Should Football be Outlawed ?

I am convinced that NFL, CFB, High School and Pee Wee football would be banned if it was under the same OSHA regulations that Industry has to face.

I would really like to know what the Lost Time Accidents, Modified Work statistics are for NFL Football, as compared to other sports, and to manufacturing industries.

We see a lot of football injured kids in the ER, it’s hard for me not to hate it. I don’t think the general dangerous activities objection others have stated is a fair equivalence. Boxing sure, but racing cars, surfing and riding mtn bikes does NOT involve leading with the head routinely, like football does.
Annecdote earmuffs on/ I would estimate that I’ve seen more head injury pts from football, than head injury pts from all other sports and non-motorvehicle recreational activities combined/ earmuffs off.

Sports betting. Too much money being made, sorry.

It is not necessary to lead with the head in football. It’s only because of the equipment that players have begun to do that. You don’t see the art of really tackling (i.e. wrapping up) very often anymore because it’s easier to just launch and spear with the helmet. The rules can be adjusted (and are being adjusted) to dial that back. A return to leather helmets would be fun to see, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. I think the concussion issues will be addressed, as best as possible with rules and enforcement.

Sarah Palin will convert to Islam and Ralph Nader will be elected President before football gets banned in the US. There is way, way WAY too much money in it.

Isn’t there a half-way measure here? Like altering the rules or using better headgear?

If we legislated away all of the things that could be potentially dangerous, it sure would be a boring place.

As others have said, boxing would have to go before football.

Football wouldn’t have to be banned in order to save the players. They could just go back to leather helmets and minimal padding. As Mike Ditka opined this past weekend, the way the helmets are designed today, you feel invincible – like you could put your head in the path of a chain saw and feel certain that it wouldn’t penetrate.

If you go back to leather helmets, the men would think twice before using their heads as spears.

My 7 year old son is finishing up his first season of football this week. His coaches have been adamant about two things - if you’re on the field, your mouthguard is in, and you lead with your shoulder and wrap up. He plays for a city league and, watching the games, it looks like other coaches are emphasizing these points, also. I’d be happy if he switched to rugby, though. Our local rugby club is trying to establish an active youth league.

No - football doesn’t need to be banned. The NFL and NCAA need to enforce rules about using the helmet as a weapon and also need to improve the quality of helmets by establishing meaningful and realistic certification standards. High schools and youth leagues would follow.

That said I only allowed my son to play flag football until he got into middle school where I know that the coaches there will teach him proper technique. Many youth football teams have good coaches who teach well but there are plenty that do not or pay only lip service and then reinforce the wrong techniques via praise of hard hits which are unnecessary and dangerous.

I would not be against a ban against tackle football for players under the age of 10 though. I think players under 10 would learn better skills and football strategy by playing flag football and doing so would reduce risk to developing brains.

Banning football is not only socially and politically impossible, but it won’t serve any purpose. Those playing football professionally are getting paid large sums of money and are able to understand and accept the risks associated with playing football, including major injuries. The NFL is able, and has started, to make rules to help dial back the unnecessary injuries, but it will be time before we see how successful those changes are and what other changes need to be made. One of the changes that needs to be made is a heavy emphasis on proper tackling technique away from just using one’s body as a missle in open field.

Most youth football just doesn’t involve the forces that would cause that sort of injury nor are the kids of the mentality of sacrificing their bodies to make the play. It is a potential issue for high school and college level football, but I also think those levels of football can bare more stringent rules to protect against head injury. My head coach in high school heavily emphasized proper tackling technique and would sit us if we ever led with out heads.

Ban it. Its participants wind up crippled or have defective brains.It is not worth it.