I was an offense and defensive lineman (didn't play professionally) But I remember plenty of times when I've tackled someone I've blacked out from the hit and woke up when I hit ground, and jumped right back up like nothing happened, and redo it all over again throughout the game...I'm 27 now and I have a difficulty remembering and staying focused at time
Definitely. We used to call them “stingers” I played on the 90’s. You’d get shaky, dizzy, nearly black out, maybe take a knee. “I’m alright” get in the huddle afew seconds late and shake it off. Coaches would ask and then pat you on the head “you’re alright” 🤦♂️
Losing your memories is the worst part of dementia. You spend your whole life accruing these amazing, brilliant memories and then at the end of your life, you lose the most important thing... the thing you earned in the previous sixty years :-(
I know right? It literally involves having a bunch of hulking dudes in what is basically body armor smash into each other for hours at a time. It's really barbaric.
Why do you assume he's "only just realizing this now"? He's simply making a statement. People say stuff. It doesn't mean they just realize it the moment they say it. They may have realized it ten years ago and decided to speak about it now.
Dane Potmo the biggest ppv of all time was a boxing event which happened a few years ago. It may not be the most popular but I wouldn't call that level of interest fringe.
Ditch the pads and helmets and the game will get safer. Hell, you can see this even in a backyard game. When people have helmets and pads not only do they feel like a walking tank, they have the false impression that they are protected because of this gear.
This is true of boxing as well, before boxing gloves were adopted and all boxing was bear knuckle, hitting in the head was illegal, now that boxing gloves are used, hitting in the head, and therefore risk of concussions has skyrocketed.
I think I saw a science report on heading in soccer, a few years ago stating that heading the ball repeatedly, like in a drill, on a regular basis would affect the athletes memory the next day. Imagine what this sport does!
I think removing padding is the answer. Helmets and padding make it problem worse not better you get a feeling of invincibility. Take rugby for example you don't get anywhere close to the same types of tackles as the nfl. The same in boxing with bare knuckle vs gloves.
No they would have to create super strict tackling rules it would literally just be rugby so your logic isn’t making the sport more safe it’s getting rid of it the only way to make the sport safe is to use modern equipment and to invest in player safety more and more
FOR ANYONE DOUBTING THIS, keep in mind. It's not about concussions only. It's about repeated head trauma (and mini-trauma) that *don't even reach* technical concussion levels. TOO MANY FOOTBALL FANS are making this mistake. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "But the concussion levels aren't that high" (and then quote a concussion-only stat).
+Emanuel Garcia CORRECT! If they started teaching American football players to tackle properly you wouldn't have this problem. In rugby you very rarely get these type of injuries. Rugby players are just as tough, if not tougher than American Football players. They play without pads, helmets etc, but for the most part they play safe.
The games are far too different for this to work. In the NFL, every inch matters greatly. That's why guys use what seems to be an excessive amount of force to stop players. In rugby, losing even 5 yards on a tackle really doesn't matter, as long as you get your guy down. That's why the hits aren't as hard. Also, in rugby you are usually within 10 feet from the guy you are about to tackle. A Safety or Linebacker is coming from 20+ yards away on a tackle, so the windups before a hit are much bigger.
+Thomas Priday have you ever watched videos such as. Hardest rugby hits, they are easily as fast and powerful as an nfg tackle, and sometimes look more brutal because they grab hold instead of just pushing them over
TinyRodent no they are not. When you have pads you can hit a lot harder and not worry about consequences . Same for boxing. A glove make it so you can punch without breaking your hand.
American football is in serious jeopardy, and I doubt it will last another fifty-years. The primary-reason for its decline is, and I think this goes without saying, but the human-body really isn't supposed to endure relentless physical-abuse, and more and more parents are wising up and coming to terms with this fact. Sure, they're enjoying watching their favorite NFL team(s) on Sundays (pro-football is at the height of its popularity), but they won't allow their children to play the sport they so relish. I don't blame them, either; I played football in High School, and now wish I didn't! What was I thinking back then?
+Matthew Alexander Lemma I don't think it's in jeopardy. Did you know the majority of youth concussions occur in wheeled sports? Dirt bikes, bicycles, skateboards, roller blades, etc etc. As a Paramedic, the majority of concussions I've run (just personal experience) are actually in basketball. I'm not denying that concussions are serious, and that we should do everything we can to prevent them, but why is football being attacked? It is extremely dangerous, but medical statistics show that it is not the leading cause of concussions among youth, so why aren't the other sports being questioned as much as football is my question? If concussions truly are as serious as they say, (which I think it's common sense that they are) then we need to approach all sports with this kind of caution.
+Matthew Alexander Lemma Good. Hopefully baseball will rise to the top of the ladder where it should be. God, I love hockey though. That's a violent sport. But the NHL is gradually phasing out fighting and probably another five years it will be obsolete.
Yeah, the NFL is super popular now but without a doubt it is going to either seriously change in terms of the type of game football is, or it is going to totally die out after another 50 years or so.
You can at least credit the scientist who found out about concussion and not say scientists instead BTW he is Bennet Ifeakandu Omalu.. There is even a movie about him in which Will Smith plays as him movie: Concussion.
When I coached kids Rugby League in Australia the first thing we taught the kids was to get their head out of the way when tackling, not to use your head!
Personally I think american football will not die, it will become safer especially when scientists find out what causes CTE. And the nfl will eventually find a way to reduce the head injuries. There will always be people who will want to step up as a nfl player and earn millions, so why would one think that parents could stop their children from archieving their dreams. I think that football should only be allowed starting at the age of 15 or 16 because the bodies really start developing at that age. Toddler ball is very prone to injury because the kids dont really know how to tackle or coordinate their body movement as a whole. Another issue would be that their head is a very big target in that helmet because it is almost larger than the upper body of the children, thus making it very prone to injury. If you have made it this far, I would like to note that I appreciate you taking your time to read this comment. Thank you.
Science is not magic. The. only hope for the next generation is that clear risk factors are found and people can be banned from playing. Were we have to find a cure for regular dementia first.
+Sugar J Scientists have found the cause of CTE. It is the accumulation of tau protein hardening in the brain due to the repeated head trauma most frequently found in the sport of football. It will continue to be a problem because pro football won't simply just go away and neither will the collisions that come with it. And it most likely won't be massively solved until more ex-players die.
Vox the graphic you show at 2:37 is proof to me that the NFL is taking concussions more seriously, I dont think you can say that hits to the head have really increased at such a significant level over the last decade but instead is showing that the NFL is diagnosing concussions much more effectively
Catherine E. Lewis the rate of concussions didnt go up 160% between 2006 -2011 because lineman are getting bigger. Anyways the reason concussions are declining after 2011 is because the kickoff was moved up 15 yards reducing the number high speed collisions. Concussions dont occur at the line of scrimmage where the lineman play because F=ma, The acceleration is much lower here and although they are large players the collisions happen at a low speed.
Get rid of the stupid armour that makes players feel invincible, are you going to launch your body head first at your opponents head if no helmets are worn? No you're going to learn a skilful way to tackle.
Players are taught the proper way to tackle, and drill them at every practice, even the ones without pads. Slowing down before an impact is worse than running as fast as you can.
Tom Lloyd It’s not like rugby, when you have a receiver running as fast as he can for 40 yards and then a safety waiting to launch into him the second he catches the ball no pads won’t help. It’s an inherently different game.
