helmet is akin to juggling chain saws at the local carnival; all risk and little reward. And because they don't see the reward, and because they are the inteligencia, they then owe it to the small minded of us to change the game for us. My biggest problem with this entire issue is that NFL players and their families now want the courts to take millions from the NFL because football may have taken years of their life or limited their quality of life. I am a very high strung coach that endures alot of stress during the season. This stress is undoubtedly hard on me physically and emotionally. I have gone to the trouble of checking my cholesterol levels at the beginning of the season and again at the end, and they are much higher at the end. Should I bring suit against my school district or my state athletic association? If you say yes then you have a much different idea of America than I do. And Brophy (I'm really not trying to pick a fight with you, it's just that you responded to one of my earlier posts), you posted a picture of coal miners in reference to the worker's rights of NFL players. I would say the NFL'ers are more along the lines of a WWE wrestler wanting to sue because his back hurts. If any of them believed whole heartedly that ramming their head into other 300 lb monsters would be good for their health, then they should be suing their kindergarten teacher for not teaching them that when they were 5 years old. And on a much bigger philosophical question, I would even contend that the coal miner knew that hanging out in coal dust all day was not good for him. But the truth is, at that time mining coal was either safer OR paid bettrer than many of the altrernatives. Therefore, even the coal miner made a business decision that he should have to live by. My greart grandfather didn't like the living and working conditions in his country in 1918. But instead of of complaining about it he packed his bags and came to America ALONE at the age of 17. That is taking personal responsibility for ones own welfare and desrtiny. And it didn't always go well for him here, burt it was his decision to come here and he blamed noone for his life's difficulties. The fact is that even the noble coal miner found out that he regretted his decision to take a higher paying job at the risk of his own health. So he and several others vented their frustration with their own personal decisions through the courts, and juries of their piers took great joy in rewarding them millions because the owners of these mines had to be bad people. They were rich. We see the same thing now. Look at how many people want to side against the owners simply because we have been conditrioned to believe that old white guys in suits with fat pocket books have to be bad. Ultimately, none of us can be told that we HAVE to take a certain career path. We choose, we live with the conseuences. If my principal showed up to school Monday and said that if I wanted to keep my job I had to let Ray Lewis tackle me once per day, I'd walk. But if while on the way out the door he offered me 3 million dollars a year to stay I'd buckle up my chinstrap and say bring it Ray! Only trying to stimulate a little thought. No offfense Brophy. Now please get to work on that blog of yours !!!
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Post by cqmiller on Feb 2, 2013 14:36:38 GMT -6
Force = mass x acceleration Kinetic Energy = 1/2 mass x velocity squared Impulse = Force x Time
Only way to reduce Force, Kinetic Energy, or Impulse is to make people smaller and make them slower. You cannot change the laws of physics. The reason these people playing the game at the NFL level are playing is because they can generate more force than 99% of the population, they can generate more acceleration than 99% of the population, which allows them to do ATHLETIC things better than 99% of the population. With that ABILITY, comes risk.
I've never seen a 9 or 10 year old kid get diagnosed with a concussion, or had a major ligament or bone injury. They do not have enough mass or velocity to generate the forces that cause all the injury. I LAUGH MY A$$ OFF AT PEOPLE WHO SAY "I WON'T LET THEM PLAY UNTIL HIGH SCHOOL". So don't let them learn how to protect themselves from the forces they will experience, then drop them in right at the time where the forces and injuries become much greater... LOL
Mommy's and Daddy's need to be forced to ACTUALLY learn Physics. You have a better chance of getting long-term brain damage from driving a car at 40 mph and being in 3-4 collisions TOTAL than you do playing football. These topics get me all fired up... That's why I love Jim Harbaugh:
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Post by tog on Feb 2, 2013 14:54:29 GMT -6
The day they kill football is the day America dies. But coach--don't you see how entering any type of evaluation process with this mindset will most likely result in a lack of objectivity when evaluating the evidence? I am not calling for evaluating anything in regards to changing the game in the first place. It's a rough game, always has been, always should be. If it can be made safer and keep what it is, then I am all for it. If they neuter it or outright ban it, then I will be disgusted with this country and the people within it that would allow such.
