Tyler Sash

I agree with Jon that the NFL is just getting out of hand, as far as the speed and size of the players. Hard to watch without cringing. I personally think the NFL needs to get more serious about the HGH and Drug testing, until they do, players will continue to get bigger and run faster than the human body was really designed to do. The human body also wasn't meant to be in a car wreck once a week, those cars (players size) are just more like an SUV now compared to a Geo Metro like they used to be. Can't tell me a good number of these guys aren't on some sort of PED. I believe baseball is the only sport currently blood testing as well as urine? Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Blood testing is harder to get around and can also be stored I believe in case a new drug is discovered that is currently undetectable. I believe the suspension right now for PED use in the NFL is only 4 games also. If they are serious about player safety, they would take away at least a year's pay and get much more strict with their testing. Those making billions don't really care though, these are just paid gladiators sent into the arena.
That said, no one forces a person to play football.

My advice, play Baseball! :)
 


eveningnewsteam said:
What about the millions that have played football that have no issues?
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How high does the incidence need to be before we say we have a problem? I don't know the answer to that.

I think the head-injury issue in football has been inflated by recent media attention, but it was really under the radar prior to that, so maybe it is just balancing out. Whether the issue is an epidemic, or just a scary, remote possibility, the media attention will be enough to scare people away from the sport. I love the sport, played it through HS and college (no ill effects so far), but I wouldn't let my son play youth tackle football. If he wants to play FB in HS, that is his decision. If he does not, I don't think I would be too dissappointed.
 


Instead of banning youth tackle football, why not just get rid of the helmet/shoulder pads? That may sound ridiculous, but if they arent wearing pads its gonna force them to block tackle the right way. By the time they get the full equipment, it will be instilled in them to tackle/block properly. Kids might be diving for legs, so be it, but its better then a helmet to helmet shot.
 


eveningnewsteam said:
Instead of banning youth tackle football, why not just get rid of the helmet/shoulder pads? That may sound ridiculous, but if they arent wearing pads its gonna force them to block tackle the right way. By the time they get the full equipment, it will be instilled in them to tackle/block properly. Kids might be diving for legs, so be it, but its better then a helmet to helmet shot.
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Like the kind of FB we all used to play behind the bleachers during HS FB games when we were growing up?
 




Mrke1 said:
Sorry for the incoming rant. How it went down for Sash is terrible. But, when will the nation stop pretending that football is the only sport with collision and head injuries. Both women's soccer and wrestling have concussion numbers close to or at the same levels. Additionally, I'd imagine football is more sensitive now to the issue and other sports are under reporting. Football is not the boogie man. Any sport that involves two bodies moving in the same space has chance for head injury.
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And in women's soccer and in wrestling the players aren't wearing anywhere near the same amount of protection as they are in football. Also, if you look at the research, it's not the concussions per se that are leading to CTE, but the accumulation of those and constant sub-concussive hits and rotational blows, which happen far more in football than in soccer or wrestling.

http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2...in-damage-caused-by-subconcussive-blows/?_r=0
 


Mrke1 said:
Sorry for the incoming rant. How it went down for Sash is terrible. But, when will the nation stop pretending that football is the only sport with collision and head injuries. Both women's soccer and wrestling have concussion numbers close to or at the same levels. Additionally, I'd imagine football is more sensitive now to the issue and other sports are under reporting. Football is not the boogie man. Any sport that involves two bodies moving in the same space has chance for head injury.
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...except the decisive issue in football isn't all about concussions.

CTE has been found in the brains of deceased players who had no history of concussions. CTE has been linked to the types of sub-concussive hits you'll find on just about every single play in the game.

There is no way to create a helmet that will prevent the brain from sloshing around inside the head during normal football hits.

As for other sports...maybe hockey compares to football. Wrestling and soccer - I have my doubts that CTE is as prevalent.
 


shonblatt said:
...except the decisive issue in football isn't all about concussions.

CTE has been found in the brains of deceased players who had no history of concussions. CTE has been linked to the types of sub-concussive hits you'll find on just about every single play in the game.

There is no way to create a helmet that will prevent the brain from sloshing around inside the head during normal football hits.

As for other sports...maybe hockey compares to football. Wrestling and soccer - I have my doubts that CTE is as prevalent.
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Exactly this.

Concussions aren't some magical benchmark that determines if you've met your limit. Any kind of hit to the head is going to cause permanent damage if you repeat it long enough. Look at how many lineman have committed suicide or died with CTE and never had a concussion diagnosed. They line up and smash heads every single play of the game for years on end. Don't get knocked out or even have their bells rung, but once their brain goes under a microscope it looks like a sponge just like a linebacker or safety whose had major concussive hits.
 


eveningnewsteam said:
Instead of banning youth tackle football, why not just get rid of the helmet/shoulder pads? That may sound ridiculous, but if they arent wearing pads its gonna force them to block tackle the right way. By the time they get the full equipment, it will be instilled in them to tackle/block properly. Kids might be diving for legs, so be it, but its better then a helmet to helmet shot.
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I like your idea but it won't happen because of what people perceive as the "brutality" factor.

Ever been to a rugby match? there isn't much in the way of concussions, etc., but there is a whole lot more blood and stitches.

