It's really sad how some sports which are really popular (boxing, rugby) are so dangerous. I remember a few years ago listening to a public health official talking about rugby and he said "we have...
It's really sad how some sports which are really popular (boxing, rugby) are so dangerous. I remember a few years ago listening to a public health official talking about rugby and he said "we have to think of the health risks first and make what we can of the sport" (he was advocating for only tag rugby to be played in schools, which involves no significant physical contact). Sadly society seems to have ignored the public health perspective.
Don’t forget football. You’re a lucky person if you play football and haven’t had a serious injury, or long term issues. I had a friend who played all throughout high school, and he ended up with...
Don’t forget football. You’re a lucky person if you play football and haven’t had a serious injury, or long term issues.
I had a friend who played all throughout high school, and he ended up with nerve damage all throughout his arm that he could barely use afterwards. It’s just insane to me that there’s so many sports that we let kids play and yet parents seem to be willfully, ignorant for how dangerous they actually are .
I guess you mean American Football? I don't think there are as many brain injuries in football, although heading seems to cause the very same kind of injuries. So headers are in a lot more danger,...
American and Canadian yes. I’m not much of a sports guy so I forget that football has a much more popular use elsewhere in the world haha. But yes, it’s one of the top causes of concussions in...
American and Canadian yes. I’m not much of a sports guy so I forget that football has a much more popular use elsewhere in the world haha.
But yes, it’s one of the top causes of concussions in youth where I live. Funnily enough, cheerleaders are also one of the highest concussion causing activities for kids too.
I played high school American football and I do wonder how much (hopefully, if any) brain damage I have from playing. I know that I probably got a number of smaller concussions I didn't even...
I played high school American football and I do wonder how much (hopefully, if any) brain damage I have from playing. I know that I probably got a number of smaller concussions I didn't even realize and one or two moderate ones.
I loved the sport when I played, the team aspect, the comradery, and also having a physical outlet for anything that was going on during those years. Not just during practice but also the weightlifting and other workouts that were around it. Some of my best friends to this day are guys I played ball with.
I recognize that it had risks but I also think in my case the positive lessons I learned from the amazing coaches we had and the bonds I formed were worth it.
Similar situation here. Nothing I can do to help any probable brain trauma from concussions and repetitive hits to the head, but gosh, playing was so much fun. I had a forced fumble recovery...
Similar situation here. Nothing I can do to help any probable brain trauma from concussions and repetitive hits to the head, but gosh, playing was so much fun. I had a forced fumble recovery leading to a touchdown in high school that I will never forget. Best feeling in the world.
Hypocritically, I'd never let my son play. I'd like my kids to get into soccer, but even the prospect of headers makes me wonder if that's a good idea.
Do you think it was specifically football that gave you all of that? Or do you think any sports could give you the same experience but without the added risk? I didn’t really get into too many...
Do you think it was specifically football that gave you all of that? Or do you think any sports could give you the same experience but without the added risk?
I didn’t really get into too many sports when I was younger. Played some volleyball and when I was way younger, I played American soccer.
But I do know that most people who play American football end up having a lot of positive things to say about it as long as they aren’t one of the unlucky, few who had serious lifelong injuries.
I only started playing American football when I started high school since my parents were worried about me being injured. I had played basketball as a kid but found I really didn't like it and...
I only started playing American football when I started high school since my parents were worried about me being injured.
I had played basketball as a kid but found I really didn't like it and only kept playing because my friends would play it and it was a children's league so you didn't have to try out or anything and everyone could play. I also did track and field for a long time but that is more of a "team of individuals" type sport where you train together and push each other to compete harder but it didn't capture that comradery.
I think having physical contact was part of what gave it the experience. Knowing that I had a place to be a physical outlet for any aggression or just negative feelings and knowing that we could "leave it on the field" was great for me at that stage in my life. If I had a bad day I could go out and hit someone who was fully expecting to be hit and also know that with the padding and training unless I did a dirty hit (hitting someone when they aren't looking or something else cheap) they would generally be okay and often times (in practice at least) give me a pat and say "that was a good hit" or something along those lines.
For the comradery part, I'm sure that other team sports give part of that experience. Just the sheer amount of time that I spent with these guys year-round gave us a bond, even the guys that I wasn't especially close friends with. We'd spend almost every lunch during the school year watching film together in the locker room or with one of the coaches in their classroom. We did morning lifting 3 days a week year-round and we'd usually do some off-season practices after school if we weren't in other sports, plus we all took our head coach's weightlifting class every semester all 4 years of high school. When you include all of that with time spent at training camps, in actual practice, daily doubles in the summer, or just time in school together I would see those guys more than my family.