Today, is the day I will end my football fandom. I will no longer watch, wear, collect or support anything NFL related. Companies who sponsor the game, advertise during commercial breaks during a televised game will, one by one, no longer be consumed in my day to day life. Am completely serious about my comment. A family member of mine, has been diagnosed with CTE and dementia. Watching someone I love dearly, fall ill to this ruthless illness is devastating. Goodbye football ... forever.
just a few quick notes 1) players who play and are "ok" after need to be compared to the general populous. Sadly, CTE can only be definitively determined posthumously therefore the data is incomplete. 2) the players are getting bigger, stronger and faster and our brains are not evolving more fluid between the skull and the brain for protection. This problem will only get worse before it gets better. 3) that Connor Barwin clip scared me straight into enrolling in another sport. 0:31 4) if we change the verbiage and use terms like "brain injury" instead of concussion, we may make headway (pardon the pun) in terms of player safety or abolishing the sport altogether. I am a huge football fan, I love the sport, I think it is an exciting mix of physical strength, speed and strategy - I do not think it is worth the lives or livelihood of these young men.
By 2030, I'm 95% sure someone will have designed a helmet meant to absorb hits to the head, dramatically reducing the amount of concussions in the NFL.
No, not in the same rates anyway. You have the same (if not worse) rates of traumatic injuries (broken bones, spines etc) but you never see the type of full speed head-first tackles in rugby that happen all the time in football. If you don't have a helmet, you can't use your head as a weapon.
Kristian Jörgensen Well I can agree mostly but the rates of the damage caused to players it a bit lower than Gridiron. Also you shouldn't use your head in any sport as its the most vital part of the human body. In rugby tackling must be done correctly, you could say it's a art form aiming at the thigh and using your hand to lock them around the player, immobilised he or she. This is the best way to stop a player instead of using your head.
I love the game of football. Played it back in youth football for one season and that was enough. Didn't like getting hit in the head or the way it gave you headaches and stars. It's not surprising to see this evidence amounts to something. It would be a sad day to let the game die but it may go that way. I wouldn't let my kids play football. I would have them play baseball or basketball.
Once CTE can be diagnosed in living humans, I'd have to imagine that will, essentially, be the death of football. Can you imagine a situation where it turns out 40% of the league is showing early signs of CTE? Or 50%? 60%? 75%? 90%? Nevermind colleges, high schools, and Pop Warner. Most kids who play do it for fun, not to make it into the pros. If they are showing early signs, no way parents would let them keep playing. Not, at least, without large insurance policies. And once insurance start getting involved, it would be so much easier, and cheaper, for municipalities to just close up shop.
How does that solve anything? Players would just be bashing their bare skulls together. That would just cause more problems. Not to mention how many non head injuries would start occurring.
Ingmar Fris You would never drive your head into someone else's the way that football players do if it weren't for the false sense of security that a helmet and shoulder pads provide. (That's not even how tackling is TAUGHT.) By your logic, skull fractures should be a huge problem in rugby.
That is not at all what I mean. In the sport football you drive your head into other players heads. If we assume that is still part of the game then your comment doesn't make sense because you don't account for that. Does that make sense to you? I don't care how tackling is taught, I don't play football but we aren't analyzing the psychology of football. I don't care why you think people bash their heads in football I just want you to understand that more about the game would have to be changed to stop concussions other than just taking away the players helmets and padding.
Ingmar Fris That's exactly why I called it a "radical" solution; fixing football's problems (at least currently) would make the game almost unrecognizably different, and most people wouldn't want that. Safety versus tradition. All I am positing is the nature of the trade-off, not what necessarily should be done.
Ok. I understand what you mean. Most likely today's fans of football would stop playing watching it if that happened. I don't know what should be done but it probably won't be done for a while.
This isn't only in football, but in soccer too where your heading the ball a lot of time over a 36 game period or more or you accidentally knock heads with someone when you make a header. The thing is you do it enough times it's eventually it's going to cause some type of damage and over years, it's going to be irreversible.
Think with soccer though is that while heading is common and the little stuff probably does add up, it mostly lacks the serious types of collisions you see in the NFL. You cite that players "bang heads" sometimes; this is true, but absolutely does not compare to what boxers or NFL players face. I don't see heading as a huge problem in soccer (although globally, concussion awareness must seriously improve). But heading itself, in moderation, doesn't seem like a big deal to me. However I will say that when a ball is coming down from 30 yards in the air, I'll never be the one to head that, anyone who does is a little bit crazy. Long story short of kids are taught proper technique, head injuries in soccer will only be a minor problem.
I love football, but some on here are getting way too defensive. No one is saying to ban the game. What many are saying is that more research needs to be done to get a better understanding of how and why this is caused. Knowledge is power, and I hate the idea that some would rather be willfully ignorant on the subject just so football can remain perfect in their eyes.
willisverynice I would definitely discourage my future child from playing football. As for other parents, it's up to them - I wouldn't ban football just because I don't want my child to play.
Even with all the new rule changes The number of concussions (doubled)this year in the NFL.Bottom line football is a gladiator sport it was never safe and never intended to be safe but I'm glad they're putting out all this new or old info about the long term effects of concussions and brain injuries. If I had a chance to play football all over again I would run faster and harder cuz I love the game.A true football player never quit playing football we all either get old or injured forcing us to walk away from the game.
I've always been a strong advocate of helmet hits in the NFL. Together with removing TD celebrations those two seemed like the lamest things imaginable, but i never knew about CTE and players killing themselves that's just not worth it. But bring back my TD celebrations !!!
can you imagine the scarring that takes place on the brain from playing football over years? I'm talking scarring and scabbing from the smallest insignificant trauma to the full blown concussions and hemmoraging that happens thru the years of playing. the scar tissue alone on the brain of a retired 50yr old NFL player is probably frightful if we could take a close look. i hate this game being played around the truth of head trauma related to football contact because it all simply relates to the money damage this truth can cause and to hell with the human lives it destroys!!! Devils and demons truly run everything in the world, and the rest of us are just pawns in their sick desires and games!!!
Sounds nonsensical but take off the pads and helmet and make it more akin to rugby where there is a much lower risk of permanent brain injury because there just isn't the same amount of force behind the tackles. Players wearing a helmet are always going to think they are safer but it might not so true in the long term.
I understand your thinking and that would decrease leading with the head but you would still have problems when players get blind sided or fractured sculls when blocked In rugby the run in lines and do not have those problems
It would change the way players have to tackle though they would be forced to take our the legs in more of a rugby style rather than in way they do now.
I feel a large part of American Football being dangerous is due to the fact rugby players can prepare themselves to be tackled in a safer* manner, a lot of concussion hits in American Football appears to stem from players getting hit when they are not expecting to.
I've always said the same thing! Players think they're invincible with the helmet. Just because it doesn't hurt as much, doesn't mean that force and damage aren't being felt to your brain.
I read a very interesting article recently about high-tech helmets currently in production designed to reduce impact injuries significantly. hopefully that helps.
But that might lead to even more concussions. Because if you're told that this helmet will reduce the likelihood of concussions, you'll feel more inclined to go for head tackles or use the helmet as a weapon.
Aidan Berryman It won't. There is no helmet in production that will reduce impact injuries to prevent concussions entirely. They can make any number of attempts to do so. But football is inherently dangerous and damaging to the human body. A "safe" helmet is an oxymoron, just as much as a "safe" bomb would be.
@@aidanberryman708 the problem is the impact between the outside of the skull and the brain inside, no helmet as currently designed really stops that and anyway to allow that motion to slow over time will break the neck
What about the UFC? Plenty of people saw that as "barbaric" in the late '90's/early 2000's and the sport's grown immensely since then. One can't simply demonize or denounce as "unethical" an athletic competition because it's dangerous. If we can allow 18-yr-olds to join the military, we can certainly allow contact-sports like football, MMA, boxing, etc...
Todd Bollinger yes but it is not possible to cause a large concussion with just your body alone a head hit does cause 60j a human head can sustain 100j a charge with a helmet is the equivalent of being hit by 800j substantial enough to cause brain injuries
You know what you get into when you enter military. NFL straight up lied. UFC changed a lot of rules and it was always safer than boxing and football even when it was brutal. Rules of boxing makes it more dangerous than MMA. It should be out of high school and honestly College sports have other issues I do not want to get into but it should go too.
boxing is amazing, seeing the Dempsey roll for the first time was one of the most amazing things i have ever experienced. such an over whelming attack with major risks. perfect to make people scream. if people want to ruin their bodys after 19 of course, its their choice.
