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I played high school football, and my family is a "football family" with Dad and other relatives having played at the college level. I loved the game and had ma

I played high school football, and my family is a "football family" with Dad and other relatives having played at the college level. I loved the game and had many great experiences. I'm sad to write it, but that tradition ends with me. I will absolutely not allow any children I might have to play this game. I often wonder how badly my own brain is damaged. Coincidentally, I also did my undergrad at CU.

pacala 8y ago
Quite popular among middle schoolers in my city is Ultimate Frisbee [0]. It flows similarly to football, at least for an European eye, but without rushing or tackling. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_(sport) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_(sport)
- nostrademons 8y ago
  Ultimate was hugely popular in the social circles I went to college and worked with. It's faster-paced than football, has relatively little risk of injury, and the rules are easy to explain. It's also the most accessible sport in terms of equipment needed: all you need is a 50-cent frisbee and an open playing field. Even beats soccer and basketball in that regard.
- basetop 8y ago
  We already have football without tackling - flag football or touch football. Most of us play flag or touch football in school. Only a tiny fraction of people who play football play organized tackle football. Frisbee is nice, but there is nothing like throwing a tight spiral or catching a football.
  - tomjakubowski 8y ago
    High school football is most commonly full-contact/"tackle", and the source of most football-related injuries, because most players don't advance beyond that level. I think that in most of the country, K-8 schools don't organize football teams, but I did know kids who played flag football in park district youth leagues.
- humanrebar 8y ago
  It's more like rugby than American football. The physicality of the linemen and other blockers is key to the whole game of American football. It's like you have a group sumo match and then a rugby game happening around it. It adds strategy, tactics, misdirection, and specialization of abilities you don't see in other sports.
  - pacala 8y ago
    The sumo comparison is quite apt, and also present in rugby, at least in scrum situations. OTOH, in rugby passing forward is prohibited. Not so in ultimate or football, where passing forward is a defining characteristic of the game.

pacala 8y ago

Quite popular among middle schoolers in my city is Ultimate Frisbee [0]. It flows similarly to football, at least for an European eye, but without rushing or tackling. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_(sport) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_(sport)

nostrademons 8y ago
Ultimate was hugely popular in the social circles I went to college and worked with. It's faster-paced than football, has relatively little risk of injury, and the rules are easy to explain. It's also the most accessible sport in terms of equipment needed: all you need is a 50-cent frisbee and an open playing field. Even beats soccer and basketball in that regard.
basetop 8y ago
We already have football without tackling - flag football or touch football. Most of us play flag or touch football in school. Only a tiny fraction of people who play football play organized tackle football. Frisbee is nice, but there is nothing like throwing a tight spiral or catching a football.
- tomjakubowski 8y ago
  High school football is most commonly full-contact/"tackle", and the source of most football-related injuries, because most players don't advance beyond that level. I think that in most of the country, K-8 schools don't organize football teams, but I did know kids who played flag football in park district youth leagues.
humanrebar 8y ago
It's more like rugby than American football. The physicality of the linemen and other blockers is key to the whole game of American football. It's like you have a group sumo match and then a rugby game happening around it. It adds strategy, tactics, misdirection, and specialization of abilities you don't see in other sports.
- pacala 8y ago
  The sumo comparison is quite apt, and also present in rugby, at least in scrum situations. OTOH, in rugby passing forward is prohibited. Not so in ultimate or football, where passing forward is a defining characteristic of the game.