So much of the sport relies on having everyone in sync and being part of a greater whole, sure you can have the wide receiver make an awesome catch and score the touchdown, but he wouldn't have time to do that without the offensive line blocking for the quarterback or the ends/other receivers drawing away the defenders to allow him to have the opportunity.
There's also that feeling of it being the "popular" sport where the big game is on Friday and everyone turns out to see it. I went to a school in Oregon and it's not like we're the in the south where football is a giant thing, but it was still a big enough event that a lot of the school would turn out to watch it or socialize because so many people were there. When I finally got my starting position as center after working my butt off for it for years (I'm not that big of a guy, but I can't catch to save my life and had good friends who played on the line so I decided to do that as well) and we ran down to the field with the bright lights on is an experience I won't forget.
That all didn't touch on the positive lessons that the sport provides, especially if you have good coaches like I did who cared more about building up the young men on their team than they did about winning (though winning was obviously important). Many of the guys I knew came from homes that weren't necessarily stable or had some kind of trouble and the discipline and lessons they learned on the field helped to put them on a better path. I still keep a motivational card that my head coach would give out each year in my wallet and look at it occasionally.
I'm not sure if I answered your question fully since I got a bit nostalgic and may have gone overboard with my description. I think in part you could get a similar experience from other sports, but I also think a lot of guys who played will view it as a part of their lives that they'll always be nostalgic for. Being encouraged to be in good shape, spend time with your friends, go through physical hardship with those guys you're close to, and feeling like you have that support system that the team provides.
Sometimes I think we should return to the 19th century days of bare knuckle pugilism, albeit with some more safety measures to prevent permanent damage. Handwraps and boxing gloves are largely the...
Sometimes I think we should return to the 19th century days of bare knuckle pugilism, albeit with some more safety measures to prevent permanent damage. Handwraps and boxing gloves are largely the reason why the sport became what it is today.
We do have bare knuckle fighting promotions though they are much less popular than boxing or mma. Bkfc is putting on decent shows in my opinion but I also feel that the amount of cuts and blood...
We do have bare knuckle fighting promotions though they are much less popular than boxing or mma. Bkfc is putting on decent shows in my opinion but I also feel that the amount of cuts and blood turns off alot of possible fans.
If I recall correctly they did a long term review of long term damage in different type of fighting styles. This was a few years ago. They found that mma fighters were less likely to have brain...
If I recall correctly they did a long term review of long term damage in different type of fighting styles. This was a few years ago. They found that mma fighters were less likely to have brain issues and they hypothesised that it was due to thinner gloves and faster knock outs so less hits overall
That's just the brutal reality of boxing. So much hits end up causing you brain damage and taking that in practice too is hard on the brain. I aggree with making box safer.
That's just the brutal reality of boxing. So much hits end up causing you brain damage and taking that in practice too is hard on the brain. I aggree with making box safer.
It's really sad how some sports which are really popular (boxing, rugby) are so dangerous. I remember a few years ago listening to a public health official talking about rugby and he said "we have to think of the health risks first and make what we can of the sport" (he was advocating for only tag rugby to be played in schools, which involves no significant physical contact). Sadly society seems to have ignored the public health perspective.
Don’t forget football. You’re a lucky person if you play football and haven’t had a serious injury, or long term issues.
I had a friend who played all throughout high school, and he ended up with nerve damage all throughout his arm that he could barely use afterwards. It’s just insane to me that there’s so many sports that we let kids play and yet parents seem to be willfully, ignorant for how dangerous they actually are .
I guess you mean American Football?
I don't think there are as many brain injuries in football, although heading seems to cause the very same kind of injuries. So headers are in a lot more danger, specifically.
Yes I know that there's a lot of debate where I live about whether heading should be allowed for under 18s.
American and Canadian yes. I’m not much of a sports guy so I forget that football has a much more popular use elsewhere in the world haha.
But yes, it’s one of the top causes of concussions in youth where I live. Funnily enough, cheerleaders are also one of the highest concussion causing activities for kids too.
I played high school American football and I do wonder how much (hopefully, if any) brain damage I have from playing. I know that I probably got a number of smaller concussions I didn't even realize and one or two moderate ones.
I loved the sport when I played, the team aspect, the comradery, and also having a physical outlet for anything that was going on during those years. Not just during practice but also the weightlifting and other workouts that were around it. Some of my best friends to this day are guys I played ball with.
