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The NFL has tried to put player safety at the forefront of it's PR with all this concussion prevention talk; otherwise the talent pipeline would eventually star

The NFL has tried to put player safety at the forefront of it's PR with all this concussion prevention talk; otherwise the talent pipeline would eventually start drying up as more and more parents would stop letting their kids play football. But I can assure you, alongside the head injury issues, Thursday games are only going to increase injury in the long term as they stand now. The right move is to push for an 18 week/16 game season, each team gets two bye weeks and only plays on a Thursday game when coordinated with one of their byes to allow maximum recovery. The NFL can then sound the trumpets of encouraging player safety as well as broadcast more games. For fun - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78qF72JwJwA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78qF72JwJwA #GoHawks

greedo 13y ago
#GoHawks!
psaintla 13y ago
The talent pipeline for professional football is going to dry up no matter what. As more scientific evidence mounts of what we already know anecdotally lawsuits will increase along with the insurance costs for youth football. There is no stopping that.
- k-mcgrady 13y ago
  Isn't their this kind of risk in lots of sports? They haven't seen talent dry up e.g. Motorsport In the 70's Formula 1 there were 9 deaths and many more serious injuries. Safety has improved significantly in the last 15 years but there was never a lack of talent in the most dangerous years. e.g. Boxing I don't have specific evidence here but in a sport where people punch each other there has to be long term risk and it continues to prove extremely popular. e.g. Rugby Again little specific evidence but it's at least as brutal as the NFL and lacks the protection for the players. I know several kids in my local area who have suffered broken necks, paralysis, and I've heard of one death. And these were kids playing for their high school team. Yet it continues to grow in popularity and talent.
  - psaintla 13y ago
    There is a huge difference between those sports and football. Youth football is sponsored and run by public schools whose residents will not want to cover the financial fallout from a lawsuit. Private schools have been ending football programs for awhile now because they have even less ability to pay for a lawsuit, it's only a matter of time before public schools go the same route.
- tdees40 13y ago
  My dad played football, and so did I. My child will not, because his brain is more important than football. That's anecdotal, but there are plenty more like us.
- hackinthebochs 13y ago
  I completely disagree. There is a huge difference between professional and amateur level football in terms of intensity and potential damage, so the inherent danger is orders of magnitude lower at the high school and most of the college level. At elite college levels, the potential for money from a future NFL career will trump any concern about personal safety. Furthermore, parents are going to have a hard time preventing a kid with clear potential from playing high school football.
hxc 13y ago
#GoHawks
tunesmith 13y ago
I don't know why more people don't recommend 18 weeks/ 16 games. Every time I mentioned it it got dismissed apparently because the NFL tries two bye weeks years back and it went over poorly. But it seems like a great way to increase player safety, protect viewer scarcity/appetite, and increase tv revenue.

greedo 13y ago

#GoHawks!

psaintla 13y ago

The talent pipeline for professional football is going to dry up no matter what. As more scientific evidence mounts of what we already know anecdotally lawsuits will increase along with the insurance costs for youth football. There is no stopping that.

k-mcgrady 13y ago
Isn't their this kind of risk in lots of sports? They haven't seen talent dry up e.g. Motorsport In the 70's Formula 1 there were 9 deaths and many more serious injuries. Safety has improved significantly in the last 15 years but there was never a lack of talent in the most dangerous years. e.g. Boxing I don't have specific evidence here but in a sport where people punch each other there has to be long term risk and it continues to prove extremely popular. e.g. Rugby Again little specific evidence but it's at least as brutal as the NFL and lacks the protection for the players. I know several kids in my local area who have suffered broken necks, paralysis, and I've heard of one death. And these were kids playing for their high school team. Yet it continues to grow in popularity and talent.
- psaintla 13y ago
  There is a huge difference between those sports and football. Youth football is sponsored and run by public schools whose residents will not want to cover the financial fallout from a lawsuit. Private schools have been ending football programs for awhile now because they have even less ability to pay for a lawsuit, it's only a matter of time before public schools go the same route.
tdees40 13y ago
My dad played football, and so did I. My child will not, because his brain is more important than football. That's anecdotal, but there are plenty more like us.
hackinthebochs 13y ago
I completely disagree. There is a huge difference between professional and amateur level football in terms of intensity and potential damage, so the inherent danger is orders of magnitude lower at the high school and most of the college level. At elite college levels, the potential for money from a future NFL career will trump any concern about personal safety. Furthermore, parents are going to have a hard time preventing a kid with clear potential from playing high school football.

hxc 13y ago

#GoHawks

tunesmith 13y ago

I don't know why more people don't recommend 18 weeks/ 16 games. Every time I mentioned it it got dismissed apparently because the NFL tries two bye weeks years back and it went over poorly. But it seems like a great way to increase player safety, protect viewer scarcity/appetite, and increase tv revenue.