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Post by brophy on Feb 2, 2013 16:44:03 GMT -6
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Post by tog on Feb 2, 2013 22:02:04 GMT -6
I am not in deny deny mode. I am in this is reality mode. It is a tough sport. Do it or not. Government has no role in banning it one way or another. The stupid bedwetter media complaining about it like local news lowest common denominator stories can stick it. They truly have zero understanding of the importance of this game or what it teaches for our young people, our society.
Those that can withstand it will be better off for it.
Safety cannot be legislated. Fairness can't either. When the handwringers out there understand that (if they ever do or can)
I wish I could find the WW2 numbers on officers that played football.
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Post by 42falcon on Feb 2, 2013 22:35:37 GMT -6
This all comes down to money (unfortunately that is what rules our world). Football makes the NFL, NCAA way to much money for anyone to take the game away. The game will never be taken away but instead the way the game is played and technology / research around it will change.
Think about the change the game has undergone even in our generation: -the way players used to be able to contact the passer (this is a safety issue leveraged by a financial one *my QB costs me millions of dollars I need to protect my asset) -now it is getting passed down the line to "defenseless player" -go back and look at the helmet you used and the ones they have now is there a difference? (I hope so)
A few things need to happen the equipment needs to be made to keep the athlete as safe as it can (always on going). WE need to teach the game differently (think about the $hit storm the chest to chest tackling thread had in it this past summer). The fact that thread even had some of the comments it did made me wonder where peoples minds are (maybe this game did cause some brain damage to a few of us on here).
Let's get real in a media sensationalized society we live in what does anyone expect? I get the players from a long time ago have suffered massive trauma I am interested to see what about the guys now with the new technology, new rules will these guys still suffer the same ill effects?
At 4 Million / commercial spot in the Super Bowl my guess is this golden goose isn't going anywhere for a while.
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Post by Coach.A on Feb 2, 2013 23:09:52 GMT -6
In this video, the information at the 46:00 minute mark is the most concerning to me....I also think it's something that most coaches aren't aware of. The fact that these "sub-concussive" hits have a cumulative effect that can be more dangerous than actual concussions should force coaches to re-evaluate the amount of contact they allow in practices. In the very near future, I think you will see all levels of football place greater restrictions on the number of full contact practices allowed. Teams may even have greater limits placed on the number of practices they can have in equipment. I know many coaches have already started to include more tackling drills and progressions that do not involve contact or that have very minimal contact.
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Post by coachd5085 on Feb 2, 2013 23:14:18 GMT -6
I am not in deny deny mode. I am in this is reality mode. It is a tough sport. Do it or not. Government has no role in banning it one way or another. The stupid bedwetter media complaining about it like local news lowest common denominator stories can stick it. They truly have zero understanding of the importance of this game or what it teaches for our young people, our society. Those that can withstand it will be better off for it. Safety cannot be legislated. Fairness can't either. When the handwringers out there understand that (if they ever do or can) I wish I could find the WW2 numbers on officers that played football. Tog--you care a great deal about the game, and obviously deserve a great deal of respect. However, I just simply thing you are too close to this to really comment on the situation. Without sounding snide, or being disrespectful, I have to object that the notion that football has some "importance" or teaches lessons that can't be learned elsewhere. Seatbelt laws would be just one example of safety being legislated that jumps out. A quick google check shows that states with primary seat belt laws have a 13% higher compliance than those with secondary laws (88% vs 75%) Can you find the WW2 numbers on Russian officers who played football? While our officers (and NCO's in particular) definitely were great leaders, I think it is a bit of a stretch to say that if football had not been a sport in existence, that those men wouldn't have developed the innate natural leadership skills through other avenues.