Actually, they are paid extra because they earn their employer more money. Maybe you should do some research into capitalistic societies and how they inherently value human life.
But you should know what type of heath risk it is. They know that they may break some bones or have heart issues. But they don't know that they might commit suicide before turning 50 because of this. They need to know the risks before signing the contract And also, are you okay watching people killing themselves ? (I know I'm overstating it...)
As an Athletic Training Student, we see the problem with concussions in football as a growing epidemic. There are many precautions you can do to try and prevent these injuries from occurring such as making sure equipment is fitting them properly and by teaching safer techniques on how to tackle. But the problem is still happening because many times, concussions occur from unpreventable instances during the game. Many parents are questioning if they are even going to allow their children to play the game. I believe that a parent should not prevent their child from playing, rather inform them of the risks and teach them proper prevention techniques first and then let them make an autonomous decision when they are old enough to properly weigh the benefits and risks.
Guys, there is something you don't understand. When you gear up, put the pads and helmets on something clicks within you. You get a feeling and that feeling can not be replaced. We know the risks, but you only live once and this is what we want to do. We know the risks of the games, and we are ready to pay the price. You can't take away something you love, and that's why I'm saying I'll never stop, and thousands of others won't either.
As someone who played football for 9 years. I can personally tell you, it's always going to be this way. Football is dangerous period and can be deadly if not coached right.
i play football and i have never had a concussion even though i have hit and have been hit really really hard.... i am a junior and i have found that the healthyness of a player affects how they react to blows to the head...i always stay hydrated and get enough sleep before football...The first hit of the game or practice is always the one that you feel the most in my opinion...football has become the last great challenge a kid could have discipline wise...or the army....kids are being grown up soft and protected...my coach always stresses that its just a game and the lessons you learn you keep with you forever
The stance that younger generations are growing up soft and protected perplexes me. if society learns from their mistakes the environment that our children are growing up in will be safer and more efficient to help ensure a greater future. if you feel like your exception to the rule that our kids are growing up soft and protected, please compare yourself to the early adapters of football who played without helmets, even better compare yourself to the kids of the middle ages, and you will find out how easy you really have it. Don't get me wrong I am a firm believer in sports, i have grown up playing a wide variety of them (Hockey, Football, Lacrosse, baseball, and Soccer) and some at a high level. No matter how much a coach stresses its just a game, contact sports do get out of hand even if its unintentional. I have played against some kids who have lost their lives due to head injuries from clean hits i have been encourage to do. I don't know what damage I have done to others and how it will effect them years down the road.
The reason why boxing stopped being so popular is because mike Tyson would win every fight in under 2 mins and people didn't wanna waste money on that and how come people only talk about concussions in football and not in nhl ufc and boxing
Redmond Jake Boxing was more popular than ever when Mike Tyson was at his peak, I don't think you were at one of his bouts lol. Dana White (Owner of UFC) himself said that it was a golden era for heavyweight boxing and compared his favourite fighter Ronda Rousey to Mike Tyson in that people would still love watching her fight even though they were short stoppage bouts. Plus the Mayweather Pacqiao fight begs to differ on the popularity of boxing. Also there's increaseing work on concussions in NHL, UFC, Boxing and many other sports, but due to the previous ignorance towards concusions not as apparent as in boxing as well as the popularity of American Football, you can see why it's become such a big issue.
Nope. Its physics and anatomy. You saw the start of the video, did those boxers wear helmets? Even nascar had trouble until they made the "crumple zone". Science baby learn and love it.
I think you're missing the point, before boxers wore gloves there were no head injuries because punching someone in the head is a great way to break your hand. Also there are significantly less head injuries in rugby because the lack of a helmet requires players to be much more careful about how they use their head. If you hit your head even with a helmet on you can suffer damage, they idea is to discourage people from treating their head like a battering ram.
You don't NEED blood sport. I know Americans can't be that shallow. I tend to think rivalries, tactics, tradition and so many other reasons why the sport is great.Rules have been added and taken away, the game is ever changing and evolving. Perhaps making it illegal to lead with the helmet and having huge bans if so. Then concussions will be stomped out that little bit more.
the thing about that is what about linemen, im a linemen in football and there isnt a time my head doesnt make contact with the other man, what people dont understand is that pads and helmets arnt just use for protection in the game they are also used for a offensive advantage for the person, you use those pads to hit someone, to grab someone, having no helmets or no pads when completely ruin the game, hitting people is apart of the game and it just wouldnt be football without it plus the difference between ruby and football is that football is way more complex with plays and having a set up everytime instead of just a constant nonstop run of hitting people while football is hitting targets and hitting people who you are set up to hit instead of just trying to hit the person with the ball
plus in rugby blind side tackles arnt allowed so they can prepare for a hit where in football those are legal and being blind sided is probably the worse thing, it doesn't feel too good
But will they be willing to take that level of stupid risk if you take the money off the table? if the answer is 'no', then it's not a sport with values of sportsmanship as it's core, but instead is built on the same values of a prostitute pimping his / her body out for earning money to make a living.
Football players have been playing the game their whole lives and only start getting payed for profit in the NFL. Thy pay them for their talent. They love the game so they will take the risk. But concussions in the nfl are declining
You need to realize that it doesn't take a concussion to develop this disease. Repeated head trauma no matter how severe has a permanent effect on the brain. It's not always the big hit, it's the thousands of small hits that take a toll.
What sort of evidence do you have for this? From my understanding, one of the major parts of this issue is that smaller concussions (that lead to serious loss of brain function after many repeated similar events) have gone largely unreported until recent years, which makes it hard to determine the number of concussions that are actually occurring. Evidence that concussion rates are going down would require knowledge of how many concussions were occurring (say, 5 or 10 years ago), which we simply do not have. Maybe your source is pointing out that after the recent spike in reported brain injuries, that number of new reported similar injuries has gone down, which does not lead to the conclusion that "concussions are declining."
The sport is rough and for the amount of colleges poorly coached. I played college ball and lost count of how many coaches told me lead with my head when tackling. I had one coach who told me your a DB so what you do tackle low with the shoulder and wrap. He was my greatest coach by far. With that as coaches in my life I will not let my kids near the game. Thankfully I never got a concussion playing the game. Probably because I listened only to one coach on how to tackle.
It's strange that concussions have only become an important issue in the last decade or so, given that people have been playing football for over 100 years. Did the guys who played during pro football's gritty early days not suffer brain damage, or didn't anyone notice it?
The research for it exposed a lot. Just like many other things we think is normal until we get shown the evidence that it’s not. Most football players pride would not let them admit to how much hurt they felt
CTE is becoming increasingly common in high impact athletes, specifically football. It can only be truly diagnosed through an autopsy but more screening like tests are becoming more popular for these athletes. The NFL tried to cover it up before it blew up and then they put genuine effort and money to research CTE. Sadly, concussions can’t be prevented but the NFL is banning certain types of hits to lessen the amount of concussions. I believe that eliminating football is not necessary because there are people who truly have a passion for the sport and it is an American past time that will not go down without a fight. I think that banning certain types of hits, and changing plays and yard lines is one positive step. Before the NFL would not even talk about it or just dismiss their sick players but now they are actually spending time and money for research. As more and more information is spread about concussions and CTE, the NFL cannot turn the other cheek. I think it is very wrong that they ignored so many players and just brushed it off. I think it is wonderful that they are now taking preventative measures and helping their players but it should have been taken care long ago. They said that there was a steady decline in kids playing football, and that makes sense as more information about CTE and concussions come out. I would not let my kid play football until at least high school. I would not want to subject my kid to dangerous hits on his still growing and developing brain. I know at my college they have a rigorous and incredibly serious concussion program, and that is through all the sports not just football. I think as medical technology advances we will learn more about this terrible disease and how to diagnose it better and identify risk factors, but in the mean time all preventive measures should be taken seriously.
