I love football.

I know that football isn't the only sport at the root of CTE, but it sure is taking a punch. What will be the effect on the college sports arms race? No high school players pipeline? Big empty stadiums? I also know that CTE has been covered on this board before.

From the late 1800s into the 20th century football was extremely, and I mean extremely, violent. The carnage culminated in the 1905 season when 18 (possibly 20) players died. The Chicago Tribune reported:

Of those slaughtered eleven were high school players and ten of the killed were immature boys of 17 and under. Three hardened, seasoned and presumably physically fit college men were slain. The others were amateurs.

Body blows, producing internal injuries, were responsible for four deaths, concussion of the brain claimed six victims, injuries to the spine resulted fatally in three cases, blood poisoning carried off two gridiron warriors, and other injuries caused four deaths. Among the injuries that have not resulted fatally are: broken collar bones and shoulders, nineteen; broken legs, thirty-one; broken arms, nine; fractures to some portion of the head, nineteen; broken ribs, three; spinal injuries, three; concussion of the brain, three. 19 Football Players Died in 1905, But Calls for Reform Were Mocked

"Following the 1905 season, Stanford and California switched to rugby while Columbia, Northwestern and Duke dropped football." Link
There were calls for an outright ban.

This article, The Time Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football and others, made me think about the changes that occurred after the 1905 season.
*The flying wedge had already been (nearly) eliminated.
*Length of game reduced from 70 minutes to two halves of 30 minutes each.
*The two teams would be separated by a neutral zone (the length of the ball) at the line of scrimmage.
*Team had to gain 10 yards in 3 plays rather than 5 yards for a first down
*Hurdling was penalized.
*Offensive linemen had to drop back five yards behind scrimmage if not moving forward.
*Field marked with lines every five yards.
*A fourth official added to enforce the rules.
*The forward pass.

What I specifically want to know is, what changes can be made to football to preserve it, while still looking like the sport we love.

Easiest, most effective rule change (but also unlikely): go back to limited substitution, make all players go both ways. That may sound counter-intuitive, but it puts the premium on stamina instead of size and speed (read: smaller, slower players).

(09-29-2018 01:44 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  Easiest, most effective rule change (but also unlikely): go back to limited substitution, make all players go both ways. That may sound counter-intuitive, but it puts the premium on stamina instead of size and speed (read: smaller, slower players).

The key is to limit helmet strength. Today guys launch themselves because they know they are somewhat protected. Nonlaunching if they wore hockey-style helmets.

(09-29-2018 01:53 PM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  

(09-29-2018 01:44 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  Easiest, most effective rule change (but also unlikely): go back to limited substitution, make all players go both ways. That may sound counter-intuitive, but it puts the premium on stamina instead of size and speed (read: smaller, slower players).

The key is to limit helmet strength. Today guys launch themselves because they know they are somewhat protected. Nonlaunching if they wore hockey-style helmets.

There was a bonus feature on the George Clooney movie Leatherheads. He talks about studying old film to emulate the 1920s style of play. There were no modern helmets or padding, and thus no hard hits. Players would wrestle another player to the ground.

No. It can’t

***** dead bruh.

Football also has to contend with cultural and sociopolitical changes and their impact on football.

What was a universally popular sport now scantly draws the attention of a lot of affluent, white, liberals and their kids aren't participating in the sport.

The expense of attendence also is making it harder for less affluent and even average income families from gaining an attachment to their local NFL or major college teams.

While game day, even at small colleges, was once a big deal that everyone showed up for, now students aren't attending, even when the tickets are free.

Football is on the decline. Somehow they have to make it safer and more appealing.

Take the facemask off the helmets. That'll cure the majority of the medical problems.

We can start by killing the cult of the big hit and removing the face mask so as to discourage the most damaging hits.

Weight limits for players

(09-29-2018 01:44 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  Easiest, most effective rule change (but also unlikely): go back to limited substitution, make all players go both ways. That may sound counter-intuitive, but it puts the premium on stamina instead of size and speed (read: smaller, slower players).

Agreed.

And its healthier for those players. I remember reading about one coach who helped players lose weight after they left the game. Who benefits from being 325 pounds?

(09-29-2018 05:17 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  Take the facemask off the helmets. That'll cure the majority of the medical problems.

Or make it smaller. Make players wear goggles if you're worried about eye poking.

I’m pessimistic that football can actually be changed in a way that Americans will actually still like watching it. Americans WANT speed and power displayed at full force. That is the innate appeal of football. Americans simply don’t want to watch a version of rugby or really anything that reduces the use of speed and power. Slowing down a game where the action inherently only comes on short sports over the course of 3-plus hours isn’t going to work.

On the other hand, I’m not alarmist about football as a *specatator* sport (which needs to be distinguished from actually playing the sport as a participant). For all of the wailing about ratings and lost viewers, there is still NOTHING in America that draws as wide and consistent of an audience across all demographics (race, income, political background, age, etc.) as NFL football. It’s NOT EVEN CLOSE. Even the very highest rated non-NFL events on TV (such as the Oscars or other high profile sporting events) are simply hoping to get a rating on par with the average late Sunday afternoon NFL game on Fox/CBS (much less the biggest games or the postseason). That love of football can certainly erode over time, but people need to understand just high of a mountain the NFL is on in particular to start with.