With the exception of kids in their single digits signing up to play football, I don't disagree with you at all.

 

I guess what I'm looking for is some positive change to improve a very real problem. "The first step in solving a problem is to recognize that it does exist."

 

They have already made changes to helmets, making them more safe. The fact of the matter is you absolutely cannot prevent head injuries in football, or really any sport. It's impossible. They have taken steps to make the game safer. That's all they can do, IMO.

I still do not know what any of this means and the dots are so loosely connected. I get it. People who have had repeated shots to the head will most likely develop varying signs of brain trauma (CTE). Some people needed a study to tell them this, to me it was common sense and something I knew when I was seven years old, but whatever.

They have already made changes to helmets, making them more safe. The fact of the matter is you absolutely cannot prevent head injuries in football, or really any sport. It's impossible. They have taken steps to make the game safer. That's all they can do, IMO.

 

Shouldn't we still be trying to at least track progress (which in this case, requires studying brains, post-mortem) and make sure we're making the game as safe as possible? Or is there a specific point where we just say, "That's it, we're done making it safer. From this point on, if you sign your kid up to play football, that just means you have to be okay with this game increasing the likelihood that your kid will commit suicide down the road or die of dementia."

Shouldn't we still be trying to at least track progress (which in this case, requires studying brains, post-mortem) and make sure we're making the game as safe as possible? Or is there a specific point where we just say, "That's it, we're done making it safer. From this point on, if you sign your kid up to play football, that just means you have to be okay with this game increasing the likelihood that your kid will commit suicide down the road or die of dementia."

 

Sure we can continue to monitor it, but people still need to accept the responsibility of playing the game. If you choose to play football, you or your family don't get to sue somebody when you die because you test positive for CTE. You made the choice to play, you accepted the risk.

Sure we can continue to monitor it, but people still need to accept the responsibility of playing the game. If you choose to play football, you or your family don't get to sue somebody when you die because you test positive for CTE. You made the choice to play, you accepted the risk.

 

I basically agree with you on the suing thing. Looking at the list of players involved in the suit against the NFL, I can't help but roll my eyes.

 

Call it cynical, but I can't help but kind of feel the way when a firefighter dies in a fire, or a police officer is killed in the line of duty. I always have this feeling deep down like, "I mean, it really is a real shame that that firefighter died, but they did choose to go into a line of work where they're literally walking into burning buildings on a regular basis. And it's not like they had someone holding a gun to their head to sign up for that job."

I basically agree with you on the suing thing. Looking at the list of players involved in the suit against the NFL, I can't help but roll my eyes.

 

Call it cynical, but I can't help but kind of feel the way when a firefighter dies in a fire, or a police officer is killed in the line of duty. I always have this feeling deep down like, "I mean, it really is a real shame that that firefighter died, but they did choose to go into a line of work where they're literally walking into burning buildings on a regular basis. And it's not like they had someone holding a gun to their head to sign up for that job."

 

You could make that comparison I suppose. I think the difference in the firefighter/cop situation is that in those occupations, there are other people making decisions that can kill you. You could argue that you could disobey those orders and not do what they say, but you are 100% in control in football, you're not as a firefighter or cop.