IMO, it is taking longer than I though it would to get rid of football.

[hueymahl]

40. In defense of football

First, that study is badly flawed. Each of those brains examined were from people who showed symptoms of mental problems. Kind of like studying 101 people who were bleeding and finding that 99% of them had a cut. So basically, it tells us nothing about the percentage of football players who have CTE nor whether that percentage is higher than the population at large or other athletes.

This article does a pretty good job of describing the flaws: http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2017/07/the_press_is_overhyping_the_latest_study_on_cte_in_the_nfl.html


Second, football is not going anywhere, at least not in our lifetimes, for all the reasons, good and bad, listed by other posters. It will continue to evolve, but it is not going away.

Third, football should not go anywhere. It can always be made safer, just like almost any sport, but it is an incredibly valuable teaching tool. It is simply the greatest team sport ever. No other sport can be played by such a wide variety of body sizes and skill sets. No other sport requires the same coordination of effort among 11 people at the same time. It is a physically and mentally demanding sport that challenges young people to go beyond what they thought they could do (other sports do this too). The life lessons it conveys about teamwork, dedication, and joint responsibility are hard to replicate in other sports (and almost any other activity). Hockey, basketball and soccer comes close, but those sports are reserved for specific body types. The chubby kid in middle school does not have any sports he can excel in except football.

I know this is not a popular opinion right now. But especially for those of you that have never played or coached the game, I encourage you to keep an open mind.