Question For Fans re CTE

[Deeringfish]

Exactly. I think this might be the thing that kills off professional football--when insurers refuse to insure the game at the youth level, or rates become exorbitant.

OTOH would you really notice the difference if the overall game slowed down by 10%? or would it be the heart of the players on the field that mattered?

 

[StreamCat]

I can't of any reason why you would chose to play football over baseball or in ARE's case basketball too. The money, length of career, long term health impacts etc. all favore baseball

I remember reading a letter written to Sports Illustrated by a gentleman bemoaning the fact that Bo Jackson had decided to play baseball instead of football. He strongly implied that Bo owed the fans a career in football. I remember saying to myself the same things you wrote above. Then Bo decided to play football, too, and proved us both right.

 

[NUAlum78]

Great points here.

I think football won't be an option for my five year old. It's an easy decision because it's unlikely that he will attend a high school that offers football, unless we move to the burbs (not in the plan).

But I played rugby at NU and am quite fond of the sport. I believe that it is much safer than football, but that does not mean that rugby is safe. And the answer to that question depends, as you so aptly point out, on what level of risk is tolerable.

I'd like to see CTE research on pro rugby players before I make any real conclusions. For now, I'd be inclined to let my son play rugby.

I also played rugby in Chicago, not for Northwestern but in my mid-20s for the Griffins. Had a good friend playing for the Lions, and two other friends that played serious soccer. I think the adage about rugby being a hooligan's game played by gentlemen, while soccer is a gentlemen's game played by hooligans, is (was) correct - my soccer playing friends were almost always more seriously injured on Monday morning than the rugby players, other than the occasional scrum-related ear loss.

 

[Hungry Jack]

OTOH would you really notice the difference if the overall game slowed down by 10%? or would it be the heart of the players on the field that mattered?

There is much more to be learned from CTE research, but I am inclined to think CTE is an existential threat to football as we know it. If parents steer their kids away from PeeWee/Pop Warner, and insurers stop insuring high school programs, causing schools to drop the sport, the trickle down will be quickly felt at college and then pros. The depth of the pool will thin considerably. Whether or not it kills the top tier college programs is debatable. Football is immensely popular and hugely profitable. It's appeal to fans won't change. Will money trump public health? Seems likely, given the preponderance of people who smoke, drink, do drugs, etc.

 

[hdhntr1]

Funny that you mentioned boxing in your analogy, since my friends and I were recently discussing the future of football as we know it and the concensus was that football is heading down that same downward road. Sure it may ten or more years in the future but when CTE cause and affect become more readily known, only the underprivlidged and poor kids will play the game. The tide will begin to turn when high school programs can no longer support and pay for the insurance premiums needed to protect them from injury lawsuits. This will eventually effect college and pro football in the number of participants willing to sacrifice their future quality of life, as well as the costs associated with defending against and paying injured players. Don't know what will replace football as Americas #1 sport, maybe lacrosse or soccer as we've been told for years or baseball might once again become #1, we will see.

It would look like the effect is cumulative and the adding years more hits and harder hits of pro football might be the real issue. Have yet to see anything that showed relation between HS or college football alone and CTE. And if not, would FB in college still be viable and end up being the end of the line? That could be a bonanza for the college game as it would become the only game in town and that might favor schools like NU where the degree is worth more over others where recruits are more looking for a path to the NFL. Then with the high cost of education for the middle class (even U of I is approaching $160k or more for an in state middle class student) it makes it more worth it to that group as poor have other means of getting college costs covered.