Is This a Trend or a Momentary Hiccup?

[Indndawg]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/the-leading-edge-of-a-much-larger-iceberg-new-jersey-high-school-disbands-football-team/2017/08/22/e13b6516-836e-11e7-82a4-920da1aeb507_story.html?utm_term=.d3ebe3d2b260

[Leeshouldveflanked]

I could see it as a trend.... but the numbers are probably the same for baseball and basketball.

[msunat97]

Time for Frisbee golf

[Johnson85]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/the-leading-edge-of-a-much-larger-iceberg-new-jersey-high-school-disbands-football-team/2017/08/22/e13b6516-836e-11e7-82a4-920da1aeb507_story.html?utm_term=.d3ebe3d2b260
Looks like the trends cite could be caused by demographics more than any change in interest in football. i think this he states listed as losing teams are pretty low birth Rae states and the ones gaining football teams are still above replacement rate.

[biscuit]

Time for Frisbee golf

That'd be awesome!

[PMDawg]

I say trend. American football peaked late last decade and early this decade. I think it is on the decline and will be unrecognizable in 20 years. Jmo.

[Bothrops]

I say trend. American football peaked late last decade and early this decade. I think it is on the decline and will be unrecognizable in 20 years. Jmo.

Unfortunately, I think you may be right. America is losing it's traditions, and it will eventually lose it's history.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

Unfortunately, I think you may be right. America is losing it's traditions, and it will eventually lose it's history.

How in the hell can it lose it's history? Really? Nobody can change what has happened in our past.

[BeardoMSU]

How in the hell can it lose it's history? Really? Nobody can change what has happened in our past.

This. What exactly is being lost? We have museums everywhere...

[archdog]

This. What exactly is being lost? We have museums everywhere...

Nothing is being lost. Just outrage for "times not forgotten" stuff.
Nothing is wrong with Robert E. Lee. I mean, he isn't Nathan Bedford Forrest. Robert E. Lee is just probably the best general our country has ever had. Too bad he then committed treason when he joined the south. We shouldn't be putting up statues to traitors anyway. By the way, we shouldn't have the Jefferson Davis Library either. If I recall correctly he was a shitty cadet at West Point, terrible leader, and a traitor to these United States. The only thing cool about him was his service in the French and Indian wars and he married Zachary Taylor's daughter I think. Against his wishes I might add.

[BeardoMSU]

Nothing is being lost. Just outrage for "times not forgotten" stuff.
Nothing is wrong with Robert E. Lee. I mean, he isn't Nathan Bedford Forrest. Robert E. Lee is just probably the best general our country has ever had. Too bad he then committed treason when he joined the south. We shouldn't be putting up statues to traitors anyway. By the way, we shouldn't have the Jefferson Davis Library either. If I recall correctly he was a shitty cadet at West Point, terrible leader, and a traitor to these United States. The only thing cool about him was his service in the French and Indian wars and he married Zachary Taylor's daughter I think. Against his wishes I might add.

Lol, good points. I wonder if the lore of Lee's tactical acumen is a little blown out of proportion though (e.g., Gettysburg was all ego for him...something Longstreet was very critical of after the war).

Also, in regards to your "times not forgotten" point. It absolutely gets inflated in regards to Lee, post war, especially in his efforts to reconcile and rebuild. See: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/06/the-myth-of-the-kindly-general-lee/529038/

[Bothrops]

How in the hell can it lose it's history? Really? Nobody can change what has happened in our past.

You've obviously been under a rock.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

You've obviously been under a rock.

nope. Do you know the definition of "history"? IF it happened it happened, nonone can change that. The problem are people with your "WHOA is me or us" mindset that are rolling over and believing that we can't doing nothing to preserve our traditions and history.

[Cooterpoot]

Our country is becoming so pussified, everyone will eventually be playing transgender cornhole.

[PMDawg]

nope. Do you know the definition of "history"? IF it happened it happened, nonone can change that. The problem are people with your "whoa is me or us" mindset that are rolling over and believing that we can't doing nothing to preserve our traditions and history.

Woe

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

Woe

https://media.giphy.com/media/cqAO0ItpN3KKc/giphy.gif


https://media.giphy.com/media/ebjr1iE7fvoLC/giphy.gif

[Liverpooldawg]

Programs fluctuate all the time. They come and go in NE Miss regularly among the smaller schools.