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Post by brophy on Feb 3, 2013 1:32:08 GMT -6
The stupid bedwetter media complaining about it like local news lowest common denominator stories can stick it. I wish I could find the WW2 numbers on officers that played football. this is the only thing I'm confused on. You're complaining about hyperbole rhetoric, yet you freely invoke it to serve your emotionally invested position (i.e. "our country will be destroyed if any rules are added to football" - "If football doesn't exist, the Gremans will invade Pearl Harbor.....TOMORROW!!!!") as with anything, media saturation fatigue is generally a sign that you're watching too much TV because this is where you're being exposed to the message. Should we, as coaches, not try to speak the most intelligently on this issue by actually reviewing the research / findings available? Simply declaring a "harumph!" to each and every CTE commentary doesn't do much to compel anyone to a serious discussion. I really don't know what can be done about this issue, myself. One thing for sure, the game IS changing (better or worse) as evidenced in the focus and direction it has taken in the last 15 years. We may as well try to be ahead of the curve and protect the important values of the game through education on the issue, rather than entrenching ourselves in what is comfortable. How can any of us address parent/player concerns about brain trauma from impact if we don't know what's going on?
concussionwise.com/for-coaches
www.nfhslearn.com/courses/teasersPromos/Concussion.html
aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2012-11-11/nfl-concussions-hide-symptoms-sporting-news-midseason-players-poll
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Post by tog on Feb 3, 2013 8:19:48 GMT -6
This thread is painful to follow at times, but I'm glued to it bacause I care about the game and our culture. Brophy(and anyone else that might believe I disagree with you), let me first say that NOONE reads and enjoys your blog more than me. In fact, when there are no new posts for a couple of weeks I go through withdrawls and start reading ones from 2 years ago. That being said, I think you are missing the point of all the coaches that seem to be on the opposite side of this issue. There is no coach that is out there saying they don't want more research. There is no coach that will refuse better helmet technology should it be marketed. There is no coach out there that is willing to risk the lives of his players just to get a win. All wer're saying is that let's not turn into chicken little and run around screaming that the sky is falling. This does not need some silly congressional inquiry or the President opening his mouth about something of which he has no idea. We now have people in our society that believe that putting on a football helmet is akin to juggling chain saws at the local carnival; all risk and little reward. And because they don't see the reward, and because they are the inteligencia, they then owe it to the small minded of us to change the game for us. My biggest problem with this entire issue is that NFL players and their families now want the courts to take millions from the NFL because football may have taken years of their life or limited their quality of life. I am a very high strung coach that endures alot of stress during the season. This stress is undoubtedly hard on me physically and emotionally. I have gone to the trouble of checking my cholesterol levels at the beginning of the season and again at the end, and they are much higher at the end. Should I bring suit against my school district or my state athletic association? If you say yes then you have a much different idea of America than I do. And Brophy (I'm really not trying to pick a fight with you, it's just that you responded to one of my earlier posts), you posted a picture of coal miners in reference to the worker's rights of NFL players. I would say the NFL'ers are more along the lines of a WWE wrestler wanting to sue because his back hurts. If any of them believed whole heartedly that ramming their head into other 300 lb monsters would be good for their health, then they should be suing their kindergarten teacher for not teaching them that when they were 5 years old. And on a much bigger philosophical question, I would even contend that the coal miner knew that hanging out in coal dust all day was not good for him. But the truth is, at that time mining coal was either safer OR paid bettrer than many of the altrernatives. Therefore, even the coal miner made a business decision that he should have to live by. My greart grandfather didn't like the living and working conditions in his country in 1918. But instead of of complaining about it he packed his bags and came to America ALONE at the age of 17. That is taking personal responsibility for ones own welfare and desrtiny. And it didn't always go well for him here, burt it was his decision to come here and he blamed noone for his life's difficulties. The fact is that even the noble coal miner found out that he regretted his decision to take a