Alex Meissner good question - it seems that pretty much everyone with CTE has a history of brain trauma but not everyone with brain trauma develops CTE. Scientists are trying to figure out what the risk factors are to explain this -- here's a good review (see page 5) www.bu.edu/cte/files/2012/08/Baugh_Chronic-Traumatic-Encephalopathy_2012.pdf
+Vox I have thought experiment for you: let's say a cheap brain scan at 15 or a blood test could predict your prosperity for developing cte. What kind of world would that create? How would that change the relationship between the fans and the players. I would imagine that the sport would begin to emulate the gladiator bouts of old. This would supply to both boxing and football
+Alex Meissner I just watched the Will Smith movie Concussion about this topic, I believe it said 1/3rd of all professional NFL players will have the serious version of this disease.
***** Not all NFL players have memory loss, depression and dementia and every worst symptoms/versions/whatevers of CTE shown in the movie Concussion. Players have different degrees and manifest in different ways, like cigarette smokers don't all get lung cancer 100%.
People say it would be better with no pads but people also use pads to hit and it does keep you safe to some extant... I'm not saying that concussions are a problem because they are in just saying doing away with pads would heavily change the sport
The guy reading the script sounded insanely unprofessional like he neither wrote or practiced the script. awful quality narration over high-quality video.
Every job has some kind of risk to it, the higher the pay the larger the risk. If you choose to dedicate yourself to this sport then you have accepted these risks,and I as a spectator have no problem watching you give it everything you’ve got.
Omfg It's football....it's not supposed to be safe. It's a sport, this is why men get PAID MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO DO IT. It's a risk they all take and are all well aware of making. It's a man's game, a gladiator sport. That's why only few get to do it and why millions tune in on Sundays to view it
I live in the Texas Panhandle, and the coaches will slightly discourage you if you don't play. So i'm playing my 8th grade year and no more from then on.
I'm no american football expert, but I agree that it is fundamentally flawed because the x factor for it is brute strength. A sport will survive if a lot of people play it. All globally successful sports have one thing in common, they value skill , technique and finesse over just pure muscle .
Surprised you didn't take on Rugby as a subject in this video. They dont wear helmets and have a lot fewer head injuries. The helmets themselves can create a fearless dynamic.
I’d like to see a comparison between the amount of injuries in rugby and the amount of injuries in football as well as a comparison between the two sports of what kind of injuries are most common...(vox, please do this?)
idk bout this, ive been playing for 6 years (i’m 14) and everytime i step on the field injury is a thought. but i also know that me playing is putting my health and saftey at risk. therefore if you’re scared to hit or get hit don’t play
football is a good game but awareness of how to play can prevent most of it, it's not guaranteed but hey there's a price to play sometimes that's why they need to make more of a effort to improve awareness of what it is and how to keep yourself safe.
I was an offense and defensive lineman (didn't play professionally) But I remember plenty of times when I've tackled someone I've blacked out from the hit and woke up when I hit ground, and jumped right back up like nothing happened, and redo it all over again throughout the game...I'm 27 now and I have a difficulty remembering and staying focused at time
Wow.. I'm so sorry to hear that.
Sorry for that broski
I'm so sorry, this is really scary. Hope all is well with you.
Definitely. We used to call them “stingers” I played on the 90’s. You’d get shaky, dizzy, nearly black out, maybe take a knee. “I’m alright” get in the huddle afew seconds late and shake it off. Coaches would ask and then pat you on the head “you’re alright” 🤦♂️
_"...and I have a difficulty remembering and staying focused at time..."_
You lost focus and forgot to finish the sentence.
Losing your memories is the worst part of dementia. You spend your whole life accruing these amazing, brilliant memories and then at the end of your life, you lose the most important thing... the thing you earned in the previous sixty years :-(
"The game of football may be fundamentally unsafe"
... You're only just realizing this now?
I literally just posted almost this exact comment, now deleted due to redundancy.
I know right? It literally involves having a bunch of hulking dudes in what is basically body armor smash into each other for hours at a time. It's really barbaric.
Stephen Malacaria when was it ever safe
Why do you assume he's "only just realizing this now"? He's simply making a statement. People say stuff. It doesn't mean they just realize it the moment they say it. They may have realized it ten years ago and decided to speak about it now.
Allen Nguyen Ik that's what I'm referring to when was it ever safe if at all I'm not saying he's only now realizing it
Ironic football ad before this video.
Lol
Why is it hard to imagine boxing was the top sport?
Bc it's barbaric
So is football.
victoria hale this is why it was so popular
Dane Potmo the biggest ppv of all time was a boxing event which happened a few years ago. It may not be the most popular but I wouldn't call that level of interest fringe.
Dustin Thurmond some people don't understand how hard it is to block and punch for a long time
You guys explain it so well! Like you have no idea how easy, yet thoroughly, you guys talk to your viewers. Keep on the great work.
A guy at my school broke his neck and back playing football a couple weeks ago. It's fucked up, he's lucky he isn't dead, or paralyzed for life.
Real champ
@@shooting4star2023 That's a good question. Probably because if they tried to get id of football people would revolt.
I feel sorry for him, I recommend switching to The real football (soccer) or basketball 👍
Ditch the pads and helmets and the game will get safer. Hell, you can see this even in a backyard game. When people have helmets and pads not only do they feel like a walking tank, they have the false impression that they are protected because of this gear.
That's nearly rugby mate. It is true we have less injuries though
maybe, but in a backyard game there isnt millions of dollars on the line.
This is true of boxing as well, before boxing gloves were adopted and all boxing was bear knuckle, hitting in the head was illegal, now that boxing gloves are used, hitting in the head, and therefore risk of concussions has skyrocketed.
Realistically that is impossible and will never happen. If it did the sport would fade away while everyone switches to rugby.
Hopefully it fades away regardless...
I think I saw a science report on heading in soccer, a few years ago stating that heading the ball repeatedly, like in a drill, on a regular basis would affect the athletes memory the next day. Imagine what this sport does!
I think removing padding is the answer. Helmets and padding make it problem worse not better you get a feeling of invincibility. Take rugby for example you don't get anywhere close to the same types of tackles as the nfl. The same in boxing with bare knuckle vs gloves.
you risk skull fractures thats why pads where added at least for the helmet
Too many players were dying without them so that’s why they were added.
No they would have to create super strict tackling rules it would literally just be rugby so your logic isn’t making the sport more safe it’s getting rid of it the only way to make the sport safe is to use modern equipment and to invest in player safety more and more
Teach them how to actually tackle instead of mindlessly throwing their body at someone
Lil Yung Pharaoh it’s not that simple.
That is what people enjoy about the sport. They want to see hits. You remove punches to the head from Boxing, it ain't boxing no more.
mistakes happen
sometimes it's intentional too
@@BubbaBryce31 look at rugby. Players rarely suffer concussions because they are taught how to tackle.
The speed and hitting power that a 200 LB man in the early 1980s had a 300 LB man now has. That certainly takes a toll on player's brains.
FOR ANYONE DOUBTING THIS, keep in mind. It's not about concussions only. It's about repeated head trauma (and mini-trauma) that *don't even reach* technical concussion levels. TOO MANY FOOTBALL FANS are making this mistake. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "But the concussion levels aren't that high" (and then quote a concussion-only stat).
Rugby Style Tackling.
+Emanuel Garcia CORRECT! If they started teaching American football players to tackle properly you wouldn't have this problem. In rugby you very rarely get these type of injuries. Rugby players are just as tough, if not tougher than American Football players. They play without pads, helmets etc, but for the most part they play safe.
Yes, my coach taught our entire team to go low for the legs, grab the legs and don't let go.