The first time little Jimmy comes off the field missing a couple teeth or with a broken nose because he took an elbow to the face (no face mask, remember?), soccer mama is going to be the first one on the news telling everyone how barbaric it is. I agree that head injuries are less likely, but that's how the public is going to perceive it.

The earlier poster was 100% correct, the safety equipment is what is creating the injuries and making them possible. Well, that and glorifying cheap-shot thugs like James Harrison on TV.
 


shonblatt said:
...except the decisive issue in football isn't all about concussions.

CTE has been found in the brains of deceased players who had no history of concussions. CTE has been linked to the types of sub-concussive hits you'll find on just about every single play in the game.

There is no way to create a helmet that will prevent the brain from sloshing around inside the head during normal football hits.

As for other sports...maybe hockey compares to football. Wrestling and soccer - I have my doubts that CTE is as prevalent.
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Players are banging heads all the time in wrestling and hockey. I understand the two are not directly linked and that CTE is generally more of the smaller, repetitive hitting. Also, even though its not all about concussions, that's 99% of it.

The point I was trying to make is that this needs to be looked at across the board instead of calling for people to shut down youth football and stop watching the NFL.
 


Mrke1 said:
Sorry for the incoming rant. How it went down for Sash is terrible. But, when will the nation stop pretending that football is the only sport with collision and head injuries. Both women's soccer and wrestling have concussion numbers close to or at the same levels. Additionally, I'd imagine football is more sensitive now to the issue and other sports are under reporting. Football is not the boogie man. Any sport that involves two bodies moving in the same space has chance for head injury.
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Except for the fact there are 22 guys on the field with instructions to hit or be hit on every play of the game. Can't remember the last time I watched women's soccer and said wow that was a big hit! Football is the money sport. It gets the most exposure and from high school all the way to the pros it is the sport in the United States.
 


eveningnewsteam said:
What about the millions that have played football that have no issues?
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I agree. There are other possible variables in TS's death.

But that said I won't let my son play football I don't believe.

I can see this becoming a sport like UCF is right now. A popular fringe sport with only the most hardy of guys participating.
 


UFC is still a marketing juggernaut with huge brand awareness and star power that has proven somewhat resilient and manufactured one star after another.
 


westender said:
Except for the fact there are 22 guys on the field with instructions to hit or be hit on every play of the game. Can't remember the last time I watched women's soccer and said wow that was a big hit! Football is the money sport. It gets the most exposure and from high school all the way to the pros it is the sport in the United States.
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How much women's soccer have you watched. My wife played for many years. Never college, but in high school and adult leagues after. I've seen many collisions from headers, kicks to the face, people falling directly on the front/back of the head. People collide a lot in soccer, even youth.
 


Mrke1 said:
How much women's soccer have you watched. My wife played for many years. Never college, but in high school and adult leagues after. I've seen many collisions from headers, kicks to the face, people falling directly on the front/back of the head. People collide a lot in soccer, even youth.
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Yep. That's why they have addressed headers at the youth level as a start. Repeated headers (like in a practice) have proven to be an issue.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2015/11/10/ussf-concussions-headers-rules/75515856/
 




My youngest son was a 3 sport athlete since Jr high. Wrestling, football, and track. He is now a senior who runs strictly track. He had 3 concussions by his sophomore year. Two from football and one from wrestling.

In all 3 instances it was caused by his head hitting the ground, not head to head collisions. There are so many ways in contact sports to rattle the brain. I made him quit football midseason his sophomore year despite his pleas and I have no regrets. Neither does he as information becomes more available. Football was my sport growing up and like many, it taught me valuable lessons. No idea why I was OK and others end up like my son.

As much as he loved wrestling and as much as I loved watching him wrestle, his decision to not wrestle and focus on track and his studies his senior year also didn't break my heart. While (in my experience) I rarely saw any serious injury during a wrestling meet, I was obviously aware of the potential of concussions especially when the kids are novice and learning. It is another sport full of life lessons that can't be taught many in other sports.

I really have no idea if my son will some day have any long term effects from what he has already experienced. I think about it often and pray that he doesn't. Bottom line is, research is available and new studies are coming. Parents will be armed with facts as long as this research continues. We will have the ability to make informed decisions with our kid's best long term interest in mind. It's just too little too late in the case of Sash and many others. The answers just aren't that simple yet, but like others have said here, I believe football will become extinct in my grandchildren's lifetime. It's simple physics, we weren't made to take repeated impacts to the head for a sustained period of time.
 


Mrke1 said:
How much women's soccer have you watched. My wife played for many years. Never college, but in high school and adult leagues after. I've seen many collisions from headers, kicks to the face, people falling directly on the front/back of the head. People collide a lot in soccer, even youth.
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C'mon on man!!!!!!!!!!!!! It ain't the same and you know it. Go to a football game once.
 


westender said:
C'mon on man!!!!!!!!!!!!! It ain't the same and you know it. Go to a football game once.
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I'm not saying its 1 for 1. Studies show that football is tops when it comes to concussion rates. But other sports are not that far behind.

My point is, multiple sports pose a risk of head related injuries. Not just football.
 


eveningnewsteam said:
What about the millions that have played football that have no issues?
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1. I'd be willing to bet that there are a lot more cases that went undiagnosed because no one thought to look under the hood. Mike Webster was not the first person to suffer from this disease.

2. Millions of people have survived cancer. Does that mean that cancer doesn't kill people?
 


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