[gtowndawg]

It's a trend. I coach 7 and 8 year old football and it's hard to get parents to consider football. I'm surprised how many act like you are a child abuser if you let kids play football. I even had a lady tell me last week it should be illegal before 6th grade.

[gtowndawg]

Our country is becoming so pussified, everyone will eventually be playing transgender cornhole.

There's a joke somewhere in there.

[EdDawg]

Nothing is being lost. Just outrage for "times not forgotten" stuff.
Nothing is wrong with Robert E. Lee. I mean, he isn't Nathan Bedford Forrest. Robert E. Lee is just probably the best general our country has ever had. Too bad he then committed treason when he joined the south. We shouldn't be putting up statues to traitors anyway. By the way, we shouldn't have the Jefferson Davis Library either. If I recall correctly he was a shitty cadet at West Point, terrible leader, and a traitor to these United States. The only thing cool about him was his service in the French and Indian wars and he married Zachary Taylor's daughter I think. Against his wishes I might add.

You do realize the French and Indian Wars were before the Revolutionary War right? He would have been well over 100 by 1861 if he participated in that war. You must be thinking of the Mexican War when he led the Mississippi Rifles.

He did some pretty cool things when he was a senator and Secretary of War. I think it was him that was the leader for the dome on the capitol building(I may be wrong there though.) He also imported in camels for the military to use in the deserts out west.

Not trying to take a stand for the guy, but just throwing out a few interesting things he did before the Civil War.

[Bothrops]

nope. Do you know the definition of "history"? IF it happened it happened, nonone can change that. The problem are people with your "WHOA is me or us" mindset that are rolling over and believing that we can't doing nothing to preserve our traditions and history.

So you're denying that it's happening?

[dawgs]

It's a trend. Science is showing its not healthy to bang your head around as a kid, teen, or adult. Insurance companies are going to make it prohibitive for many youth leagues and schools to keep playing football, nevermind the declining numbers.

I love football, but back in the 90s playing in junior high and high school, I definitely would get headaches far more often than I have in the years since. Thankfully there's no permanent damage, but if I had played for a bigger school against more elite athletes or another 4-5 years in college with bigger, faster players, who knows. I also never played tackle football before junior high, flag football is plenty fine for kids too.

[BeardoMSU]

It's a trend. Science is showing its not healthy to bang your head around as a kid, teen, or adult. Insurance companies are going to make it prohibitive for many youth leagues and schools to keep playing football, nevermind the declining numbers.

I love football, but back in the 90s playing in junior high and high school, I definitely would get headaches far more often than I have in the years since. Thankfully there's no permanent damage, but if I had played for a bigger school against more elite athletes or another 4-5 years in college with bigger, faster players, who knows. I also never played tackle football before junior high, flag football is plenty fine for kids too.

Good post, dawgs.

[dawgs]

Unfortunately, I think you may be right. America is losing it's traditions, and it will eventually lose it's history.

Football has been around for less than half the existence of the country, its being proven to be detrimental to mental health. I'd hope it does decline or change instead of continuing to batter brains out of the name of traditional. There's lots of "history" and "traditions" that have fallen by the wayside when it was proven or understood that the history or tradition in question was detrimental to one's health. It's called advancement.

[dawgs]

NFL agreeing to more guaranteed money would also help players that may be deciding between football and another sport. Most (as in the overwhelming majority) NFL guys don't make life changing money. Even ones that sign huge deals get cut 1-2 years later and never see much of the big $$$ reported when they sign the deal. If my kid is an elite athlete and could pick between pursuing careers where he'd have a guaranteed contract or a career where very little is guaranteed, I'd absolutely steer him towards guaranteed money. It's a no brainer. Given the contract situation and the health risks, football would be far down the list of sports I'd want my kid to have a professional career in.

[Commercecomet24]

It's a trend. Science is showing its not healthy to bang your head around as a kid, teen, or adult. Insurance companies are going to make it prohibitive for many youth leagues and schools to keep playing football, nevermind the declining numbers.

I love football, but back in the 90s playing in junior high and high school, I definitely would get headaches far more often than I have in the years since. Thankfully there's no permanent damage, but if I had played for a bigger school against more elite athletes or another 4-5 years in college with bigger, faster players, who knows. I also never played tackle football before junior high, flag football is plenty fine for kids too.