The games are far too different for this to work.
In the NFL, every inch matters greatly. That's why guys use what seems to be an excessive amount of force to stop players.
In rugby, losing even 5 yards on a tackle really doesn't matter, as long as you get your guy down. That's why the hits aren't as hard.
Also, in rugby you are usually within 10 feet from the guy you are about to tackle.
A Safety or Linebacker is coming from 20+ yards away on a tackle, so the windups before a hit are much bigger.
+Thomas Priday have you ever watched videos such as. Hardest rugby hits, they are easily as fast and powerful as an nfg tackle, and sometimes look more brutal because they grab hold instead of just pushing them over
TinyRodent no they are not. When you have pads you can hit a lot harder and not worry about consequences . Same for boxing. A glove make it so you can punch without breaking your hand.
American football is in serious jeopardy, and I doubt it will last another fifty-years. The primary-reason for its decline is, and I think this goes without saying, but the human-body really isn't supposed to endure relentless physical-abuse, and more and more parents are wising up and coming to terms with this fact. Sure, they're enjoying watching their favorite NFL team(s) on Sundays (pro-football is at the height of its popularity), but they won't allow their children to play the sport they so relish. I don't blame them, either; I played football in High School, and now wish I didn't! What was I thinking back then?
+Matthew Alexander Lemma I don't think it's in jeopardy. Did you know the majority of youth concussions occur in wheeled sports? Dirt bikes, bicycles, skateboards, roller blades, etc etc. As a Paramedic, the majority of concussions I've run (just personal experience) are actually in basketball. I'm not denying that concussions are serious, and that we should do everything we can to prevent them, but why is football being attacked? It is extremely dangerous, but medical statistics show that it is not the leading cause of concussions among youth, so why aren't the other sports being questioned as much as football is my question? If concussions truly are as serious as they say, (which I think it's common sense that they are) then we need to approach all sports with this kind of caution.
+Taylor Chapman Yea, idiot
Same here
+Matthew Alexander Lemma Good. Hopefully baseball will rise to the top of the ladder where it should be. God, I love hockey though. That's a violent sport. But the NHL is gradually phasing out fighting and probably another five years it will be obsolete.
Yeah, the NFL is super popular now but without a doubt it is going to either seriously change in terms of the type of game football is, or it is going to totally die out after another 50 years or so.
You can at least credit the scientist who found out about concussion and not say scientists instead BTW he is
Bennet Ifeakandu Omalu.. There is even a movie about him in which Will Smith plays as him movie: Concussion.
*9 7 8 4 3 2*
_Okay, I'm normal._
When I coached kids Rugby League in Australia the first thing we taught the kids was to get their head out of the way when tackling, not to use your head!
You could have mentioned the movie Concussion starring Will Smith, which covers this issue brilliantly
It would be interesting to see how this problem manifests in rugby. Not sure how much research has been done on CTE in ex-rugby players.
A high school player who died of CTE was both a football and rugby player. He had suffered 4 concussions in his young life.
Personally I think american football will not die, it will become safer especially when scientists find out what causes CTE.
And the nfl will eventually find a way to reduce the head injuries.
There will always be people who will want to step up as a nfl player and earn millions, so why would one think that parents could stop their children from archieving their dreams.
I think that football should only be allowed starting at the age of 15 or 16 because the bodies really start developing at that age.
Toddler ball is very prone to injury because the kids dont really know how to tackle or coordinate their body movement as a whole.
Another issue would be that their head is a very big target in that helmet because it is almost larger than the upper body of the children, thus making it very prone to injury.
If you have made it this far, I would like to note that I appreciate you taking your time to read this comment.
Thank you.
Science is not magic. The. only hope for the next generation is that clear risk factors are found and people can be banned from playing. Were we have to find a cure for regular dementia first.
+Sugar J Here's a thought. How about they get rid of the pads, helmets etc, and see if anyone is stupid enough to hit another player with his head.
+pacus123 cough cough... RUGBY!
***** Yes and know, it would just teach the NFL players to tackle properly.
+Sugar J Scientists have found the cause of CTE. It is the accumulation of tau protein hardening in the brain due to the repeated head trauma most frequently found in the sport of football. It will continue to be a problem because pro football won't simply just go away and neither will the collisions that come with it. And it most likely won't be massively solved until more ex-players die.
Vox the graphic you show at 2:37 is proof to me that the NFL is taking concussions more seriously, I dont think you can say that hits to the head have really increased at such a significant level over the last decade but instead is showing that the NFL is diagnosing concussions much more effectively
also your videos are awesome
Well, if you don't count that the average weight of the Lines have gotten higher while at the same time these guys are getting faster.... F=ma
Catherine E. Lewis the rate of concussions didnt go up 160% between 2006 -2011 because lineman are getting bigger. Anyways the reason concussions are declining after 2011 is because the kickoff was moved up 15 yards reducing the number high speed collisions. Concussions dont occur at the line of scrimmage where the lineman play because F=ma, The acceleration is much lower here and although they are large players the collisions happen at a low speed.
Catherine E. Lewis j
Foot ball is so much safer if played head up, a head down is a 10 yard penalty and removal from next play
Get rid of the stupid armour that makes players feel invincible, are you going to launch your body head first at your opponents head if no helmets are worn? No you're going to learn a skilful way to tackle.
+Tom Lloyd look up heads up football. That is what the NFL is teaching now and it is being utilized with high schools and even younger teams.
Players are taught the proper way to tackle, and drill them at every practice, even the ones without pads. Slowing down before an impact is worse than running as fast as you can.
Tom Lloyd It’s not like rugby, when you have a receiver running as fast as he can for 40 yards and then a safety waiting to launch into him the second he catches the ball no pads won’t help.
It’s an inherently different game.
My guy when players didn't have helmets in the NFL people were dying on the spot.
Today, is the day I will end my football fandom. I will no longer watch, wear, collect or support anything NFL related.
Companies who sponsor the game, advertise during commercial breaks during a televised game will, one by one, no longer be consumed in my day to day life.
Am completely serious about my comment. A family member of mine, has been diagnosed with CTE and dementia. Watching someone I love dearly, fall ill to this ruthless illness is devastating.
Goodbye football ... forever.
When did you come back?
just a few quick notes
1) players who play and are "ok" after need to be compared to the general populous. Sadly, CTE can only be definitively determined posthumously therefore the data is incomplete.
2) the players are getting bigger, stronger and faster and our brains are not evolving more fluid between the skull and the brain for protection. This problem will only get worse before it gets better.
3) that Connor Barwin clip scared me straight into enrolling in another sport. 0:31
4) if we change the verbiage and use terms like "brain injury" instead of concussion, we may make headway (pardon the pun) in terms of player safety or abolishing the sport altogether.
I am a huge football fan, I love the sport, I think it is an exciting mix of physical strength, speed and strategy - I do not think it is worth the lives or livelihood of these young men.
Switch to rugby, better tackling, better athletes and is an overall safer sport due to major rule changes to the sport over the years
Greg E
William Mayer Chill with the better athletes. Look at Saquon, he’s got the biggest legs in the world lol.
I hope Steve Young and Troy Aikman are ok. Two guys I saw play growing up, who seemed to have concussions on a weekly basis.
I guess two hand touch is the wave of the future,
they could play like the reflex league
By 2030, I'm 95% sure someone will have designed a helmet meant to absorb hits to the head, dramatically reducing the amount of concussions in the NFL.
D. Hall "It's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop" same logic applies here
SkyStudiosFlims But these new helmets, would be built, to absorb any contact whatsoever, reducing the amount of brain movement in the head.
+D. Hall that's physically impossible because of the design of the human skull
Come to Rugby, A Gentleman's sport
A sport where concussions are also very common.
My grandpa used to say "Soccer is the gentleman's sport played by ruffians and Rugby is the ruffian's sport played by gentlemen" lol
No, not in the same rates anyway.
