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Time Magazine Cover Story: Is Football Worth It?

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by YankeeFan, Sep 18, 2014.

  1. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    Fordham Prep grad, Sean Gregory has this week's Time magazine cover story:

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    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 15, 2014
  2. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    I'm actually surprised no one has died in an NFL game. It has to be coming and, when it does, it's going to make everything that has happened to this point look like a fucking picnic.

    Has anybody died in a major college game? I can't think of one.
     
  3. Michael_ Gee

    Michael_ Gee Well-Known Member

    Dick, Chuck Hughes, wide receiver for the Lions, died in an NFL game in 1970. If I remember correctly, which is a pick 'em bet, he had an undiagnosed heart issue.
     
  4. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    Former Ole Miss player Chucky Mullins died 18 months after shattering his spinal cord during a game.

    I suspect there are many "didn't die DURING the game, but died shortly afterward due to complications from devastating injury" stories out there.

    Don't really get the "is it worth it" angle. Lots of everyday things have risks. Elective surgeries, rock climbing, etc. Things that are in no way "needed" by the people doing them. But they do them anyway. And sometimes there is a tragedy,
     
  5. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Yes, you remember correctly. It was against the Bears, I think. My dad always claimed that people immediately blamed Butkus for it, but he was nowhere near Hughes.

    I'm talking about an on-field death resulting from a hit. Hughes was basically a Hank Gathers situation. (I myself saw a kid die in a junior varsity basketball game in high school. Harrowing, obviously.)

    Football will have a Ray Chapman. It's a matter of time.
     
  6. Michael_ Gee

    Michael_ Gee Well-Known Member

    I believe on-field deaths are what led Teddy Roosevelt to call college presidents together and say that if the sport wasn't made safer it could be banned. That was 1906 or thereabouts.
     
  7. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    The only two pro athletes that come to mind who died during competition as
    a result of injuries are Dale Earnhardt and Bill Masterson.

    Masterson played for The Minnesota Northstars. He was checked and hit his head on the
    ice.
    Of course Earnhardt needs no explanation.
     
  8. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    What about Ray Chapman, who Dick already mentioned?
     
  9. RecoveringJournalist

    RecoveringJournalist Well-Known Member

    Time Magazine: Drowning in hyperbole
     
  10. As Gee noted, the game was nearly banned due to the number of deaths as result of the game's brutality - a lot of it attributed to the Flying Wedge formations.

    Why are you surprised no one has died? It's not like rugby. They are wearing padding and safety gear. These are men in top physical condition - barring an undetected defect. Yeah they tell you these tackles are the eqivalent of a car crash, but its seldom someone pummeling a defenseless player. Personally, I think the game was far more violent in the 70s and 80s. Esp. to QBs, WRs and special teams players. And I think players today are in much better shape.

    It's more violent than many sports, but (i'd wager) less dangerous than boxing, auto racing, hockey and I dare say baseball- esp. college baseball (aluminum bats).


    We had a kid in the area (at least one) who died as a result of high school football. He got a concussion and returned to play. He collapsed on the field and died a few days later. This was in the early 1990s.
     
  11. MisterCreosote

    MisterCreosote Well-Known Member

    Mike Utley became a quadriplegic on an NFL field, and was practically turned into a folk hero.
     
  12. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    You think football is less dangerous than baseball? Sheesh.

    And all the training and such have done nothing to prevent brain scrambling. Made it worse, in fact, since the collisions are at much greater force with players bigger AND faster.
     
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