Absolutely spot on!

[dawgs]

Plus a 5'9" 215 lb kid with a negligible vertical jump and 40 time closer to 6.0 than 5.0 isn't playing college or professional football. I played OL and DL for a ms private school because it's not like we were loaded with studs, but had no delusions of it being anything more than just what I was playing in school, but looking back, given the information we have now, if I was entering junior high right now or entering HS right now, why even take the risk of injuring my brain permanently when the chances of playing football beyond HS is less than 0? Sure, the stud athlete that can maybe parlay his football skills into a scholarship or maybe even an NFL career might decide its worth the risk, but the vast majority have no hopes of a scholarship, much less a NFL career.

The problem is you still need those kids with no future in the sport to fill out rosters in junior high and HS, and those are the kids that'll just go play soccer or basketball or tennis or baseball or whatever instead because the risks of permanent brain damage are far less, and they still get the fun of playing sports with friends.

[Maroonthirteen]

Football isn't going anywhere. Look around the country, for every high schools dropping football two are building ridiculously nice facilities.

With that said, I do think the numbers of kids playing will dwindle because of the health reasons y'all mention plus the other available sports options. However the number won't decline enough that the future of the sport is in danger.

[Bothrops]

Football has been around for less than half the existence of the country, its being proven to be detrimental to mental health. I'd hope it does decline or change instead of continuing to batter brains out of the name of traditional. There's lots of "history" and "traditions" that have fallen by the wayside when it was proven or understood that the history or tradition in question was detrimental to one's health. It's called advancement.

What else would you consider advancement? Just curious.

[BeardoMSU]

What else would you consider advancement? Just curious.

I'm really sorry Pete Boon outlawed those sticks, bruh...***

[dawgs]

What else would you consider advancement? Just curious.

Disinfesting your hands and tools before surgery. Decreasing rates of tobacco use. You know, standard shit that was once common, people realized it is directly causing permanent health problems or death, and so society reduces the rates of doing it or stops doing it all together.

**not intended to be an exact comparison or an exhaustive list of things we used to do that caused death and illness but have discovered there are better or different ways of doing it or that we don't have to do it at all.

***felt like I had to put that disclaimer before someone misses the forest for the trees (a tit for tat exact analysis of surgery advancements compared to football concussions). My comments are intended for a genelized idea of advancement. These were 2 examples that popped in my head when asked.

[MidTNDawg]

Remember dodge ball? If it was too violent, where does that place football in the minds of today's society?

[RougeDawg]

How in the hell can it lose it's history? Really? Nobody can change what has happened in our past.

How can you lose history? Ask the Nazi's how they attempted to. You remove monuments, you get rid of old books and any recollection of history. You dumb down the population through infiltration of the education system and you teach the history you want the public to know.

Oh wait, am I decreasing the 1930's or present day. When you observe the acts of both it's difficult to decipher the difference.

Here's one example of how far along this nation is to one side rewriting history. Go walk up to any random stranger and ask them what type of government the United States has.id be willing to bet the farm 90% minimum all people, and 99% under age 40 will say democracy. Another example is the use or "rights" these days. The same group has indoctrinated an entire generation to believe all these things are "rights".

I digress. But this nation is a republic. A democracy is where all citizens vote on all laws and matters.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

How can you lose history? Ask the Nazi's how they attempted to. You remove monuments, you get rid of old books and any recollection of history. You dumb down the population through infiltration of the education system and you teach the history you want the public to know.

Oh wait, am I decreasing the 1930's or present day. When you observe the acts of both it's difficult to decipher the difference.

Here's one example of how far along this nation is to one side rewriting history. Go walk up to any random stranger and ask them what type of government the United States has.id be willing to bet the farm 90% minimum all people, and 99% under age 40 will say democracy. Another example is the use or "rights" these days. The same group has indoctrinated an entire generation to believe all these things are "rights".

I digress. But this nation is a republic. A democracy is where all citizens vote on all laws and matters.



....attempted to Tell me how you know about the Nazi's? Did you learn it in a history lesson?

[dawgs]

How can you lose history? Ask the Nazi's how they attempted to. You remove monuments, you get rid of old books and any recollection of history. You dumb down the population through infiltration of the education system and you teach the history you want the public to know.

