tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8235303708202109019.post440456560036324235..comments2023-12-13T12:36:55.729-08:00Comments on Phronesis / {fro-nay-sis}: CHANGING THE CULTURE OF FOOTBALLPHRONESIShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07591076303642667442noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8235303708202109019.post-42244941841835543252014-12-11T11:11:44.586-08:002014-12-11T11:11:44.586-08:00Your series was extremely well written and present...Your series was extremely well written and presented without bias.<br />A few thoughts come to mind. <br /><br />I don't believe much is going to change because it's always about the money , and there are hundreds of millions at stake. The owners will stick with the NFL because they are just pimping out their athletes for $$$$.<br />The American public is so besotted with the Roman gladiator- like atmosphere of football that they don't care.<br /><br />The problem of traumatic brain injury cannot be solved by improving the helmets. That is like saying a .38 revolver injures but is inaccurate so why not improve or increase the size of the weapon!!<br />There is only one solution, AND THAT IS TO GET RID OF THE HELMETS!<br /><br />Rugby is an extremely physical sport played with no pads and no helmets.<br />Traumatic brain injury is not an issue. Of course there are the incidental head collisions but the international rugby board has very strict rules as to the handling of on field concussion. The player has to go off and be examined and cleared by a neurologist before returning to play that or any other time. Spiking is handled as a very serious offense usually with a red card (the team then plays one man short), and with multiple game suspensions.<br /><br />The athlete's health long and short term, not the game, must come first, otherwise we will continue to see the sad deterioration in the mental health of too many young men. Thank you for your in-depth and insightful exploration of this very sad yet pervasive issue.<br /><br /><br />Paul Gottlieb, MDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8235303708202109019.post-64332562020113626822014-12-10T19:42:11.940-08:002014-12-10T19:42:11.940-08:00First, congrats on a great series of articles that...First, congrats on a great series of articles that laid out the issues beautifully. <br /><br />I tend to think that the issue of head injuries is an existential threat to football. When most Mom's and Dad's think the game is too dangerous to play, the supply of players will eventually dry up and cause a huge decrease in its popularity. If the threat is that great, changing the "culture of football" seems like an absurdly easy step. Hopefully the NFL will figure this out before it leads to a big decline. <br />One thing you didn't mention as part of the solution to this problem is the use of padded helmets. Back in the 1980's Sports Illustrated ran an extensive article about head and neck injuries and one of the suggestions made to reduce the problem was the use of padded helmets. Some colleges started using them in practice, but for some reason this step wasn't implemented in the NFL. Had the NFL taken this step they might not be in the position they are today because padding the helmet makes it less of a weapon, reducing the incentive to use it. Well, it's never too late and I suggest they revisit this as part of further reform. jskintauyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06084146157168374174noreply@blogger.com