4 ms·

I've been thinking lately if it would be possible to create a variant of football that was just as exciting without the collisions and violence. Most of what m

I've been thinking lately if it would be possible to create a variant of football that was just as exciting without the collisions and violence. Most of what makes me like football more than other sports can be summed up into the following: * Effort matters more than talent - talented teams that are not focused can be upset by less talented teams that are playing harder * Team game - since it's 11v11 and not 5v5, with a few rare exceptions, no one player can make a team. Everyone has to be working together to win. * Drama - every game is just a game. no best of 3, best of 5, etc. This combines with the first point to make every game worth watching. * Strategy - The chess match of how an offense matches up against a defense, how coordinators will use their players' distinct skills to exploit the other team's weaknesses, etc, is fascinating. * Variety of athletes - I was an offensive lineman when I played football in my younger years, and to put it nicely, I have an offensive lineman's build. So I've always enjoyed that football utilizes a variety of athletes that are skilled in more ways than just speed. So would it be possible to put all of these, except maybe the last, into a new game that didn't cause brain damage? I think so, I'm just not sure what that game would look like. I sure hope football can get this figured out, because for all of the bad attention it's been getting lately, it is still a sport that brings a lot of happiness to a lot of people.

webnrrd2k 12y ago
Soccer?
notatoad 12y ago
I think what you call "effort" in the first point could probably also be called violence. Things like How fast you can run and how far you can throw are skill based, the only non skill based aspect of the game that I can think of is how hard you're willing to hit.
- brusch 12y ago
  There are some players who are not necessarily the best athletes on the team, but can excel with better instincts or a better way to analyze the game. But in the NFL the level of athleticism is so high - obviously there aren't any bad athletes in there. If you know exactly where to run beats running (a little) faster.
baddox 12y ago
One obvious possibility is touch football. I know almost nothing about the strategy and tactics of football, but touch football seems to at least superficially match the general flow of full-contact football. That said, I'm not sure how the offensive and defensive lines would work in 11-man competitive touch football.
- brusch 12y ago
  I've started playing flag football after playing football 10 years ago. I've stopped playing football because I tore my ACL in both of my knees. Beeing a defensive end / outside linebacker I can say that the bigger positions don't really translate to flag football. You can't really block other people without real contact. We are playing 5 on 5 - but I can't imagine how contact less football would work 11 on 11. I enjoy playing some flag football, because it's a nice workout and some of the aspects of football are in (different coverages, beating routes...)
- JabavuAdams 12y ago
  Isn't this a bit ... lame (no pun intended). I'm not a football fan, but violence is definitely part of what makes it exciting to me, when I do watch. As a society, we need ways for people to get out aggression in a generally non-harmful way. Note that I'm not arguing against making football safer for players, but rather against the elimination of violent sport. Maybe robo-football? There's just something fun about beating a consenting opponent to the ground.

webnrrd2k 12y ago

Soccer?

notatoad 12y ago

I think what you call "effort" in the first point could probably also be called violence. Things like How fast you can run and how far you can throw are skill based, the only non skill based aspect of the game that I can think of is how hard you're willing to hit.

brusch 12y ago
There are some players who are not necessarily the best athletes on the team, but can excel with better instincts or a better way to analyze the game. But in the NFL the level of athleticism is so high - obviously there aren't any bad athletes in there. If you know exactly where to run beats running (a little) faster.

baddox 12y ago

One obvious possibility is touch football. I know almost nothing about the strategy and tactics of football, but touch football seems to at least superficially match the general flow of full-contact football. That said, I'm not sure how the offensive and defensive lines would work in 11-man competitive touch football.

brusch 12y ago
I've started playing flag football after playing football 10 years ago. I've stopped playing football because I tore my ACL in both of my knees. Beeing a defensive end / outside linebacker I can say that the bigger positions don't really translate to flag football. You can't really block other people without real contact. We are playing 5 on 5 - but I can't imagine how contact less football would work 11 on 11. I enjoy playing some flag football, because it's a nice workout and some of the aspects of football are in (different coverages, beating routes...)
JabavuAdams 12y ago
Isn't this a bit ... lame (no pun intended). I'm not a football fan, but violence is definitely part of what makes it exciting to me, when I do watch. As a society, we need ways for people to get out aggression in a generally non-harmful way. Note that I'm not arguing against making football safer for players, but rather against the elimination of violent sport. Maybe robo-football? There's just something fun about beating a consenting opponent to the ground.