You have the same (if not worse) rates of traumatic injuries (broken bones, spines etc) but you never see the type of full speed head-first tackles in rugby that happen all the time in football. If you don't have a helmet, you can't use your head as a weapon.
Kristian Jörgensen Well I can agree mostly but the rates of the damage caused to players it a bit lower than Gridiron. Also you shouldn't use your head in any sport as its the most vital part of the human body. In rugby tackling must be done correctly, you could say it's a art form aiming at the thigh and using your hand to lock them around the player, immobilised he or she. This is the best way to stop a player instead of using your head.
Play DOTA, the intelligent person's game.
Very interesting stuff. Would love to see some longitudinal studies comparing football concussions to those suffered in professional combat sports.
I love the game of football. Played it back in youth football for one season and that was enough. Didn't like getting hit in the head or the way it gave you headaches and stars. It's not surprising to see this evidence amounts to something. It would be a sad day to let the game die but it may go that way. I wouldn't let my kids play football. I would have them play baseball or basketball.
I thought I was running the video at 1.25x speed with the way this guy talks
goobiehoobie thought I was the only one 😂
I think the guy is Ben Shapiro 😂😂
Once CTE can be diagnosed in living humans, I'd have to imagine that will, essentially, be the death of football. Can you imagine a situation where it turns out 40% of the league is showing early signs of CTE? Or 50%? 60%? 75%? 90%?
Nevermind colleges, high schools, and Pop Warner. Most kids who play do it for fun, not to make it into the pros. If they are showing early signs, no way parents would let them keep playing. Not, at least, without large insurance policies. And once insurance start getting involved, it would be so much easier, and cheaper, for municipalities to just close up shop.
A simple but radical solution: Eliminate the padding and helmets.
How does that solve anything? Players would just be bashing their bare skulls together. That would just cause more problems. Not to mention how many non head injuries would start occurring.
Ingmar Fris You would never drive your head into someone else's the way that football players do if it weren't for the false sense of security that a helmet and shoulder pads provide. (That's not even how tackling is TAUGHT.) By your logic, skull fractures should be a huge problem in rugby.
That is not at all what I mean. In the sport football you drive your head into other players heads. If we assume that is still part of the game then your comment doesn't make sense because you don't account for that. Does that make sense to you? I don't care how tackling is taught, I don't play football but we aren't analyzing the psychology of football. I don't care why you think people bash their heads in football I just want you to understand that more about the game would have to be changed to stop concussions other than just taking away the players helmets and padding.
Ingmar Fris That's exactly why I called it a "radical" solution; fixing football's problems (at least currently) would make the game almost unrecognizably different, and most people wouldn't want that. Safety versus tradition. All I am positing is the nature of the trade-off, not what necessarily should be done.
Ok. I understand what you mean. Most likely today's fans of football would stop playing watching it if that happened. I don't know what should be done but it probably won't be done for a while.
This isn't only in football, but in soccer too where your heading the ball a lot of time over a 36 game period or more or you accidentally knock heads with someone when you make a header. The thing is you do it enough times it's eventually it's going to cause some type of damage and over years, it's going to be irreversible.
hi fam
fuck when i played football we used to dribble with the head. i don't seem to have any brain damage, I sometimes have memory loss but thats it.
Think with soccer though is that while heading is common and the little stuff probably does add up, it mostly lacks the serious types of collisions you see in the NFL. You cite that players "bang heads" sometimes; this is true, but absolutely does not compare to what boxers or NFL players face. I don't see heading as a huge problem in soccer (although globally, concussion awareness must seriously improve). But heading itself, in moderation, doesn't seem like a big deal to me. However I will say that when a ball is coming down from 30 yards in the air, I'll never be the one to head that, anyone who does is a little bit crazy.
Long story short of kids are taught proper technique, head injuries in soccer will only be a minor problem.
I love football, but some on here are getting way too defensive. No one is saying to ban the game. What many are saying is that more research needs to be done to get a better understanding of how and why this is caused. Knowledge is power, and I hate the idea that some would rather be willfully ignorant on the subject just so football can remain perfect in their eyes.
I'm saying anyone in their right mind should discourage their child from partaking in college football.
willisverynice I would definitely discourage my future child from playing football. As for other parents, it's up to them - I wouldn't ban football just because I don't want my child to play.
Even with all the new rule changes The number of concussions (doubled)this year in the NFL.Bottom line football is a gladiator sport it was never safe and never intended to be safe but I'm glad they're putting out all this new or old info about the long term effects of concussions and brain injuries. If I had a chance to play football all over again I would run faster and harder cuz I love the game.A true football player never quit playing football we all either get old or injured forcing us to walk away from the game.
Heartbreakingly perfect use of the Mike Webster clip To illustrate the effects of the disease. He would go on to win his case and lose everything else
I've always been a strong advocate of helmet hits in the NFL. Together with removing TD celebrations those two seemed like the lamest things imaginable, but i never knew about CTE and players killing themselves that's just not worth it. But bring back my TD celebrations !!!
Incredible report! This channel is awesome!
can you imagine the scarring that takes place on the brain from playing football over years? I'm talking scarring and scabbing from the smallest insignificant trauma to the full blown concussions and hemmoraging that happens thru the years of playing. the scar tissue alone on the brain of a retired 50yr old NFL player is probably frightful if we could take a close look. i hate this game being played around the truth of head trauma related to football contact because it all simply relates to the money damage this truth can cause and to hell with the human lives it destroys!!! Devils and demons truly run everything in the world, and the rest of us are just pawns in their sick desires and games!!!
Sounds nonsensical but take off the pads and helmet and make it more akin to rugby where there is a much lower risk of permanent brain injury because there just isn't the same amount of force behind the tackles. Players wearing a helmet are always going to think they are safer but it might not so true in the long term.
I understand your thinking and that would decrease leading with the head but you would still have problems when players get blind sided or fractured sculls when blocked
In rugby the run in lines and do not have those problems
It would change the way players have to tackle though they would be forced to take our the legs in more of a rugby style rather than in way they do now.
I feel a large part of American Football being dangerous is due to the fact rugby players can prepare themselves to be tackled in a safer* manner, a lot of concussion hits in American Football appears to stem from players getting hit when they are not expecting to.
Rugby players can prepare to be tackled because blind side tackles are simply not allowed.
I've always said the same thing! Players think they're invincible with the helmet. Just because it doesn't hurt as much, doesn't mean that force and damage aren't being felt to your brain.
My ex beat me daily for 12 years breaking walls with my head , I’m like a football player , daily headaches and much more .
Glad you got out!
Jeez, why did you put up with that?
Great video. Thank you
I read a very interesting article recently about high-tech helmets currently in production designed to reduce impact injuries significantly. hopefully that helps.
But that might lead to even more concussions. Because if you're told that this helmet will reduce the likelihood of concussions, you'll feel more inclined to go for head tackles or use the helmet as a weapon.
Allen Luo
fair enough. I'm not saying it will, I'm just saying that hopefully it will.
Aidan Berryman It won't. There is no helmet in production that will reduce impact injuries to prevent concussions entirely. They can make any number of attempts to do so. But football is inherently dangerous and damaging to the human body. A "safe" helmet is an oxymoron, just as much as a "safe" bomb would be.
QueenBoadicea which is why I said reduce, not prevent.
@@aidanberryman708 the problem is the impact between the outside of the skull and the brain inside, no helmet as currently designed really stops that and anyway to allow that motion to slow over time will break the neck
Love the subtitles. Very polished. Amazing work.
They are like modern day gladiators. They sacrifice their lives to entertain people.
2:01 , that's how it happened to me. As a defensive end being put on kick off return I didn't expect it
What about the UFC? Plenty of people saw that as "barbaric" in the late '90's/early 2000's and the sport's grown immensely since then. One can't simply demonize or denounce as "unethical" an athletic competition because it's dangerous. If we can allow 18-yr-olds to join the military, we can certainly allow contact-sports like football, MMA, boxing, etc...
