Bob Costas says football is in trouble

[Mitchrapp]

Just looking at the NFL nowadays some of these current players, maybe a high number, will die young. You get one concussion a 2nd one is more likely to happen. And a 3rd and 4th, and with money a strong force to keep playing it's going to be like that for some time.

 

[tomdalton22]

But...

what if we could cybergenetically freeze that fluid inside the skulls of every player just prior to game time, so that when the brain, instead of being free to slide around and collide with the skull, was held in place by its icy shield?

What about THAT?

I think you're on to something!

 

[turok]

Just make the helmets twice as large with more inside cushioning, but weigh nearly the same, maybe that would reduce concussions by 50% or more. Would cause more missed blocks, tackles, fumbles, and dropped/missed/errant/intercepted passes, but the sport might be saved.

 

[dubbsco]

It's funny that in the older days before helmets, you never heard about any of that stuff. Either the info was lacking, or people actually tackled properly.

 

[tinselwolverine]

Just make the helmets twice as large with more inside cushioning, but weigh nearly the same, maybe that would reduce concussions by 50% or more. Would cause more missed blocks, tackles, fumbles, and dropped/missed/errant/intercepted passes, but the sport might be saved.

Kind of would make the game like it would be if football took my suggestion in post #11.

Maybe they could make the playing area gravity free. I never saw any in a gravity free simulation be able to move with a lot of force; that would certainly make the game safer.

 

[tomdalton22]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFnTqxhv6VU

 

[turok]

It's funny that in the older days before helmets, you never heard about any of that stuff. Either the info was lacking, or people actually tackled properly.

If concussions happened during the leather helmet era, there was less medical knowledge and equipment available to learn what happens to the brain, and therefore any later mental illnesses suffered by former participants were not connected to playing football. As has been posted, players since then have gradually become heavier, taller, faster, and stronger.

 

[turok]

Maybe they could make the playing area gravity free. I never saw any in a gravity free simulation be able to move with a lot of force; that would certainly make the game safer.

Maybe they could instead make the entire gridiron and endzones vibrate @ varying speeds controlled by the coaching staffs, while they players do nothing but let the vibrations move them around the field. Just like the board games I had as a kid.

Better still, very tightly suspend 4 trampolines a foot above the former fields, one each for the endzones, and the other two for the home and visitor's 0-50 yard lines, in team colors, with all of the lines and hashmarks having been added.

 

[Mitchrapp]

It's funny that in the older days before helmets, you never heard about any of that stuff. Either the info was lacking, or people actually tackled properly.

When I was younger, watching or playing I knew nothing of concussions. I'd just think "sweet hit" and move past it. And this was in the 70's when they wore helmets.

 

[Tonyballs2]

It's funny that in the older days before helmets, you never heard about any of that stuff. Either the info was lacking, or people actually tackled properly.

Info just wasn't there IMO. Hell, I remember going to the doctor's office and people were smoking in the waiting rooms. This was late 70's early 80's lol