Grinnell College in Iowa just cancelled the rest of their football season

Press release says they are down to 28 guys. That seems like a small number to field a football team.
 
Football players are becoming the modern day gladiators. As the speed and size of guys continues to increase...it's not if you have a major injury...it's when. I agree with the helmet to helmet rules, but it's not just helmet to helmet stuff. In my opinion you need to figure out a way to slow guys down...the game has gotten too fast with the size of some of these guys. When a 6'6" 280 guy can run a 4.6 forty...the force that comes with that size and speed is going to do some damage when it gets to you.

Bottom line: There is not a lot of longevity in the gladiating business at the highest level...and you certainly shouldn't be gladiating in front of a hundred parents and disinterested onlookers in some small arena on the outskirts of town.
 
Article says 11-player football fell by 3% but increase in 6- 7- and 9-Man football.
from 1,036,000 to 1,006,000.

Girls basketball decreases more than football; nobody is saying b-ball is going away.

This trend is probably due to small schools closing and *meh* talent players that would play at small schools deciding not to sit on the bench and/or go against faster/stronger/talented kids at larger schools.

As long as men have testicles and don’t think they’re “pretty” then football isn’t going away
 
No it’s not.
Small expensive college.
Yeah idk what everyone is on about here. Grinnell's roster hasn't been bigger than 40 or so players in a looooooong time, which is to be expected when it's

A) A small liberal arts school in Iowa
B) Has an extremely limited support for athletics
C) Is one of the most highly-regarded, and rigorously academic liberal arts schools in the nation (#14 LA and #80 overall college by Forbes)
D) Has an acceptance rate of just around 24%

Sad for the Grinnell players, but they are definitely not there for football.
 
Football players are becoming the modern day gladiators. As the speed and size of guys continues to increase...it's not if you have a major injury...it's when. I agree with the helmet to helmet rules, but it's not just helmet to helmet stuff. In my opinion you need to figure out a way to slow guys down...the game has gotten too fast with the size of some of these guys. When a 6'6" 280 guy can run a 4.6 forty...the force that comes with that size and speed is going to do some damage when it gets to you.

Bottom line: There is not a lot of longevity in the gladiating business at the highest level...and you certainly shouldn't be gladiating in front of a hundred parents and disinterested onlookers in some small arena on the outskirts of town.

Let's say that 280 lbs guy could run a 5.5 second 40 15 years ago.

At today's speed, that guy can hit you with 8296.1317005 N•m/s. 15 years ago he could hit you with 6938.597140999999 N•M/s. That's nearly 1000 ft - lbs / s more. That's 2 F150s per second worth of power more.
 
Let's say that 280 lbs guy could run a 5.5 second 40 15 years ago.

At today's speed, that guy can hit you with 8296.1317005 N•m/s. 15 years ago he could hit you with 6938.597140999999 N•M/s. That's nearly 1000 ft - lbs / s more. That's 2 F150s per second worth of power more.
That’s if the F150s can stay running
 
when I played high school football I played on offense and defense. Top it off with I walked 20 miles in snow storms to school as well!
When I was being raised in NW Iowa, I lived 3 blocks from school, my mom would get me in the car, drive me out in the country 3 miles and make me walk to school, this was only during snowy days.
 
High school participation in football is down 17% in Iowa, from a high in 2007. It's not due to school consolidation.
If the trend continues....football will have to look very different in a decade.
A traditional 4A inner suburban St. Louis school last their team a few years back.
Parway South...one of the largest hugh schools (if not largest) in St. Louis County just forfeited a game in the 4th because of injuries and not enough players. Granted, it has never been a contender in football, but it is a no cut varsity team. Most are around here. Unheard of when I was in school. Just saw that an exclusive private school that is a sometime contender in the lower classes and actively recruits...has just 30 on their varsity team. Down from a usual of 60.

Grinnelk is just on the leading edge of this. We wills see more of it in smaller schools. This will help the higher divisions hold on for awhile, but football is going to have to change.

The game will have to radically change as we know it, or it will end. It sucks. But it's the reality. The paradigm had shifted with parents. The impact is just starting.
 
High school participation in football is down 17% in Iowa, from a high in 2007. It's not due to school consolidation.
If the trend continues....football will have to look very different in a decade.
A traditional 4A inner suburban St. Louis school last their team a few years back.
Parway South...one of the largest hugh schools (if not largest) in St. Louis County just forfeited a game in the 4th because of injuries and not enough players. Granted, it has never been a contender in football, but it is a no cut varsity team. Most are around here. Unheard of when I was in school. Just saw that an exclusive private school that is a sometime contender in the lower classes and actively recruits...has just 30 on their varsity team. Down from a usual of 60.

Grinnelk is just on the leading edge of this. We wills see more of it in smaller schools. This will help the higher divisions hold on for awhile, but football is going to have to change.

The game will have to radically change as we know it, or it will end. It sucks. But it's the reality. The paradigm had shifted with parents. The impact is just starting.

It's simple, really. Take the hitting out of the game. Two-hand touch. Blockers cannot use their hands or lower their shoulders. No crackbacks. Dline rushers cannot tackle blockers by lowering their shoulders. Dline rushers cannot use their hands.

First downs are now 20 yards. Field goalposts are now 3 yards apart.

It would be a weird game.
 
It's simple, really. Take the hitting out of the game. Two-hand touch. Blockers cannot use their hands or lower their shoulders. No crackbacks. Dline rushers cannot tackle blockers by lowering their shoulders. Dline rushers cannot use their hands.

First downs are now 20 yards. Field goalposts are now 3 yards apart.

It would be a weird game.
Like the NFL Pro Bowl
 

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