Should Football be Banned?

[Mimi_8]

I watched the movie Concussion and I have been obsessing over the whole CTE situation. Im looking up old videos of Mike Webster and I'm honestly so saddened by it all. I believe in science, and science is clearly saying that these contact sports are extremely dangerous. Loosing your mind is the absolute worse 'injury' one could have. So, should football (and maybe other contact sports) be banned?

[meowcow]

It's not a surprise to anyone that contact sports involving high impact has an inherent risk. But the players are adults and are aware of the consequences. The same goes with boxing, MMA, and other martial arts competitions, along with hockey, rugby... etc.

No activity comes without risk. Driving comes with the risk of an accident and death. So do extreme sports that don't involve impacts like skydiving etc. However, loss of cognitive ability from head injuries is not the norm. There are certainly high profile cases where people have cognitive issues like Muhammed Ali and Chuck Lidell who stutter in their speech. But that's the exception, not the norm. If you're to make rules dictating the activities of others based on the exception, then that could be applied fairly ambiguously to everything else.

There's no particular line where you could make an argument to stop an activity without using the same rationalization to stop ALL activities.

Driving results in thousands of deaths per year. Lets ban all driving.
Marathons result in a few deaths per year from cardiac arrests. Let's ban all marathons.

The argument does not hold, when compared to other equally or more violent sports where the intent is to punch/kick a person in the head.

[lightbulb27]

Good quetion Vladomir! What to do with those 300lb dudes that can run a 4'2 40?

Maybe drress them up like stay puff marshmellow men and watch them bounce around the field. that be more fun and entertaining. I'll be honest, I find football boring... the old days was much better... its so plastic now.

So I'm fine with banning it. I don't see how you can protect those dudes with as big as they are. Question though... is the same wound profile in rugby? they don't wear so much protection. Maybe the secret is they have to not wear so much stuff and change the rules. Rugby is more interesting.

[Mimi_8]

It was better. After they introduced the newer helmet for 'protection' it just resulted in them using it to their advantage smacking other players with it. Now about rugby, I actually don't know.

[rileypantera]

Should we just walk around in fucking bubbles all day? No. Playing football, climbing trees, parkour, skateboarding, getting physical, these are the things that sure can be dangerous, but is getting rid of them worth living longer? What'll be left to be alive for if you can't do anything because you might hurt yourself?

[BelleGirl21]

More people probably get injured from sex than that. Lets ban sex too.

[iFarted]

You take that back!
Sex shall not be banned!!!

[BelleGirl21]

@iFarted I'm just saying... it makes sense

[iFarted]

Okay, maybe ban it cause im probably not gonna have it anytime sooon so the world shall suffer with me! >:)

[BelleGirl21]

@iFarted lololol doubtful! Hottie!

[iFarted]

😘 its truee

[NearlyNapping]

There are like 10,000,000 ways to get injured or killed. Why not ban all of them?

I've had lots of injuries from sports or working. Most of my joints are bad and I've been in pain for most of the last 40 years. If I had it to do over again, would I still do those sports and physical labor? Absolutely. Because I refuse to sit on my ass out of fear that I might be injured. The alternative is worse. The alternative is slowly deteriorating from lack of exercise.

I know my limit, and I push it past that limit at times. At 60 years old I still push it and risk injury. But I couldn't do it any other way. No athlete could. If I get injured it's worth the price.

Yes concussions are real. So are a lot of other injuries. I've never seen a study on it, but I bet if you compared ex-athletes to the general population, that the athletes would be in much better health in their old age. Even with their injuries, which most athletes will have, they are still in better health.

[Anonymous]

People get injured while playing a non-contact sport
People get injured while walking
People get injured while driving
People get injured while eating food
People get injured while having sex
People get injured while just sitting
People get injured while standing
People get injured because they're alive.

Chuck science. Common sense says that living is dangerous. Why do we still live?

People know the risks of even the tiniest things and yet they choose to do those things. It's necessary. Same way if players don't have any problem they why should a sport be banned? Players chose to play it.

[AdamThomas]

No, people need to stop interfering so much. People who do contact sports know the risks, but we enjoy it anyway. It's not your job to save people from themselves, in fact this over the top obsession with taking away all risk and competition is pretty much neutering boys and men today. Some of us need this kind of outlet, it's what men are designed for.

[ksoma]

Let's get this out of the way quickly:
The movie was over hyped, sensationalized, made up shit, and uses a weak basis of fact to make "hard hitting" fiction in order to make money.
That's why it was a movie, not a documentary.

[Mimi_8]

ok ignore the movie. The research for CTE is still a valid argument alone.

[ksoma]

right, so what so we do, ban everything potentially dangerous?
The rules to protect players, and the type and quality gear they wear improves every year. There comes a point where you assume that the job comes with risks. Part of why they make so much money is because of the risks that come with the job.

[Mimi_8]

you can make all kinds of rules that sound 'protecting' but out there on the field, with a game as quick paced as football, some things are just uncontrollable.

[ksoma]

right. so the solution is to ban it? strip it from being a choice?
people get hurt. that's a fact of life. no matter what someone does, getting hurt will happen. Banning all things that could lead to injury will not prevent injuries from happening. All it does is remove choice from people.
Some people want to play football. some want to box. some want to ride bikes without helmets. let them. they know the risks.