I recognize that it had risks but I also think in my case the positive lessons I learned from the amazing coaches we had and the bonds I formed were worth it.
Similar situation here. Nothing I can do to help any probable brain trauma from concussions and repetitive hits to the head, but gosh, playing was so much fun. I had a forced fumble recovery leading to a touchdown in high school that I will never forget. Best feeling in the world.
Hypocritically, I'd never let my son play. I'd like my kids to get into soccer, but even the prospect of headers makes me wonder if that's a good idea.
Do you think it was specifically football that gave you all of that? Or do you think any sports could give you the same experience but without the added risk?
I didn’t really get into too many sports when I was younger. Played some volleyball and when I was way younger, I played American soccer.
But I do know that most people who play American football end up having a lot of positive things to say about it as long as they aren’t one of the unlucky, few who had serious lifelong injuries.
I only started playing American football when I started high school since my parents were worried about me being injured.
I had played basketball as a kid but found I really didn't like it and only kept playing because my friends would play it and it was a children's league so you didn't have to try out or anything and everyone could play. I also did track and field for a long time but that is more of a "team of individuals" type sport where you train together and push each other to compete harder but it didn't capture that comradery.
I think having physical contact was part of what gave it the experience. Knowing that I had a place to be a physical outlet for any aggression or just negative feelings and knowing that we could "leave it on the field" was great for me at that stage in my life. If I had a bad day I could go out and hit someone who was fully expecting to be hit and also know that with the padding and training unless I did a dirty hit (hitting someone when they aren't looking or something else cheap) they would generally be okay and often times (in practice at least) give me a pat and say "that was a good hit" or something along those lines.
For the comradery part, I'm sure that other team sports give part of that experience. Just the sheer amount of time that I spent with these guys year-round gave us a bond, even the guys that I wasn't especially close friends with. We'd spend almost every lunch during the school year watching film together in the locker room or with one of the coaches in their classroom. We did morning lifting 3 days a week year-round and we'd usually do some off-season practices after school if we weren't in other sports, plus we all took our head coach's weightlifting class every semester all 4 years of high school. When you include all of that with time spent at training camps, in actual practice, daily doubles in the summer, or just time in school together I would see those guys more than my family.
So much of the sport relies on having everyone in sync and being part of a greater whole, sure you can have the wide receiver make an awesome catch and score the touchdown, but he wouldn't have time to do that without the offensive line blocking for the quarterback or the ends/other receivers drawing away the defenders to allow him to have the opportunity.
There's also that feeling of it being the "popular" sport where the big game is on Friday and everyone turns out to see it. I went to a school in Oregon and it's not like we're the in the south where football is a giant thing, but it was still a big enough event that a lot of the school would turn out to watch it or socialize because so many people were there. When I finally got my starting position as center after working my butt off for it for years (I'm not that big of a guy, but I can't catch to save my life and had good friends who played on the line so I decided to do that as well) and we ran down to the field with the bright lights on is an experience I won't forget.
That all didn't touch on the positive lessons that the sport provides, especially if you have good coaches like I did who cared more about building up the young men on their team than they did about winning (though winning was obviously important). Many of the guys I knew came from homes that weren't necessarily stable or had some kind of trouble and the discipline and lessons they learned on the field helped to put them on a better path. I still keep a motivational card that my head coach would give out each year in my wallet and look at it occasionally.
I'm not sure if I answered your question fully since I got a bit nostalgic and may have gone overboard with my description. I think in part you could get a similar experience from other sports, but I also think a lot of guys who played will view it as a part of their lives that they'll always be nostalgic for. Being encouraged to be in good shape, spend time with your friends, go through physical hardship with those guys you're close to, and feeling like you have that support system that the team provides.
Hope that explains some of it!
Sometimes I think we should return to the 19th century days of bare knuckle pugilism, albeit with some more safety measures to prevent permanent damage. Handwraps and boxing gloves are largely the reason why the sport became what it is today.
We do have bare knuckle fighting promotions though they are much less popular than boxing or mma. Bkfc is putting on decent shows in my opinion but I also feel that the amount of cuts and blood turns off alot of possible fans.
If I recall correctly they did a long term review of long term damage in different type of fighting styles. This was a few years ago. They found that mma fighters were less likely to have brain issues and they hypothesised that it was due to thinner gloves and faster knock outs so less hits overall
It looks like UFC faces the same issue, although maybe to a lesser degree.
That's just the brutal reality of boxing. So much hits end up causing you brain damage and taking that in practice too is hard on the brain. I aggree with making box safer.