Todd Bollinger yes but it is not possible to cause a large concussion with just your body alone a head hit does cause 60j a human head can sustain 100j a charge with a helmet is the equivalent of being hit by 800j substantial enough to cause brain injuries
You know what you get into when you enter military. NFL straight up lied.
UFC changed a lot of rules and it was always safer than boxing and football even when it was brutal. Rules of boxing makes it more dangerous than MMA.
It should be out of high school and honestly College sports have other issues I do not want to get into but it should go too.
You really need more Subs, youre Videos are very professional and should become more popular
0:39 Brian Dawkins breaks Mike Vick's ribs
boxing is amazing, seeing the Dempsey roll for the first time was one of the most amazing things i have ever experienced. such an over whelming attack with major risks. perfect to make people scream. if people want to ruin their bodys after 19 of course, its their choice.
The movie concussion will change football forever.
The same the documentary " Black fish" changed Sea World. ..
Praise GOD I’m saved and going home amen
There's a reason some of these players are making 18+ million a season, they're paid extra for the health risks.
Basketball players get paid a lot more
Actually, they are paid extra because they earn their employer more money. Maybe you should do some research into capitalistic societies and how they inherently value human life.
But you should know what type of heath risk it is. They know that they may break some bones or have heart issues. But they don't know that they might commit suicide before turning 50 because of this.
They need to know the risks before signing the contract
And also, are you okay watching people killing themselves ? (I know I'm overstating it...)
The players who take biggest risks aka Running Backs get paid least
Well put together!
Don't try and bring this stuff to England
bleacherreport.com/articles/1728218-rugby-player-welfare-update-confirmed-link-between-rugby-and-cte
Me with my nephew today and telling my sister I won't talk to her anymore if she puts in a team because of this after I helped raise him too...
Have your sister watch this. Don't let your nephew get brain damage thanks to football.
@@Wasev She didn't say anything after 10 mins of here and there and let it go after I told her I wouldn't talk to her anymore.
football will eventually become boxing. It's going to go down hill from here
As an Athletic Training Student, we see the problem with concussions in football as a growing epidemic. There are many precautions you can do to try and prevent these injuries from occurring such as making sure equipment is fitting them properly and by teaching safer techniques on how to tackle. But the problem is still happening because many times, concussions occur from unpreventable instances during the game. Many parents are questioning if they are even going to allow their children to play the game. I believe that a parent should not prevent their child from playing, rather inform them of the risks and teach them proper prevention techniques first and then let them make an autonomous decision when they are old enough to properly weigh the benefits and risks.
Who came here after watching "Concussion"?😂
K00L Zeke Same bro. The types of movies like this make me wanna do research, and then I learn something new 👍🏻
Guys, there is something you don't understand.
When you gear up, put the pads and helmets on something clicks within you. You get a feeling and that feeling can not be replaced. We know the risks, but you only live once and this is what we want to do. We know the risks of the games, and we are ready to pay the price.
You can't take away something you love, and that's why I'm saying I'll never stop, and thousands of others won't either.
As someone who played football for 9 years. I can personally tell you, it's always going to be this way. Football is dangerous period and can be deadly if not coached right.
i play football and i have never had a concussion even though i have hit and have been hit really really hard.... i am a junior and i have found that the healthyness of a player affects how they react to blows to the head...i always stay hydrated and get enough sleep before football...The first hit of the game or practice is always the one that you feel the most in my opinion...football has become the last great challenge a kid could have discipline wise...or the army....kids are being grown up soft and protected...my coach always stresses that its just a game and the lessons you learn you keep with you forever
gridiron is too soft to get a concussion
The stance that younger generations are growing up soft and protected perplexes me. if society learns from their mistakes the environment that our children are growing up in will be safer and more efficient to help ensure a greater future. if you feel like your exception to the rule that our kids are growing up soft and protected, please compare yourself to the early adapters of football who played without helmets, even better compare yourself to the kids of the middle ages, and you will find out how easy you really have it. Don't get me wrong I am a firm believer in sports, i have grown up playing a wide variety of them (Hockey, Football, Lacrosse, baseball, and Soccer) and some at a high level. No matter how much a coach stresses its just a game, contact sports do get out of hand even if its unintentional. I have played against some kids who have lost their lives due to head injuries from clean hits i have been encourage to do. I don't know what damage I have done to others and how it will effect them years down the road.
The reason why boxing stopped being so popular is because mike Tyson would win every fight in under 2 mins and people didn't wanna waste money on that and how come people only talk about concussions in football and not in nhl ufc and boxing
Redmond Jake Boxing was more popular than ever when Mike Tyson was at his peak, I don't think you were at one of his bouts lol. Dana White (Owner of UFC) himself said that it was a golden era for heavyweight boxing and compared his favourite fighter Ronda Rousey to Mike Tyson in that people would still love watching her fight even though they were short stoppage bouts. Plus the Mayweather Pacqiao fight begs to differ on the popularity of boxing. Also there's increaseing work on concussions in NHL, UFC, Boxing and many other sports, but due to the previous ignorance towards concusions not as apparent as in boxing as well as the popularity of American Football, you can see why it's become such a big issue.
+Setishes I was going to bring up Rounda to!
:32 love those Eagles jerseys that are actually green (from week 1 2010) and not dark grey with a green tint like usual.
I wonder if getting rid of the helmets in american football would improve the situation
You have the right idea.
Nope. Its physics and anatomy. You saw the start of the video, did those boxers wear helmets? Even nascar had trouble until they made the "crumple zone". Science baby learn and love it.
I think you're missing the point, before boxers wore gloves there were no head injuries because punching someone in the head is a great way to break your hand. Also there are significantly less head injuries in rugby because the lack of a helmet requires players to be much more careful about how they use their head. If you hit your head even with a helmet on you can suffer damage, they idea is to discourage people from treating their head like a battering ram.
2:43 WHERE IS MY CLOSURE?!? I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!
Just don't lead with the head, would the game be so bad without any pads or helmets? Just like rugby.
Game would fail due to our (America's) need for blood sport like competition, why do you think Americans like the sport so much in the first place?
You don't NEED blood sport. I know Americans can't be that shallow. I tend to think rivalries, tactics, tradition and so many other reasons why the sport is great.Rules have been added and taken away, the game is ever changing and evolving. Perhaps making it illegal to lead with the helmet and having huge bans if so. Then concussions will be stomped out that little bit more.
the thing about that is what about linemen, im a linemen in football and there isnt a time my head doesnt make contact with the other man, what people dont understand is that pads and helmets arnt just use for protection in the game they are also used for a offensive advantage for the person, you use those pads to hit someone, to grab someone, having no helmets or no pads when completely ruin the game, hitting people is apart of the game and it just wouldnt be football without it plus the difference between ruby and football is that football is way more complex with plays and having a set up everytime instead of just a constant nonstop run of hitting people while football is hitting targets and hitting people who you are set up to hit instead of just trying to hit the person with the ball
plus in rugby blind side tackles arnt allowed so they can prepare for a hit where in football those are legal and being blind sided is probably the worse thing, it doesn't feel too good
Blindside tackles are completely legal in rugby. They don't occur often because of the way the game is played but they are not illegal.
3:03 that kid hits harder than anybody on the Browns.
Football is a safe game when played right like if u agree
NFL will raise plenty of attention to CTE awareness and concussions once they retire their quality of life could be improved
You have to understand its a risk the players are willing to take. Concussions are declining.
But will they be willing to take that level of stupid risk if you take the money off the table? if the answer is 'no', then it's not a sport with values of sportsmanship as it's core, but instead is built on the same values of a prostitute pimping his / her body out for earning money to make a living.
