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Amazing that the article doesn't contain some (IMO) important and interesting historical context: The football huddle was invented at Gallaudet, so that other

Amazing that the article doesn't contain some (IMO) important and interesting historical context: The football huddle was invented at Gallaudet, so that other teams couldn't read sign language pre-play discussions.

gowld 5y ago
It's a feel-good human-interest story; not meant to be accurate. It doesn't investigate any of the claims made as to why the team is successful. > Mr. Adams, who coached the team for two seasons starting in 2005 and began his second stint four years ago, attributes the turnaround to rigorous conditioning and an especially talented cohort of players, some of whom have played together for years at lower levels. Seems the most likely explanation, since sign language isn't a new innovation for deaf football players. The rest is just "since the team is good, it is a hook to talk positively about deafness.
- frogpelt 5y ago
  I think you nailed it. It's awesome that they have overcome what others perceive as a disability. And in this case, they might have actually turned it into an advantage. But make no mistake, the reason they are beating people is because they are good at football, not because they are deaf.
  - dnautics 5y ago
    well no? Line-of-sight communication with zippy sign language is not distance dependent, or as dependent on environmental audio considerations (jamming). Incidentally, I have always wondered why naval ship-to-ship communication isn't with a LOS tight beam laser -- unjammable and uninterceptable. Conceivably, a football team could learn to adapt by physically blocking line-of-sight between QB and receiver but it's too niche. Same goes for reading sign language. If indeed they are winning because they have a communication advantage (which is and always has been in american football), true it is not strictly because they are deaf, because any other team could learn to use a similar system, but let's be real. It's because they are deaf, fluency especially at a high speed takes near-zero effort.
    - rackjack 5y ago
      This reminds me of how left-handed boxers generally have an advantage over their opponents.
      - dmoy 5y ago
        The same is true in fencing. Though it's mostly because fencing (or boxing) a lefty as a righty is unusual enough that you have less practice doing it. While the lefty pretty much only fences (or boxes) against righties. It boils down entirely to comfort. Someone with a good lefty in their club/team that they regularly practice against won't have much difficulty with it. What's really funny, by the way, is watching two lefties fence against each other when neither of them have a second really good lefty to practice against. It just looks... awkward. Of course then you get to a high enough level and it's 100% footwork, and the lefty/right bit mostly stops mattering.
    - wizzwizz4 5y ago
      > Incidentally, I have always wondered why naval ship-to-ship communication isn't with a LOS tight beam laser -- unjammable and uninterceptable. You have to aim it. Ships on water don't stay still, fog and rain exist, etc..
      - dnautics 5y ago
        seriously? It's 2021. Maybe there's something I'm missing, but it shouldn't be hard to track and aim a 30cm object at 100 m with a laser that is moving +/- 5-10 meters at a speed of 5m/s Fog though, yeah. I get that one.
        wizzwizz4 5y ago
        The higher the tech, the more that can go wrong.
        dnautics 5y ago
        navy doesn't seem to care (see USS Ford)
- dymk 5y ago
  TFA discusses how being deaf might have helped the players strategically in conjunction with good conditioning and coaching.
  - dylan604 5y ago
    like never jumping the snap count. don't move until the ball moves. every coach tries to beat that into their players. i bet they're impossible to get those 5 yard encroachment pentalties coaches like to try in 3rd and short.
danso 5y ago
Ironically, the California team is described as not needing to huddle — which makes sense since their opponents presumably don’t know ASL > Many teams try to use hand signals to call in plays, but they are no match for the Cubs, who communicate with a flurry of hand movements between each play. No time is wasted by players running to the sidelines to get an earful from the coaching staff. No huddle is needed.
- jaywalk 5y ago
  I highly doubt the plays are called using ASL. They've probably come up with their own sign language for that.
  - eightysixfour 5y ago
    Much like football plays for the hearing, they're probably using numbers, metaphors, and "random" words to describe the plays. No need to come up with their own sign language.

gowld 5y ago

It's a feel-good human-interest story; not meant to be accurate. It doesn't investigate any of the claims made as to why the team is successful. > Mr. Adams, who coached the team for two seasons starting in 2005 and began his second stint four years ago, attributes the turnaround to rigorous conditioning and an especially talented cohort of players, some of whom have played together for years at lower levels. Seems the most likely explanation, since sign language isn't a new innovation for deaf football players. The rest is just "since the team is good, it is a hook to talk positively about deafness.

frogpelt 5y ago
I think you nailed it. It's awesome that they have overcome what others perceive as a disability. And in this case, they might have actually turned it into an advantage. But make no mistake, the reason they are beating people is because they are good at football, not because they are deaf.
- dnautics 5y ago
  well no? Line-of-sight communication with zippy sign language is not distance dependent, or as dependent on environmental audio considerations (jamming). Incidentally, I have always wondered why naval ship-to-ship communication isn't with a LOS tight beam laser -- unjammable and uninterceptable. Conceivably, a football team could learn to adapt by physically blocking line-of-sight between QB and receiver but it's too niche. Same goes for reading sign language. If indeed they are winning because they have a communication advantage (which is and always has been in american football), true it is not strictly because they are deaf, because any other team could learn to use a similar system, but let's be real. It's because they are deaf, fluency especially at a high speed takes near-zero effort.
  - rackjack 5y ago
    This reminds me of how left-handed boxers generally have an advantage over their opponents.
    - dmoy 5y ago
      The same is true in fencing. Though it's mostly because fencing (or boxing) a lefty as a righty is unusual enough that you have less practice doing it. While the lefty pretty much only fences (or boxes) against righties. It boils down entirely to comfort. Someone with a good lefty in their club/team that they regularly practice against won't have much difficulty with it. What's really funny, by the way, is watching two lefties fence against each other when neither of them have a second really good lefty to practice against. It just looks... awkward. Of course then you get to a high enough level and it's 100% footwork, and the lefty/right bit mostly stops mattering.
  - wizzwizz4 5y ago
    > Incidentally, I have always wondered why naval ship-to-ship communication isn't with a LOS tight beam laser -- unjammable and uninterceptable. You have to aim it. Ships on water don't stay still, fog and rain exist, etc..
    - dnautics 5y ago
      seriously? It's 2021. Maybe there's something I'm missing, but it shouldn't be hard to track and aim a 30cm object at 100 m with a laser that is moving +/- 5-10 meters at a speed of 5m/s Fog though, yeah. I get that one.
      - wizzwizz4 5y ago
        The higher the tech, the more that can go wrong.
        dnautics 5y ago
        navy doesn't seem to care (see USS Ford)
dymk 5y ago
TFA discusses how being deaf might have helped the players strategically in conjunction with good conditioning and coaching.
- dylan604 5y ago
  like never jumping the snap count. don't move until the ball moves. every coach tries to beat that into their players. i bet they're impossible to get those 5 yard encroachment pentalties coaches like to try in 3rd and short.

danso 5y ago

Ironically, the California team is described as not needing to huddle — which makes sense since their opponents presumably don’t know ASL > Many teams try to use hand signals to call in plays, but they are no match for the Cubs, who communicate with a flurry of hand movements between each play. No time is wasted by players running to the sidelines to get an earful from the coaching staff. No huddle is needed.

jaywalk 5y ago
I highly doubt the plays are called using ASL. They've probably come up with their own sign language for that.
- eightysixfour 5y ago
  Much like football plays for the hearing, they're probably using numbers, metaphors, and "random" words to describe the plays. No need to come up with their own sign language.