higher paying job at the risk of his own health. So he and several others vented their frustration with their own personal decisions through the courts, and juries of their piers took great joy in rewarding them millions because the owners of these mines had to be bad people. They were rich. We see the same thing now. Look at how many people want to side against the owners simply because we have been conditrioned to believe that old white guys in suits with fat pocket books have to be bad. Ultimately, none of us can be told that we HAVE to take a certain career path. We choose, we live with the conseuences. If my principal showed up to school Monday and said that if I wanted to keep my job I had to let Ray Lewis tackle me once per day, I'd walk. But if while on the way out the door he offered me 3 million dollars a year to stay I'd buckle up my chinstrap and say bring it Ray! Only trying to stimulate a little thought. No offfense Brophy. Now please get to work on that blog of yours !!! excellent post
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Post by tog on Feb 3, 2013 8:27:24 GMT -6
The stupid bedwetter media complaining about it like local news lowest common denominator stories can stick it. I wish I could find the WW2 numbers on officers that played football. this is the only thing I'm confused on. You're complaining about hyperbole rhetoric, yet you freely invoke it to serve your emotionally invested position (i.e. "our country will be destroyed if any rules are added to football" - "If football doesn't exist, the Gremans will invade Pearl Harbor.....TOMORROW!!!!") as with anything, media saturation fatigue is generally a sign that you're watching too much TV because this is where you're being exposed to the message. Should we, as coaches, not try to speak the most intelligently on this issue by actually reviewing the research / findings available? Simply declaring a "harumph!" to each and every CTE commentary doesn't do much to compel anyone to a serious discussion. I really don't know what can be done about this issue, myself. One thing for sure, the game IS changing (better or worse) as evidenced in the focus and direction it has taken in the last 15 years. We may as well try to be ahead of the curve and protect the important values of the game through education on the issue, rather than entrenching ourselves in what is comfortable. How can any of us address parent/player concerns about brain trauma from impact if we don't know what's going on?
concussionwise.com/for-coaches
www.nfhslearn.com/courses/teasersPromos/Concussion.html
aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2012-11-11/nfl-concussions-hide-symptoms-sporting-news-midseason-players-poll
Let's just say I am disgusted with tv these days. I don't watch it except for football/hockey/concerts. Any of the so called "news" that I am exposed to that is presented as "news" sickens me.
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Post by tog on Feb 3, 2013 8:38:02 GMT -6
I am not in deny deny mode. I am in this is reality mode. It is a tough sport. Do it or not. Government has no role in banning it one way or another. The stupid bedwetter media complaining about it like local news lowest common denominator stories can stick it. They truly have zero understanding of the importance of this game or what it teaches for our young people, our society. Those that can withstand it will be better off for it. Safety cannot be legislated. Fairness can't either. When the handwringers out there understand that (if they ever do or can) I wish I could find the WW2 numbers on officers that played football. Tog--you care a great deal about the game, and obviously deserve a great deal of respect. However, I just simply thing you are too close to this to really comment on the situation. Without sounding snide, or being disrespectful, I have to object that the notion that football has some "importance" or teaches lessons that can't be learned elsewhere. Seatbelt laws would be just one example of safety being legislated that jumps out. A quick google check shows that states with primary seat belt laws have a 13% higher compliance than those with secondary laws (88% vs 75%) Can you find the WW2 numbers on Russian officers who played football? While our officers (and NCO's in particular) definitely were great leaders, I think it is a bit of a stretch to say that if football had not been a sport in existence, that those men wouldn't have developed the innate natural leadership skills through other avenues. Like I noted earlier, it can be learned elsewhere obviously. The freedom it represents in so many ways cannot be replaced though. I don't look at this as an attack on just football. I look at it as an attack on individual liberty. seatbelt laws or not, people still die in cars. all cars must be banned, where does it end? Who decides? Bringing up Russians in WWII? Hmm. Statist "leaders" that used human wave tactics with their pistols at the heads of their own men to force them to fight? Again, liberty has a problem with them. So do I.
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