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Is HS football going to go extinct?

Cane Dynasty

Cane Dynasty

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The nation's first prep sports governing body to face a class-action concussions lawsuit has asked an Illinois judge to dismiss the suit, arguing that if it prevails, it could kill football programs statewide.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_HIGH_SCHOOL_CONCUSSIONS_LAWSUIT_ILOL-?SITE=ILMOL

If the suit does go through the domino effect would have HS football as we know it dead nationwide. I can see an AAU type of set up taking it's place.
 
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will never happen. 'Merica cannot function without football....people will lose their minds and jump off cliffs.
 
It is only a matter of time until it is extinct. The NFL settling for 3/4 of a billion dollar started it. The precedent has been put in place that playing a violent sport with long term effects that seem obvious to everyone is the responsibility of the organization, not the participants if they choose to participate. One of these lawsuits will eventually be successful at the college level and the high school level and as soon as that happens you can be pretty sure the sport will dwindle to a damned trickle if not disappear all together in the amateur ranks pretty much over night to avoid huge payouts. As soon as one of these wins in court it would be negligent of anyone in charge of school systems not to nip it before it costs them.
 
I cannot see the sport of football lasting more than another 20 years or so. At least not the version of football that we have now. If football survives it will likely look a lot more like a judo competition than football.
 
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westcoastcanes said:
It is only a matter of time until it is extinct. The NFL settling for 3/4 of a billion dollar started it. The precedent has been put in place that playing a violent sport with long term effects that seem obvious to everyone is the responsibility of the organization, not the participants if they choose to participate. One of these lawsuits will eventually be successful at the college level and the high school level and as soon as that happens you can be pretty sure the sport will dwindle to a damned trickle if not disappear all together in the amateur ranks pretty much over night to avoid huge payouts. As soon as one of these wins in court it would be negligent of anyone in charge of school systems not to nip it before it costs them.
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Doubt it goes extinct but there will be major rule changes. The one that makes sense to me is the removal of pads. Encourages form tackling and de-weaponizes the head. Doesn't eliminate the concussion problem...I've seen plenty of rugby players get their bell rung too...but definitely would reduce it.
 
I never got the argument... Football is a choice you know what your getting into. Doesn't make sense to cry when you get hurt doing something you know can hurt you.
 
I hear some districts in Illinois are thinking of discontinuing high school football - and replacing football with UFC style full contact fighting teams.
 
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954canelife said:
I never got the argument... Football is a choice you know what your getting into. Doesn't make sense to cry when you get hurt doing something you know can hurt you.
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For years the NFL did everything in its power to discredit the CTE issue. They can no longer do that. The cat is out of the bag. Going forward, parents will now know what they are signing their kids up for. Moreover, public school districts, who live their lives in fear of law suits are now going to be tied to this issue if they choose to continue tackle football. Reasons like this are why I foresee either more 7 on 7 at the HS level or I see a game where tackling is restricted to judo style mechanics.
 
This issue is such a freaking joke. Whoever goes into football and doesn't understand that this is a dangerous sport is an idiot. The fact the NFL tried to deny is justifiable means for the lawsuit against them, but let's not act like these guys were so stupid that they didn't understand the dangerous nature of the sport.

Furthermore, these kids in high school, college and pros take this risk intentionally for the chance to make millions and be set for life on top of all the non monetary benefits that come with being a superstar at any level. When was the last time you heard of a boxer or UFC fighter try to sue the sport or claim they didn't understand that getting pounded in the face repeatedly was bad for their health. If you are not willing to take the risk, that's fine, but don't take the risk and then try to get the bonus by acting like you didn't know.
 
I honestly believe football as we know it will be extinct in the next 25 years. The governing bodies, from pop warner through the NFL, will have no choice but to continue to neuter the game to mitigate the threat of injury. There will be a tipping point after which the game will no longer appeal to the masses. If I were a young billionaire, I'd invest in a soccer franchise in the US. 30 years from now, the ROI will be insane.
 
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SFbayCane said:
954canelife said:
I never got the argument... Football is a choice you know what your getting into. Doesn't make sense to cry when you get hurt doing something you know can hurt you.
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For years the NFL did everything in its power to discredit the CTE issue. They can no longer do that. The cat is out of the bag. Going forward, parents will now know what they are signing their kids up for. Moreover, public school districts, who live their lives in fear of law suits are now going to be tied to this issue if they choose to continue tackle football. Reasons like this are why I foresee either more 7 on 7 at the HS level or I see a game where tackling is restricted to judo style mechanics.
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Gotta respectfully disagree with you on this one. If anything, real research on CTE might prove to be the opposite. And anybody that rushes to say that this is a given coming from a doctor affiliated with the NFL doesn't know his reputation within the world of neurosurgery. Goodell being deathly afraid of lawsuits and incessant ESPN stories doesn't prove anything medically.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/1...-steelers-neurosurgeon-nfl-medical-consultant
 
poncho0091 said:
This issue is such a freaking joke. Whoever goes into football and doesn't understand that this is a dangerous sport is an idiot. The fact the NFL tried to deny is justifiable means for the lawsuit against them, but let's not act like these guys were so stupid that they didn't understand the dangerous nature of the sport.

Furthermore, these kids in high school, college and pros take this risk intentionally for the chance to make millions and be set for life on top of all the non monetary benefits that come with being a superstar at any level. When was the last time you heard of a boxer or UFC fighter try to sue the sport or claim they didn't understand that getting pounded in the face repeatedly was bad for their health. If you are not willing to take the risk, that's fine, but don't take the risk and then try to get the bonus by acting like you didn't know.
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NHL is going down the same path. Just a matter of time before fighting is eliminated from the game (which in my opinion is a good thing.)

But your argument is problematic beyond that. Extrapolating your example to something else, could justify someone saying, well he got beat up, shot, kills etc. because he knew what type of neighbourhood he was walking in. While I do agree with you, that you know what your getting into when you play football, I'm just being the voice of the other side, which is what it is.
 
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dycane said:
I honestly believe football as we know it will be extinct in the next 25 years. The governing bodies, from pop warner through the NFL, will have no choice but to continue to neuter the game to mitigate the threat of injury. There will be a tipping point after which the game will no longer appeal to the masses. If I were a young billionaire, I'd invest in a soccer franchise in the US. 30 years from now, the ROI will be insane.
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If this happens with football here, soccer will be soon to follow. There are stories out there with the same kind of trauma being seen in the sport due to heading the ball and incidental head/elbow/shoulder/etc to head collisions.

I don't see either sport being eliminated. I do see a change in demographics though in that some sports will phase out or go low enrollment in better to do communities or neighborhoods.
 
$$$$$ in football is huge. HS football and down is the breeding farm for NCAA and eventually NFL, plus major economic factor in poor hoods. States and local governments(public schools) have varying degrees of immunity. Legislature can pass laws providing protection from suits and $$$$$ always gets politicians attention. I can see it dying in some states, but the South, Ohio, PA, and others will do everything to protect it. Football is very important in many areas. It can die in New England, NY, the NW, some western states and maybe even CA but will receive protection in many sections. Of course if our new El Presidente doesn't do something to fix our program, then I really don't care if football dies. It is all about THE U.
 
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