[BusinessBasketball]

Nope. Football like NCAA and the NFL is a billion dollar industry. It creates tons of high paying jobs. Also football is the fastest growing sport in the world. There are teams and leagues on all continents expect Antarctica. Now there is a world cup like what they have in FIFA.

[tupperware]

Every single one of them is well aware of the risks every time they suit up. Banning the sport because a propaganda film came out is a little bit top-down "mommy and daddy know best" don't you think?

[Mimi_8]

ok Im coming to understand that everyone hates the film, which is fine. But there is actual evidence that can't be denied.

[tupperware]

Yes. When you play a contact sport at any level, you run the risk of being injured or even killed. They have known that since contact sports became a thing. The only thing that should be mandated is already in place, and that's automatically benching a player who is concussed because he's not able to think clearly and judge whether or not he's good to go.

If you ban football because people can get hurt and it's not necessary in the modern world, you have to ban smoking too. Then alcohol. Then fast food. People go into all of these things knowing the risks, and they do them anyway. What you propose is a pretty authoritarian move.

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

lol, concussion? that movie was flat out propaganda. the actual dude it was based on is a nut job. and i'm not to say that cte isn't a real issue, but what we know about cte is almost nothing.

[Mimi_8]

maybe it was, the movie itself was just promoting an issue. There is some research, but it can only be done once someone is dead.

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

well, he was on mike and mike at some point and the dude was flat out insane. first, he said basically every sport (football, soccer, hockey... anything) should be illegal for anyone under 18. and the thing about playing young is that kids can't hit that hard. moreover, the game is slower. it's easier to teach 2 8 year olds running at a combined 20mph with like 30n of force to keep their head up than 2 18 year olds running at a combined 40mph with 100n of force. the kids also can't do that much damage at younger ages

also, the brains tend to be studied with former athletes that tend to be unhealthy as opposed to the average shmuck like you or me. or the average athlete. so we don't know what the threshold for cte is. but if you play collision sports, you should fucking know it's not great for your head. the only problem i have is with the nfl withholding conclusions, but a lot of that are on the players too. i've gone back in when my got bell rung just to be tough

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

oh, and basketball and gymnastics were on that list as well...

[Mimi_8]

hmm you got some good points there, but I'm still not sure how I feel about this.

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

i mean these aren't really arguments so much as facts. what we know about cte is about the same as what the people in the middle ages knew about what caused the bubonic plague... moreover, if you're basing your opinion on a movie that is dramatized, fairly inaccurate and extremely biased, then you probably shouldn't be commenting on the subject... just saying. it's like me basing my thoughts on the somali pirates thing after watching captain phillips. the movie didn't tell you he was a dickhead (by many accounts) and basically got the crew in that mess in the 1st place by not following protocol

[GymBumGuy]

no it shouldn't be banned because they are not forced to play its optional

[Mimi_8]

that's not a good enough reason, especially for Americans who treat football like some kind of religion.

[GymBumGuy]

how is it not? they know the risk and can choose not to play if they want

[Iron_Man]

No it should not be banned just make better helmets

[nog6422]

People can do whatever stupid thing they want as long as it's not harming anyone else. The only other people being harmed are other players who also chose to do this. So let them be stupid, no reason to ban it. They asked for it.

[Shaft50]

Watch a couple of AFL clips on youtube...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aVhGGTZbHk

[forfundude]

If we are afraid then it scars us more so just ready to face it because even we sit in the home still we can die so we don't have to wait for it just have to live this moments :-)

[iFarted]

Football gives a lot of certain type of people an escape from a certain type of life...
They also know what they're getting into and get paid a shit ton of money to do it so why should it be banned?

[Anonymous]

I doubt that will happen, they all know it's dangerous and the risk but probably feel it won't happen to them but it's just like a race car driver, they know there is a chance of dying but they do try to take precautions and still do it

[Mimi_8]

i guess so... but that's kind of idiotic thinking in my opinion.

[Opinion Owner]

I guess it's the thrill and all that money is worth the risk to them

[Anonymous]

No! We all make our own choices, even knowing the possible outcomes we still make a conscious decision to do it or not.

[Dred1614]

No. You don't want a concussion? Don't play. Simple as that.

[Anonymous]

no. people know the risks and it's theirs to take.

aside from all that, fuck em.

[Anonymous]

I think soccer should be banned because it causes brain damage by being so boring.

[Dtegesd123]

no. no one forced them to make millions

[TheSpartan]

No, and legalize more

[Mimi_8]

like what?

[TheSpartan]

Anything, as long as it's between consensual adults without severe mental disorders.

[Mimi_8]

yeah don't worry, the disorders come way after when its already too late. Its already a violent sport, and you want it to be more violent?

[blondfrog]

Yeah lets ban all sports.

[Jj2016]

Noppeee x

[Mimi_8]

why?

[Drew_Carrey]

dont you mean handegg? OOOOOO CHAVO

[Intraluminal]

God YES!

[Mimi_8]

one person agrees lol

[Intraluminal]

Personally I think professional sports is an oxymoron, like military intelligence or dehydrated water. Sports are supposed to be played for the fun and contest of it, not as a way to generate product endorsements for questionable products.

[Mimi_8]

well its all about money now, unfortunately

[Intraluminal]

Exactly why I would LOVE to have all the pro teams shut down. That and the brain damage.

[Ayyy_Ron]

No, only cause i play football and box. Lol

[rgb008]

Nope.

[Luvme66]

No... just NO

[Anonymous]

no. it's my fav sport. ;)

[Anonymous]

No, plain and simple