Oh wait, am I decreasing the 1930's or present day. When you observe the acts of both it's difficult to decipher the difference.

Here's one example of how far along this nation is to one side rewriting history. Go walk up to any random stranger and ask them what type of government the United States has.id be willing to bet the farm 90% minimum all people, and 99% under age 40 will say democracy. Another example is the use or "rights" these days. The same group has indoctrinated an entire generation to believe all these things are "rights".

I digress. But this nation is a republic. A democracy is where all citizens vote on all laws and matters.

Are you suggesting removing confederate monuments on public land is basically burning historical texts? Most people that oppose celebrating confederate monuments on public land are fine moving them to museums where they can be viewed in the context of history. They just shouldn't be the centerpiece of parks and towns like they currently are. And literally no one is suggesting we burn civil war books to eliminate history.

As for "rights", I find the lack of understanding about the 1st amendment disturbing from those defending the right for the white supremacists to rally. Counter protestors are NOT infringing on their right. That right begins and ends with congress making laws infringing on your freedom of speech, not on other civilians voicing their disgust of white supremacy views. Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom of consequences.

[BB30]

Are you suggesting removing confederate monuments on public land is basically burning historical texts? Most people that oppose celebrating confederate monuments on public land are fine moving them to museums where they can be viewed in the context of history. They just shouldn't be the centerpiece of parks and towns like they currently are. And literally no one is suggesting we burn civil war books to eliminate history.

As for "rights", I find the lack of understanding about the 1st amendment disturbing from those defending the right for the white supremacists to rally. Counter protestors are NOT infringing on their right. That right begins and ends with congress making laws infringing on your freedom of speech, not on other civilians voicing their disgust of white supremacy views. Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom of consequences.

Yep, agree exactly the same with no one signing kaepernick. He has every right to do what he did and teams have every right not to sign him because of it.

[dawgs]

Yep, agree exactly the same with no one signing kaepernick. He has every right to do what he did and teams have every right not to sign him because of it.

Yep, and pro-kap people have the right to call bullshit on owners willing to sign or draft domestic abusers and accused sexual assaulters, but too concerned to sign a peaceful protester.

[Bothrops]

Disinfesting your hands and tools before surgery. Decreasing rates of tobacco use. You know, standard shit that was once common, people realized it is directly causing permanent health problems or death, and so society reduces the rates of doing it or stops doing it all together.

**not intended to be an exact comparison or an exhaustive list of things we used to do that caused death and illness but have discovered there are better or different ways of doing it or that we don't have to do it at all.

***felt like I had to put that disclaimer before someone misses the forest for the trees (a tit for tat exact analysis of surgery advancements compared to football concussions). My comments are intended for a genelized idea of advancement. These were 2 examples that popped in my head when asked.

K. How about football? Once we've advanced beyond football, what will take its place?

[BeardoMSU]

K. How about football? Once we've advanced beyond football, what will take its place?

I don't think football will be replaced, just progressively made safer; or as some on this board would call it, "pussified". Will it ever be totally safe? No, but nothing ever is. You can get hurt playing a lot of sports, or whatever outdoor activity strikes your fancy.

[dawgs]

K. How about football? Once we've advanced beyond football, what will take its place?

Won't completely go away, but it may become a niche sport or more regional sport. Other existing sports will fill the void. I think baseball could get a big boost, basketball has continued to grow and become a year round sport with the offseason drama, maybe a sport like rugby or lacrosse gets a boost, but the biggest gainer will be (brace yourselves for those that hate Europeans) soccer. MLS is primed to quickly gain in prestige the next 20 years. A more diverse native population, the Internet opening Americans up to regularly seeing truly elite soccer matches, growing youth soccer programs leading to more kids playing in HS and college leading to growing the pool of Americans seeking to play soccer professionally, its all trending in the right way for soccer to be a big 3 or big 4 sport in the US. Current athletes in the other major sports all follow soccer these days too, which makes it 'cool' for young kids that love lebron or Bryce Harper or dan Prescott and want to follow their leads.

(And spare me the soccer concussion stuff, repeated head contact is just as bad or worse as the big hit that leads to a concussion, in football you get both) (and fwiw I'd fully support no heading among youth soccer leagues, similar to flag football for youth leagues instead of youth tackle leagues)