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(I suspect the complex helmets and padding are actually the cause of brutality and concussions in football because the players use the padding as a weapon and a

(I suspect the complex helmets and padding are actually the cause of brutality and concussions in football because the players use the padding as a weapon and as justification to go to physical extremes they would not dare try without their armor) I suspect that helmets and padding are the reason we don't see more deaths at all levels of play.

falcolas 12y ago
Watch some Rugby and get back to us on that one. Same basic mechanics (tackling, diving, etc), but done with more caution because they aren't armored tanks.
- ritchiea 12y ago
  Exactly! As I stated in the other thread off this comment, I wonder what American football would look like without padding like rugby.
- arethuza 12y ago
  While not as bad as American Football, rugby is still pretty bad - my son plays rugby at U16 level and the level of injuries you see are pretty striking - broken bones aren't exactly uncommon. Still rugby is a great game and he loves it and I love watching him play. [Scrums are the really scary bit of rugby as of the risks to players necks - fortunately he is a No 8. not a prop!].
  - ritchiea 12y ago
    The thing is everyone knows these sports are brutal and can lead to broken bones. It's concussions that are of a larger concern.
    - dragonwriter 12y ago
      Concussions are of larger concern largely because we've reduced the problem of one particular kind of broken bone (to wit, the skull -- which was a fairly serious problem in football) to a more manageable level with protective gear. I don't think reducing the impact of concussions by returning to the age of deaths by brain injuries from broken skulls is a way forward.
- dpeck 12y ago
  Its really a totally different kind of hit though. Rugby tackles tend to be at sharp angles or from behind while football is often heads up direct or nearly so. But even so, studies seem to show that its the constant impacts from blocking on the line, something rugby doesn't allow, that is a large contributor to the mental problems developed later in life. Honestly I think facemasks are the biggest problem with the equipment and contributing to problems with it.
- benihana 12y ago
  American fotoball linemen's only job is to run into other linemen. There is no strategy that has them handling the football save trick plays. If you think removing pads will magically make the game safer because Rugby doesn't have pads, maybe you should watch some American football and get back to us. It's less about the pads and more about the strategy of the game.
italophil 12y ago
There is some research to support the hypothesis that helmets change the way linemen tackle. http://www.unh.edu/unhtoday/2014/11/keeping-their-heads-out-game http://www.unh.edu/unhtoday/2014/11/keeping-their-heads-out-...
dragonwriter 12y ago
> I suspect that helmets and padding are the reason we don't see more deaths at all levels of play. Given the fact that we have a history of both no helmets/padding and less or less effective effective helmets and padding with much higher death rates, I think that's fairly clear.

falcolas 12y ago

Watch some Rugby and get back to us on that one. Same basic mechanics (tackling, diving, etc), but done with more caution because they aren't armored tanks.

ritchiea 12y ago
Exactly! As I stated in the other thread off this comment, I wonder what American football would look like without padding like rugby.
arethuza 12y ago
While not as bad as American Football, rugby is still pretty bad - my son plays rugby at U16 level and the level of injuries you see are pretty striking - broken bones aren't exactly uncommon. Still rugby is a great game and he loves it and I love watching him play. [Scrums are the really scary bit of rugby as of the risks to players necks - fortunately he is a No 8. not a prop!].
- ritchiea 12y ago
  The thing is everyone knows these sports are brutal and can lead to broken bones. It's concussions that are of a larger concern.
  - dragonwriter 12y ago
    Concussions are of larger concern largely because we've reduced the problem of one particular kind of broken bone (to wit, the skull -- which was a fairly serious problem in football) to a more manageable level with protective gear. I don't think reducing the impact of concussions by returning to the age of deaths by brain injuries from broken skulls is a way forward.
dpeck 12y ago
Its really a totally different kind of hit though. Rugby tackles tend to be at sharp angles or from behind while football is often heads up direct or nearly so. But even so, studies seem to show that its the constant impacts from blocking on the line, something rugby doesn't allow, that is a large contributor to the mental problems developed later in life. Honestly I think facemasks are the biggest problem with the equipment and contributing to problems with it.
benihana 12y ago
American fotoball linemen's only job is to run into other linemen. There is no strategy that has them handling the football save trick plays. If you think removing pads will magically make the game safer because Rugby doesn't have pads, maybe you should watch some American football and get back to us. It's less about the pads and more about the strategy of the game.

italophil 12y ago

There is some research to support the hypothesis that helmets change the way linemen tackle. http://www.unh.edu/unhtoday/2014/11/keeping-their-heads-out-game http://www.unh.edu/unhtoday/2014/11/keeping-their-heads-out-...

dragonwriter 12y ago

> I suspect that helmets and padding are the reason we don't see more deaths at all levels of play. Given the fact that we have a history of both no helmets/padding and less or less effective effective helmets and padding with much higher death rates, I think that's fairly clear.