^This
Football players have been playing the game their whole lives and only start getting payed for profit in the NFL. Thy pay them for their talent. They love the game so they will take the risk. But concussions in the nfl are declining
You need to realize that it doesn't take a concussion to develop this disease. Repeated head trauma no matter how severe has a permanent effect on the brain. It's not always the big hit, it's the thousands of small hits that take a toll.
What sort of evidence do you have for this?
From my understanding, one of the major parts of this issue is that smaller concussions (that lead to serious loss of brain function after many repeated similar events) have gone largely unreported until recent years, which makes it hard to determine the number of concussions that are actually occurring. Evidence that concussion rates are going down would require knowledge of how many concussions were occurring (say, 5 or 10 years ago), which we simply do not have.
Maybe your source is pointing out that after the recent spike in reported brain injuries, that number of new reported similar injuries has gone down, which does not lead to the conclusion that "concussions are declining."
The sport is rough and for the amount of colleges poorly coached. I played college ball and lost count of how many coaches told me lead with my head when tackling. I had one coach who told me your a DB so what you do tackle low with the shoulder and wrap. He was my greatest coach by far. With that as coaches in my life I will not let my kids near the game. Thankfully I never got a concussion playing the game. Probably because I listened only to one coach on how to tackle.
Sounds like the narrator suffered several concussions as well
It's strange that concussions have only become an important issue in the last decade or so, given that people have been playing football for over 100 years. Did the guys who played during pro football's gritty early days not suffer brain damage, or didn't anyone notice it?
The research for it exposed a lot. Just like many other things we think is normal until we get shown the evidence that it’s not. Most football players pride would not let them admit to how much hurt they felt
All that injuries and wasted life just for playing Hand Egg
Hahaha yess, Soccer is the real football and more safer and popular around the world 👍
@@AllenI04 soccer isn't safer lol its barbaric too
CTE is becoming increasingly common in high impact athletes, specifically football. It can only be truly diagnosed through an autopsy but more screening like tests are becoming more popular for these athletes. The NFL tried to cover it up before it blew up and then they put genuine effort and money to research CTE. Sadly, concussions can’t be prevented but the NFL is banning certain types of hits to lessen the amount of concussions. I believe that eliminating football is not necessary because there are people who truly have a passion for the sport and it is an American past time that will not go down without a fight. I think that banning certain types of hits, and changing plays and yard lines is one positive step. Before the NFL would not even talk about it or just dismiss their sick players but now they are actually spending time and money for research. As more and more information is spread about concussions and CTE, the NFL cannot turn the other cheek. I think it is very wrong that they ignored so many players and just brushed it off. I think it is wonderful that they are now taking preventative measures and helping their players but it should have been taken care long ago. They said that there was a steady decline in kids playing football, and that makes sense as more information about CTE and concussions come out. I would not let my kid play football until at least high school. I would not want to subject my kid to dangerous hits on his still growing and developing brain. I know at my college they have a rigorous and incredibly serious concussion program, and that is through all the sports not just football. I think as medical technology advances we will learn more about this terrible disease and how to diagnose it better and identify risk factors, but in the mean time all preventive measures should be taken seriously.
i'm not saying concussions aren't a serious issue, but what about the many players who have had many concussions and turned out fine?
Alex Meissner good question - it seems that pretty much everyone with CTE has a history of brain trauma but not everyone with brain trauma develops CTE. Scientists are trying to figure out what the risk factors are to explain this -- here's a good review (see page 5) www.bu.edu/cte/files/2012/08/Baugh_Chronic-Traumatic-Encephalopathy_2012.pdf
+Vox I have thought experiment for you: let's say a cheap brain scan at 15 or a blood test could predict your prosperity for developing cte. What kind of world would that create? How would that change the relationship between the fans and the players. I would imagine that the sport would begin to emulate the gladiator bouts of old. This would supply to both boxing and football
+Alex Meissner similar question: what about the people who smoke their entire lives and turn out cancer free?
+Alex Meissner I just watched the Will Smith movie Concussion about this topic, I believe it said 1/3rd of all professional NFL players will have the serious version of this disease.
***** Not all NFL players have memory loss, depression and dementia and every worst symptoms/versions/whatevers of CTE shown in the movie Concussion. Players have different degrees and manifest in different ways, like cigarette smokers don't all get lung cancer 100%.
People say it would be better with no pads but people also use pads to hit and it does keep you safe to some extant... I'm not saying that concussions are a problem because they are in just saying doing away with pads would heavily change the sport
The guy reading the script sounded insanely unprofessional like he neither wrote or practiced the script. awful quality narration over high-quality video.
I think the guy is Ben Shapiro 😂😂
Vox, I love your videos. Thanks!
Quitting football my freshman year was the best move.
Good decision, The real football (soccer) and basketball much better 👍
@@AllenI04 they aint better
@Anonymous alien so is soccer
@anonymousalien2099 stop the lies
I mean if it's not taking you to the NFL then ya for sure you did good. Your body will thank you for it later.
Every job has some kind of risk to it, the higher the pay the larger the risk. If you choose to dedicate yourself to this sport then you have accepted these risks,and I as a spectator have no problem watching you give it everything you’ve got.
Omfg It's football....it's not supposed to be safe. It's a sport, this is why men get PAID MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO DO IT. It's a risk they all take and are all well aware of making. It's a man's game, a gladiator sport. That's why only few get to do it and why millions tune in on Sundays to view it
I live in the Texas Panhandle, and the coaches will slightly discourage you if you don't play. So i'm playing my 8th grade year and no more from then on.
it happened to Chris Benoit it was a accident what he did
+Unknown 24 wrong sport
+Anthony Ruiz sports entertainment buddy. Have you ever saw him wrestle before, the fly head butt
I'm no american football expert, but I agree that it is fundamentally flawed because the x factor for it is brute strength. A sport will survive if a lot of people play it. All globally successful sports have one thing in common, they value skill , technique and finesse over just pure muscle .
Well many sports are very tough to play including this type of football many enjoy watching it and playing it.
@@elyenidacevedo1995 But you need a billion pieces of equipment to play it though .
Football also takes technique and finesse… It needs way more than muscle.
A simple solution, play the actual football
Association Football is actually pretty popular in the US considering the last of infrastructure
@@metrofilmer8894 I hope soccer (the real football) will grow bigger in the states, World Cup 2026 will be amazing
Surprised you didn't take on Rugby as a subject in this video. They dont wear helmets and have a lot fewer head injuries. The helmets themselves can create a fearless dynamic.
NFL players get payed millions and get concussions and everyone freaks out. How much do soldiers make again for risking their lives? just sayin.
People pay to go to games and watch games. People don't pay to watch soldiers get killed. I actually would pay to watch but that would be unethical.
sharpemang the nfl guys get so much because people watch them. It's a known risk they take
I think people know what the risk is for playing football. I mean playing any type of sport will mostly likely cause you to get an injury.
Life is fundamentally unsafe
Yeah might as well do the most dangerous things possible then
I’d like to see a comparison between the amount of injuries in rugby and the amount of injuries in football as well as a comparison between the two sports of what kind of injuries are most common...(vox, please do this?)
Football is NOT the #1 sport watch in the world , its SOCCER.
Ezra Garcia he said America you dunce
Good for you, do you want a cookie ?
+Ezra Garcia I want a cookie
+viaductdreams no it's not . Soccer is.
+viaductdreams World Cup period. You can't be this dumb.
idk bout this, ive been playing for 6 years (i’m 14) and everytime i step on the field injury is a thought. but i also know that me playing is putting my health and saftey at risk. therefore if you’re scared to hit or get hit don’t play
3:04 cringe😶
football is a good game but awareness of how to play can prevent most of it, it's not guaranteed but hey there's a price to play sometimes that's why they need to make more of a effort to improve awareness of what it is and how to keep yourself safe.
The end of football is coming. Finally. I wonder when is going to come the end of capitalism.
Wow in my recommendation 6 years later 🔥🔥🔥